Theme Of Self-Actualization In Frankenstein

Frankenstein seems to show a prejudice towards his own creation; though he purposefully made the monster large to make it easier to add smaller things—such as nails and eyelashes—he chooses to look at his newly-awakened creation with repugnance. “For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” (Shelley 35) This disgust motivates him to run away, thus abandoning his monster.

"Have the courage to use your own understanding" is probably the best-known quotation by Immanuel Kant (Kant 58). He refers to the Age of Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, which was a major historical movement of the eighteenth century. The era was characterized by significant social and intellectual developments which led to several shifts in people’s way of thinking. Moreover, the era was accompanied by major scientific research and discovery. In her novel “Frankenstein’’ ,which was first published in 1818, Mary Shelley addresses numerous ideas of the movement which are embodied by the main characters, Victor Frankenstein and his monster. Furthermore, Shelley examines the relation that Frankenstein and his monster have towards relevant motifs of Enlightenment such as science, religion, and humanity.

However, according to Laurence M. Porter, as soon as Frankenstein actually succeeds in his goal, he “at some moments rejects his creature with horror and at others recognizes it as a sort of double,” both terrified and enthralled by its unnatural implications. However, Frankenstein’s shortsighted response to The Creature cause his failure to predict The Creature’s wrath and his narcissism causes his failure to prevent it. To illustrate, he cannot work up the courage to admit his indirect responsibility for his brother’s murder, instead allowing innocent Justine to take the fall, showing how his narcissism further accelerates the disintegration of his family. Instead of concerning himself with

The Dangers of Knowledge Frankenstein, a novel written by Mary Shelley, is notoriously accredited for its development and implication of multiple themes. Set in the 1700’s, Frankenstein is a gothic fiction telling of isolation, knowledge, and nature. The biggest of these being knowledge and inevitably its consequences. With knowledge comes question; What poses the most danger? The knowledge itself, or the journey to gain information?

The idea of knowledge in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley interprets knowledge as an evil pursuit. The knowlege is misused, due to Victor, the monster, and the interference with nature. Theses reasons are different perspectives that lead to tragedies. The novel Frankenstein identifies Victor's desire to gain knowledge as misusing it.

“I shall relate events that impressed me feelings which, from what I was, have made me what I am” (Shelley 80). In the second volume Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, the monster’s story during his years of isolation shows the complexity of his character; this complexity makes him an enigma. In order to uncover the mysteries behind this enigma, we must analyze the factors that played a role in his development. Looking at the monster’s development, we can see parallels between the monster and feral children. Much like feral children, the monster was abandoned—during the early period of his life—and was placed under extreme circumstances, which he was forced to endure—having to fend for himself.

It is often said that the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. Even Aristotle said, “The more you know, the more you know you don 't know.”. This can often lead to a yearning for more knowledge and sometimes, can be somebody’s downfall. In this case, it was Victor Frankenstein’s downfall. His love for science and his ever-growing quest to learn about the human body ultimately destroyed him, his family, his wife to be, and his best friend.

The fictional horror novel of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is driven by the accentuation of humanity’s flaws. Even at the very mention of her work an archetypal monster fills one’s imagination, coupled with visions of a crazed scientist to boot. Opening her novel with Robert Walton, the conduit of the story, he also serves as a character to parallel the protagonist’s in many ways. As the ‘protagonist’ of the story, Victor Frankenstein, takes on the mantle of the deluded scientist, his nameless creation becomes the embodiment of a truly abandoned child – one left to fend for itself against the harsh reality posed by society. On the other hand, Walton also serves as a foil to Victor – he is not compulsive enough to risk what would be almost

In volume 1 of Frankenstein, Victor's selfishness unleashes the “monster” in Victor and leads to Victor losing connections. Through the portrayal of the monster inside Victor, Shelley argues the universal theme of obligation. Shelley argues the universe of obligation, through showing us the ways of Victor only thinking of himself. In the circle of individuals and groups toward whom obligations are owed, one's self is always in the center. After oneself in the middle, family and friends come very close behind in the second circle. The readers see in chapter 4, how Victor only worries about himself and forgets about his family and friends. Henry has to mention to Victor how his family is not pleased from the fact that Victor has not written them all along. Henry says on page 44 “ I will not mention it, if it agitates you; but your father and cousin would be very happy if they received a letter from you in your own handwriting. They hardly know

(Shelly 42, 43) Here, the effects of his continued pursuit of knowledge and neglect of well-being is shown evidently. Once Frankenstein creates the monster, his unquenchable thirst for knowledge is frightened into silence. He then presently returns to the outside world,

Qi QinYi, Jasmine Mr. Nikolich English 9 Jan 2018 Frankenstein: The Search for Identity Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, is a pioneering science fiction work about the story of a young scientist Victor Frankenstein who created life out of dead matter. On the surface, Frankenstein seemed to be only a horror story about unorthodox scientific experiments and grotesque monsters. But by diving deeper into the novel, Shelley also addressed larger philosophical ideas. Throughout the story, Victor Frankenstein and his monster have both parallel and contrasting elements, and their search for identity is one of the most important ones. Identity is defined a “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual” (Merriam-Webster).

Frankenstein’s creature initially shows no signs of ill will or malice when first encountering human beings (Shelley 72-73). On the contrary, through careful observation he is able to learn more about human society and personal relationships. He begins to admire the close connection between the people he observes and respects their virtue. This, however, makes him realise what he is missing. Observing the love and affection between others only increases the effect his own solitude has on him.

Psychoanalysis of Frankenstein and His Creation When doing a literary analysis using the psychoanalytic type A criticism, the reader must solely look to the work itself and exclude externalities. One may interpret, “Dr. Frankenstein and the monster as embodying Sigmund Freud’s theory of id and ego” (Telgen). The theory is based upon the idea that a character’s personality can be divided into three parts. The id which is the basic desire for what each person wants. The superego which is the opposite of id, it houses our sense of guilt.

As a society we all seek answers to how God did it or question how we all got here, in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the key theme is the thirst for knowledge. Throughout the novel there are three prominent characters that seek for the understanding of life, including Victor Frankenstein, the creature, and Walton. The most important character involved with this particular theme is Victor Frankenstein, it all starts with his curiosity. Victor’s curiosity sparks with the statement that “The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine” (2.1).

The creature, Victor Frankenstein’s creation, had to suffer and tolerate life without care, love, or identity. The creature was never given a name because Victor didn’t want his monster to become more human-like. It can reinforce that the creature is property, and not a human being that is loved and cared for. Names are important for everyone because it is the easiest way to have self-identity.