The Good And Evil In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Within Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, the viewer can identify how although society calls him a monster they still distinguish him from a human standpoint. Which can be witnessed through Shelley ’s language; her word choice illustrates that even though the characters label him a monster, they still hold him accountable the same way they would a human. A critical piece of language that classifies him as human is when Victor refers to him as a murderer, “I repaired to a criminal judge in the town, and told him I had an accusation to make; that I knew the destroyer of my family; and that I required him to exert his whole authority for the apprehension of the murderer” (Shelley, 202). The choice Victor made to call him a murder rather than a predator shows that the creature is more closely related to humans rather than animals. Furthermore, the creature is referred to as a murderer, meaning that he has developed the mental capacity to commit a crime.

This is prevalent due to the fact that the moment the monster is created, Victor calls it a catastrophe and is horrified by what he has created. He explained, “The beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 51). When Victor uses words such as “dream vanished”, “breathless horror” and “disgust” he is showing his emotions for the

While reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, I often found myself wondering who would be seen as more of a monster, Victor or Frankenstein. In my mind I saw Victor as the monstrous of all. Although the Creature’s physical traits were more beastly, Victor equalled the Creature’s looks mentally. They both knew what it meant to be alone, but Victor chose that life and the Creature’s fate was decided for him. In terms of life and death, both characters found a way to play “God.”

Comparing society in Beowulf and society in Frankenstein is like comparing a simple farm to the processing plant; futuristic and totally dissimilar. Although, the core ‘monsters’ are unchanged; grotesque, horrifyingly pagan-esque beings of the dark that strike terror in to the hearts of even the stoutest of fighters and the sanest of men. In the Christian and Medieval world, monsters were human beings with an unnatural birth or a birth deformity (Stitt, 2003). The term ‘monster’ derives from the Latin term ‘monere’ which means ‘To warn’ or ‘to advise’ and ‘monstrum’ which is ‘a sign or portent that disrupts the natural order as evidence of divine displeasure’. The aspect of ‘Divine Displeasure’ is attributed almost perfectly to Grendel, the monster of Beowulf and the terror of Hrothgar.

The novel “Frankenstein,” by Mary Shelley tells the story of a man named Victor Frankenstein, who decides to go against the laws of nature by bringing to life a being constructed with decaying body parts. Victor believes in natural philosophy and science, which leads him to the idea of creating this Creature. Although this novel can be interpreted in many ways, I believe that Mary Shelley is shining a light on the harmful and dangerous impacts that prejudice and assumptions can have on people who are considered different. Shelley may be suggesting that humanity is the true 'monster ' due to its socialized ideologies that make ambition, self-greed and rage fulfilling. Even to this day society is known to shun those who we do not see as equals.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein uses the conflict between Victor and the creature, specifically their predatory relationship in their pursuit of revenge, to emphasize how revenge will consistently push or even exceed moral boundaries. The conflict between Victor and his creature is outlined in Frankenstein through the monster’s attempt to hurt Victor through the killing of William and Victor’s destruction of the creature’s future mate, representing how revenge often cultivates a normalization of immorality. Before William’s murder, the monster had been rejected by the DeLaceys and shot at for saving a young girl from drowning. As a result, the creature’s wish for revenge upon all

What makes people do the right thing vs. wrong thing or wrong thing vs. right think in general what makes people do the things that they do? Victor Frankenstein creates a monster thinking would turn out to be a good outcome instead resulted in a backfire. The creature turns out to become evil as things lead him into seeking revenge on his creator Victor. Positive and negative reinforcement end up turning the characters to seek revenge amongst each other. Going from a happy living like to a messed up crazy life Victor had to go through this because the decision of creating his creature.

Doctor Frankenstein’s Biggest Regret The greatest minds have the potential to cause the greatest harm. This is evident in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, as the main character, the brilliant Doctor Frankenstein, through discarded body parts creates a monster, which results in harming the people that mean the most to him. In Doctor Frankenstein’s innocent efforts to figure out the key to life, he ultimately unlocks a tragic door for himself and others. Behind this door, he finds that the knowledge he searched for should have stayed hidden, exemplifying his tragic flaw.

Thus the reason he states that the trial is a “wretched mockery of justice.” The death of both William and Justine then lie on Victor Frankenstein’s shoulders. It is tragedies like William’s murder, Justine’s execution, and Elizabeth’s murder that force Victor Frankenstein to ponder the consequences of creating his monster. When Frankenstein has to face these consequences, we can see that he becomes a remorseful and miserable

That all the deeds done by the monster in the novel is totally the fight towards beauty and ugliness. This throws light upon the idea it is not always simple to know about goodness and evilness with regard to outer beauty but it’s the beauty of the soul as the victor was projected as a good and loving human being and the monster evil but we can realize throughout the novel that this might be up turned for both victor and the monster Mary Shelley depicted the phenomena of beauty vs. ugliness of the soul very prominently in the novel Frankenstein .

The monster declares that he desires “creatures…cheering my gloom”; however, no “Eve soothed my sorrows” (118, Shelley). Because of this abandonment, the monster “cursed [Frankenstein]” (118, Shelley). No mother or Eve is present to nurture the monster. Therefore, he faults his creator for his isolation and plans to seek vengeance against Frankenstein, sending a message to the reader concerning the violent repercussions from an absence of nurture. Similarly, after the De Laceys beat the monster, he feels there are “none…men that existed who would pity or assist” him, causing him to “declare everlasting war against the species” (122, Shelley).

The adaption from book to film is a hard fraught translation, in which many themes and fundamental ideas can be lost. This is apparent in the adaption of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein into the 1931 film directed by James Whale of the same title. While the two stories are of the same premise, they are fundamentally different in later story elements, ideas, and themes. Even though the film inspires horror and intrigue like its novel counterpart, it lacks the complex moral arguments and depth of the book it is based upon. Whale’s Frankenstein ultimately fails as an adaptation of Mary Shelly’s work, because the removal of the narration and moral conflict present in the novel, which causes the film to lack overall emotional depth.

In the novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is faced with guilt following the murder of his family and friends, with the monster he had created being responsible for their deaths. Victor, outraged and filled with hatred for his own creation, swears that the rest of his life will be devoted to destroying the creature he had once worked so hard in bringing to life. Although Victor is correct in the fact that this monster needs some form of punishment, the way Victor goes about it ends up leading to his demise. Victor understands what he must do to bring the monster to justice, although it is terribly executed. He knows that by creating the monster, he is also a culprit.

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.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a famous classic amongst books and contains some of the most memorable literary figures. In fact, Frankenstein’s literary influence subjects it to lots of criticism. One common argument that occurs is the debate on which of the two main characters is truly at fault for the suffering of the other. At first glance, Frankenstein’s monster is a hideous beast who causes severe mental pain to his creator, despite the fact Frankenstein had done no direct harm to him. However when one recognizes of the consequences of indirect harm, it can be argued that Victor Frankenstein was the one at fault.