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The Best-Known Archetypes In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

1396 Words6 Pages

Man should never be allowed to play god, but creating life is something that has always been an enticing concept (American Scientist). In order to feed our fantasies about cloning and producing life, we turn to fiction novels to amaze, and sometimes to scare us. One of the best-known archetypes of this is Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Hailed as the eighth most popular English novel in history (The Guardian), the classic story of a mad scientist named Dr. Victor Frankenstein has been the basis of countless movies and parodies (Romantic Circles). Though the name Frankenstein has become very well known, the original story as penned by Mary Shelley has been overwhelmed by the numerous derivatives that were published afterward in different forms of media including movies, plays, and even comic books. (The Frankenstein Movie and Monster Horror Film Site). The plot of the novel depicts the monster as having no other desire in life than to be loved and to assimilate seamlessly into society (Chapter 17). This shows that, contrary to popular belief Victor Frankenstein is the actual evildoer because he did not take the necessary precautions before his experimenting, he abandoned his creation and also because he came from a family that …show more content…

None of his interactions with humans was positive, starting with his master (Chapter 15). Unlike a human baby who is exposed to many types of people, the monster only saw corruption. Thus, when it was his turn to do something, he mimicked the people he saw. Even the De Lacey family, whom he thought to be contrary to the norm, ran away from him (Chapter 16). This ultimate act of repudiation propelled him over the edge, and he ended up committing his first act of manslaughter; he killed Victor’s nephew William Frankenstein (Chapter

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In the story Frankenstein, Victor is the true villain. Victor was the creator of the monster. Although the creature wasn’t a human, he needed to be parented like one, and Victor did not provide for him. The monster did some pretty horrible things, but Victor could’ve prevented this from the start by going back and helping the monster to learn how to do everyday things. Both Victor and the monster are villains, but it's deciding who is the bigger villain that is important.

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Why Does Mary Shelley Use Of Personification In Frankenstein

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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a gothic novel that tells the story of scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his obsession with creating human life. This leads him to creating a gruesome monster made of body-parts stolen from grave yards, whom upon discovering his hideousness, the monster seeks revenge against his creator, causing Victor to regret the creation of his monster for the rest of his life. Shelley uses the literary elements of personification, imagery, and similes to give a vivid sense and visualization of Victor Frankenstein’s thoughts and feelings as well as to allow us to delve deeper into the monster’s actions and emotions. Throughout the novel, Shelley uses personification of various forces and objects to reflect the effect in Victor’s actions.

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A dynamic character is somebody that changes his or her personality or attitude. Victor’s creature from Mary Shelley’s novel fits the definition of a dynamic character because he changes his attitude during the novel. The creature in the beginning of the novel starts being a good “person.” He did a lot of kind things for human beings like helping Felix’s family.

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Scrutinize The Punishment In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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Victor Frankenstein, is at fault for the creature’s actions. Victor was looking for some honor and triumph, but when he accomplished his experiment, not only did it bring terror to Victor, but to the whole world. The monster never learned right from wrong and was never raised correctly, his first moment of life, all he experienced was the fear in Victor's emotion, and was abandoned right from the start. Victor selfishly isolated himself from society and ran away from his responsibilities which caused destruction to the people Victor cared for and loved deeply. The creature was known as a monster and was doomed due to his appearance.

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Frankenstein And Grendel Comparison Essay

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The true monster of Frankenstein is the creature that can be seen through the several violent and destructive acts in the novel the creature commits, including the murder of Victor Frankenstein’s younger brother William, as well as Victor's friend Henry Clerval. “The mildness of my nature had fled, and all within me was turned to gall and bitterness. “For the first time, the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to control them, but allowing myself to be borne away by the stream, I bent my mind towards injury and death” (16). The creature's actions are driven by a desire for revenge against his creator, whom he blames for his miserable existence and rejection by society.

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The monster is spurned by society because of his horrific appearance, his body, alone and hated, unfit for the company of strangers, just as Frankenstein fears he is. He is miserable which makes the hatred grow, as he says, “all men hate the wretched; how then must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things!” In fact, this wretchedness and enforced isolation is the monster’s main character trait, parallel to the isolation being Frankenstein’s biggest fear. Now that Victor is in college, he does not have his family to fall back upon for affection.

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How Does Frankenstein Influence Pop Culture

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Introduction First published in 1818, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein busted its way into popularity as one of the first science-fiction novels. As Shelley trudged her way into the literary canon, Frankenstein’s preliminary success was surpassed by a wave of Frankenstein-esque characters. Shelley’s great influence and success caused a whirlwind of Frankenstein references throughout pop culture. The many allusions to Frankenstein in pop culture arguably molded the text into a cult classic; inevitably making it’s mark on literature and the arts for centuries. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein influenced and inspired numerous beloved characters, portrayals, and adaptations in America’s pop culture.

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In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Robert Walton is on a voyage to discover unexplored knowledge. While on this journey he finds Victor Frankenstein, who tells the reader of his own journey to discover the unknown. In this novel, Mary Shelley employs literary devices such as repetition, imagery, and rhetorical questions to provide meaning to the audience. For example, the author uses repetition to emphasize Elizabeth’s confidence. Expressing her frustration with the situation Elizabeth repeats, “But she was innocent.

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Archetypal Symbolism In Frankenstein

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A writer named Nikita Gill once said “When you see a monster next, always remember this. Do not fear the thing before you. Fear the thing that created it instead.” This quote can be related to the novel Frankenstein where instead of the actual creature being perceived as the monster, the person who created it deserves to be called one. Using the archetypal lens, Victor can be seen as the real monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from his cruel characteristics, continuous patterns of monstrosity, as well as symbols and themes involving nature.

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Victor Is The Real Monster In Frankenstein

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Readers can conclude that Victor Frankenstein is the actual monster in Frankenstein because of how he views himself, how he creates destruction, and how he destroys himself. Many people characterize themselves as being a monster because of their self-image. Readers can deduce that Victor thinks he is a gruesome individual because of what creates. Even though he is not at fault, he blames himself for every atrocious act that his creation carries out. Additionally, Frankenstein permits readers to come the conclusion that Victor sees himself as being lethal and malignant.

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Human Qualities Of The Monster In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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In the novel Frankenstein, the monster created by Frankenstein shows some human qualities. Some qualities that make people human are reason, pain, anger, sadness, growth, and ultimately being made by God; the monster expresses the human qualities of pain, anger, sadness, and reason, but he does not have the quality of being made by God, and growth. One of the first qualities that the monster exhibits is reason. When the monster is sharing his story with Frankenstein, he explains how he discovered the rules of fire by saying, “ I quickly collected some branches; but they were wet, and would not burn.

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Mary Shelley's Use Of Biblical Allusions In Frankenstein

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Character Development In Frankenstein

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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

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