Understanding Of Justice In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Joseph Aharoni Period 6, 10/2/14 Frankenstein: Misunderstood Monster Throughout the course of Frankenstein, Victor’s creation struggles to find a purpose and his own self definition. Tossed into the world with absolutely no guidance, hated by every living being he encounters, and remorseful of his own wicked deeds, the Creature shapes one of the most contradictory and enigmatic characters experienced in literature. The way that Victor and the Creature view each other, as well as themselves, shifts drastically throughout the course of the story, and ultimately the decision of whose beliefs are more correct is arbitrary to each reader. I find more truth in the Creature’s view of himself as opposed to Victor’s.

The Creature’s Unjustified Morals of a Monster Frankenstein’s horror tragedy leaves the reader with a dilemma about Victor’s creature guiltiness and moral responsibility. This dilemma arises due to the irresponsible care from his creator and general hatred received from the human species; contrasted by his unjustified actions towards innocents and commitment of murders as the catharsis from his problems. It is true that this being was inattentively abandoned in the most fundamental stages of its life and that circumstances may have corrupted his initial good benevolence. However, in this essay, I argue that the actions, motives, and values expressed by the unnamed creature in Shelley’s story make him solely responsible and, because of their

In his attempt to create a new being, Frankenstein is successful. That is, he is successful until he allows his creation's innocence to be tainted by the relentless savagery that is reality. As a result, Frankenstein's creation becomes Frankenstein's monster, defiled by hatred and the need for revenge. However, the destruction of innocence occurred not only in Frankenstein’s creation, but also in Victor Frankenstein himself. By the time of his death Victor is a monster consumed by hate and revenge.

He was formed through behavioral views and experiences due to the lack of education and learning the morals of society. To society standards his physical appearance was not accepted and created a feeling of confusion within the monster causing him hateful feelings towards humans after being shown cruel actions. He received constant judgment and rejection due to his appearance, "His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness; but these luxuriance 's only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same color as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion and straight black lips" (Shelley, 58), yet the monster did not have any opinion of his own self but what was given from Victor and the society. The creation refused to continue to let this happen and reacted with anger, just like anyone other human would. The confusion and rage continues for the monster when society treats him with cruelty after meeting a family in the wilderness and they run away from him.

In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, it scrutinizes the punishments when a man creates life, and plays the role of God. 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.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the story of a young man named Victor Frankenstein who does the unthinkable, creates life from dead flesh. Victor is a young, educated and wealthy member of society who grows up in a loving home with high standards of ethics and morality. He creates a creature out of impulse with little thought of its future well-being and abandons it carelessly. The creature is left to discover life without teaching or direction. Only when the creature impacts Victor’s life, by taking away his loved ones, is Victor forced to deal with the consequences of his own actions.

The actions of an individual defines the boundary between sympathy and wickedness. Their behaviors and thoughts change the plot of the story and character identity. Mary Shelley uses moral ambiguity to overlook the unrealistic nature of her story. In Frankenstein, this concept incorporates itself into Mary Shelley’s characters. Ambiguity invokes an attachment between the figures and readers.

Throughout this novel, we learn the views of the creature that Victor Frankenstein created. His views on society, justice, and injustice. When he is first created, he seeks to be accepted by society despite his appearance. However, the events he experiences shape his views. Victor Frankenstein, the DeLacey family, and the father and daughter he meets throughout his journey do not accept him.

But I was wretched, helpless, and alone. Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition, for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me (Shelley

Duality is shown in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, a gothic tale of a scientist whom looks to advance the life-giving qualities of mother nature. Through this novel, Shelley proves that good and evil in human nature is not always simple to define, and that everyone has both of these qualities within them. The duality of human nature is shown through the characters of Victor Frankenstein and his monster, who are both heroes in the novel while simultaneously displaying anti-hero qualities. Shelley forces the reader to sympathize with them both but also creates gruesome ideas of the two. Frankenstein’s creature places himself in a submissive position when he begs his creator to have mercy on him and asking the creator to “create a female for [him] with whom [he] can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for [his] being.”

Frankenstein follows his creation to one of the most symbolic places on earth in coalition with his heart, The Arctic. He brings himself to his wit’s end on this search for the monster. However, Frankenstein describes how revenge is his driving force when he says, “many times have I stretched my failing limbs upon the sandy plain, and prayed for death. But revenge kept me alive; I dare not die, and leave my adversity in being" (219). Frankenstein’s rage filled hunt for his creation comes to an end when he realizes he will not be able to catch the monster.

Throughout the novel, the main character Frankenstein, made many poor decisions that I would consider to be morally wrong and unethical. Frankenstein’s research and discoveries are ethically wrong because he was taking dead bodies from cemeteries, cutting off their limbs, and body parts to create a human like creature. He did not have anyone's consent to do this study causing it to be unethical, and he also should not be able to do this because he is playing the role of god. In the beginning of the book, Victor Frankenstein described to Walton that he had created a monster using body parts from a graveyard.

Frankenstein: From Benevolent to Feind “I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.” (Shelley 69) Said by Frankenstein’s monster, this quote truly defines him: initially an affectionate, love-seeking creature, he transformed into an enraged killer, angry at humanity for the undeservedly poor way he was treated. Victor Frankenstein is an unique, complex individual who encounters a similar change of nature for similar reasons. The quote—though spoken by the monster—encapsulates the evolution of Victor Frankenstein’s personality; misery—a product of isolation and loneliness—aroused a deterioration of temperament from an initially benevolent Frankenstein.

In the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, ambition evolves into a form of obsession with revenge. But the result of vengeance is a curse to human life and its longevity. Both main characters in the novel, Victor and the monster become obsessed and let vengeance be their downfall. Victor was a very ambitious character who longed for knowledge and the presence of new life. He soon became obsessed with his creation and said,“I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.

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