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Analyzing The Byronic Hero In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, understanding the biblical allusion of Satan and how he relates to the monster will give the reader a deeper insight into the Romantic element, the Byronic hero, along with the theme of isolation. When the monster says “‘You, my creator, abhor me; what hope I can gather from your fellow creatures, you owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me’”(Shelley 87) it shows the theme of isolation. No human accepts him, which leaves him left in the dust alone. Even his own creator doesn't accept him. When Victor sees the monster he says “‘Begone! I will not hear from you. There will be no community between you and me; we are enemies’”(Shelley 87). This is showing how hard the monster tries to fit in. He educates himself …show more content…

When the family returned to the cottage and attacked him, it was another reminder that he will never fit in. All he went in there for was to try to make a friend so he wouldn't be so alone, but the family saw it otherwise. As these events occur, readers can see why the monster gets so mad. He is respectful and helpful, and in return gets hate and discrimination. Which leaves him with no friend or somebody to turn to once again. It is also important to see how “Paradise Lost” and the biblical allusion of Satan relates to the monster. The monster tells Victor that he should be his “Adam”, but soon realizes that Victor hates his creation. He now resembles Satan, the banished and horrifying creature. When readers see the monster as Satan, it brings the theme of isolation and how the monster scares Victor, which makes him feel more alone than ever. The monster is trying to impress Victor the whole story, so by him still receiving Victor’s disapproval devastated him. Understanding this will open up the story for readers in a romantic way because they will gain a deeper insight into the monster's thoughts and

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Frankenstein’s Monster is not categorized as evil by his malicious behavior and is sympathized with due to his creator abandoning him and the role of nature versus nurture taken place II. Monster’s Nature and alienation A. Monster originally had an inquisitive nature yet gentle nature a. Information on the German family was “each interesting and wonderful to one so utterly inexperienced as [he] was” (105) B. With the rejection and alienation from society, the only interactions the monster experiences, he becomes full of hatred a. Rejected by De Lacey family by his looks and labeled a monster b. Tries to save a child but is shot by child’s father C. Reader may feel sympathy towards the Monster’s actions because the readers know that his true nature was not evil and he was misjudged III.

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Victor conveys that any human cannot withstand the ugliness of the face of the monster. A simile is used to compare a mummy risen from the dead is not even as close to disturbing as the despicable monster he created. The Dante references to Dante’s Inferno, Dante has come across many demons in hell but, even Frankenstein’s monster is viler than any demon in hell. In response to the monster being born Victor flees in horror. He wants nothing to do with the monster it frightens him so that he deserts it to fend for itself in his apartment not caring about any sort of trouble the monster can cause: “I then reflected, and the thought made me shiver, that the creature whom I had left in my apartment might still be in there, alive and walking about.

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"I, who had ever been surrounded by amiable companions, continually engaged in endeavoring to bestow mutual pleasure. I was now alone. In the university whither I was going I must form my own friends and be my own protector" (26). The isolated Victor is different in several ways including his manner, and the way he goes about his education, which is more focused and ultimately more obsessive. He has no one to comfort him and this leads to the madness of creating the monster.

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The Monster believes and mentioned several times that the reason that he is so angry is because of Victor. Shelley writes,

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He uses the little that he knows to fuel his hatred towards humans and his creator. This shows the exponential growth of the problems that Victor has created as a result of his desire for knowledge. Not only did he create the destructive monster, but now the monster is using a hunger for knowledge, the very thing that created it, to do even more damage. This root cause is linked to everything that is causing Victor’s suffering. The monster also compares his relationship to Victor to that of God and Adam, wishing that he had the same supplication to his creator that Adam did, “I remembered Adam’s supplication to his creator.

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The Creature begins with killing the people that are most dear to Victor. Satan does the same thing in a similar way by bringing death to God’s own children. Lucifer causes trouble and even mortality to Adam and Eve’s perfect life. Once he introduces sin to them, all of God’s children thereafter are doomed. It is from these actions, that it is easily said that the Monster and Satan are damned for eternity.

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The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley says a person is responsible for their actions if they do not weigh the possible consequences of their actions before making their final decision. Throughout the novel, Mary Shelley shows the consequences of actions that are done without proper thought beforehand. Victor Frankenstein wants to create life, he wants to be god, and his lust for this goal overtakes his common sense. Victor rushes into making his creature and then makes rash decisions which also contributes to his demise and the death of several of his close friends and family. The monster should be held responsible for his actions to a certain extent, however, his actions are influenced by Victor’s initial impetuous decisions.

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This makes the monster feel unwanted, which is a very human response. In all efforts to reach his creator, the monster fails and to illustrate his anger, he starts his revenge by taking the lives of the relatives of Victor but also the people that fear

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The monster depicts his otherness when he wonders: “Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned” (Shelley 85). The monster evidently remains in isolation and is dehumanized. The monster attempts to get integrated into his society but his appearance and lack of social skills hinder his success. The monster strives to be accepted but is incapable of acceptance. The monster reiterates this feeling of isolation as he says: “I felt as if I were placed under a ban- as if I had no right to claim their sympathies – as if never more might I enjoy companionship with them” (Shelley 108).

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This shows the humanity in the monster and his tendency to be amiable. He was also able to learn from his mistakes. For example, the creature realized that he needed to stop stealing the family’s supplies after he noticed how much they needed them. Victor, however, didn’t learn from his mistake of creating the monster, and created another. The monster also refers to the family in the cabin as “[his] friends” when they didn’t know of his existence (103).

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”(Chapter 24, pg 221) Getting to the point where he asks Victor to create him a partner, which never comes to animation. Thus, resulting in the rebellion of the monster against Victor, his creator, like how Satan defied his. With reference to these allusions, the author creates a sensation of pity and empathy towards the creature, making it easier for the reader to understand the monster’s perspective. The use of the allusion to Paradise Lost helps the reader interpret the characters within the

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This experience allows the monster to realize, that despite being perfect beings, even beauty can experience sorrow, just as ugliness can experience serenity. The monster also learns that the family is in similar position as his own, in which they are isolated from their society due to their crimes. From this judgement, the monster is able to approach the father of the household, by disguising himself as a lowly traveller in need of shelter, the

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Although he comes with friendly intentions, the Monster is treated violently and with contempt, essentially being forced into his alienation to survive and becoming the “monster” he is already thought of as a result. The Monster’s actions are a response to the treatment he has received from others, everyday villagers and Victor alike. With little known about his origins and no way to explain himself, there is no hope for the Monster to assimilate himself. This is present in other characters of the novel as well, for example, Richard Walton, who has self-alienated in order to gain distinction and knowledge. The Monsters origins and appearance develop these themes of alienation throughout the novel, themes that are further developed by other characters and play an important role in delivering the message of

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A plethora of instances depicted in the novel bolsters the reader's understanding of the monster's development of empathy which originated during

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If a critique of the Byronic hero is made in Frankenstein, certain adjustments would need to be made to deviate from a standard Byronic hero such as Manfred. The changes made need to be key in the shifting the audience's perspective of the protagonist. Using Frankenstein as an example, it is much harder to hold the same admiration towards Victor as one may to Manfred. To notice these marked differences in Frankenstein, a closer look at the Byronic hero in manfred is needed.

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