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Empathy In Frankenstein

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From the dawn of time to the present day, humanity has built its philosophy based on the individual. The lack of empathy has been seen as the common root when pinpointing what causes one to act selfishly. Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky believes "Selfish behavior is not only immortal, but it is also bad for your psychological well-being" ("Psychology Today"). Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, tells the tale of Victor Frankenstein creating a hazardous "monster" who is painted as a scapegoat for the town's troubles. However, lurking in the shadows is a potential prospect whose selfish demeanor causes many individuals' downfall. Victor Frankenstein is the true antagonist of Shelley's heart-wrenching dystopia, who displays an illustration of cold-hearted …show more content…

Nothing is more painful than admitting his faults but continuing the lie down in a lake of guilt. Despite admitting to his wrongs, Victor continues to melt into cold blood. Victim complex often stems from humanity's wanting of peace and avoidance of conflict. Justine symbolizes pure sacrifice, whose life was taken solely due to Victor's actions. During the trial, Justine testifies, "God knows how entirely I am innocent. However, I do not pretend that my protestations should acquit me: I rest my innocence on a plain and simple explanation of the facts which have been adduced against me, and I hope the character I have always borne will incline my judges to a favorable interpretation, where any circumstance appears doubtful or suspicious" (Shelley 55). Actions will always speak louder than words, and in this case, Justine never showed any malicious behavior prior to her framing. However, Victor's consistent profusion of gaslight and scapegoating causes the demise of an innocent girl with a full life ahead of …show more content…

Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were rage and revenge. I could wish pleasure to have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery" (Shelley 95). Victor's creation accepts his fate as the societal pariah; however, for the first time in the novel, our feelings of doubt about Frankenstein's true intentions are confirmed. In reality, if one is not given a purpose in life and has to fuel themself every day to stay delighted, why would one continue to give to society's wishes? Victor ultimately chose to put the monster on the planet, and it was up to him to teach him the difference between right and wrong. Psychologists believe that 99% of the time, one's malicious behavior stems from the parents, not the child. The monster lashes out at the novel's end, "I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly and exult in the agony of the torturing flames. The light of that conflagration will fade away; the winds will sweep my

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When Elizabeth learns of Justine’s innocence, she tells Victor, “I never could again have known peace, if I had been deceived in my reliance on her… Now my heart is lightened. The innocent suffers; but she whom I thought amiable and good has not betrayed the trust I reposed in her, and I am consoled.” (Shelley 59). Through stating how Elizabeth is consoled knowing that she hasn’t been deceived, Shelley points out that Victor is deceiving everyone because he is the creator of the murderer.

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Justine gets prosecuted and killed because Victor too scared keeps his mouth shut than to reveal his creation than to save an innocent

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Victor is remarkably self-centered, focusing on his suffering instead of Justine’s, and his refusal to come forward comes across as the epitome of selfishness. He assumes no one would believe him rather than try to help his friend. He could simply say he has an enemy who wishes him harm, who he’s seen at the site of his brother’s murder that’s not hard to believe and would give the court reasonable doubt on Justine’s behalf. Victor wrestles with his own guilt and confession regarding William’s death. He knows his confession would not matter and only make him look mad.

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Victor Frankenstein is selfish. Frankenstein succeeds in creating life, but at what cost? As evidenced when he said, “Scoffing devil! Again do I vow vengeance; again do I devote thee, miserable fiend, to torture and death. Never will I omit my search for those who even now prepare for me the reward or my tedious toil and pilgrimage.

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In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, the audience views the monster as the most sympathetic character as Shelley utilizes a basic understanding of human nature in order to emphasize the innocence of the monster and force the reader into siding with the underdog. Additionally, Shelley furthers her position on why the monster is the most sympathetic by alluding to and referencing John Milton’s Paradise Lost as well as the relationship between God and man. Through this, Shelley forces the reader to abandon the conventional narrative that the monster is evil simply because he inflicted death upon others by looking at the motives that drove their actions. Shelley’s novel follows the life of Victor Franikenstein, an aspiring scientist who is fascinated

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In particular, Justine, an innocent girl that was taken in by the Frankenstein family, was charged with the crime of murdering William. Victor knew that Justine was not the killer because he saw the creature in the woods when traveling to the funeral and trial. However, when Justine is being convicted, Victor decides to keep the creature’s existence a secret instead of proving Justine’s innocence and acquitting her of the crime. Victor narrates his decision, “I was firmly convinced in my own mind that Justine, and indeed every human being, was guiltless of this murder. I had no fear, therefore, that any circumstantial evidence could be brought forward strong enough to convict her.

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But these are not thoughts befitting me; I will endeavour to resign myself cheerfully to death, and will indulge a hope of meeting you in another world”(24). Victor shows the strong love of family in his childhood “No human being could have passed a happier childhood than [me]. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence” (Shelley,40), he raised with excellent conditions and with parents who loved their children, but we do not see that Victor gives this love to his creature and ignored him, notwithstanding the fact that the two figures shared many characteristics. As a result of Frankenstein 's darkness and ignorance toward his creature, he refused to accept the monster because of his physical appearance and Frankenstein sees the creature as if he were the monster when the creature

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Victor falsely accuses himself for Justine’s execution because he believes that he could

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In life there are many evils that will try to defeat a person but the key to living a happy, fulfilling life is learning to have empathy for others who are facing their own evils. Empathy is hard to have if a person has not endured any real struggles in their life. Being able to know firsthand how it feels to go through difficulties helps create a level of empathy that leads to compassion for one another. Victor Frankenstein is a prime example of someone who has faced evils in their own life but in the end did not find compassion for others, instead he found his own hell. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor’s lack of empathy opens the door into his world of selfishness, cruelty, and unhappiness.

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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.”

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Victor creates the Creature, but there are many situations throughout the novel where the Monster displays as the victim. He seeks love from different people, but everyone treats him bad. His anger towards his father drives him to kill Victor’s family. The Monster later feels devastated for the murders he commits. All the monster wants is love.

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In the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, readers follow the life of scientist Victor Frankenstein and his creation. The accomplishment of creating life is quickly overshadowed by Victor’s lack of responsibility regarding the monster’s needs. Victor doesn’t give it respect or love. Society’s rejection of the monster is responsible for his evil tendencies.

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Mary Shelley shows the endless amount of revenge and that it is driven by pure hatred and rage. The monster was not created to be vengeful, he was kind hearted but when he was poorly treated by Victor and then by the Delacey family, he turned cold. In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley displays the immorality and destructive effects that revenge can have through Frankenstein and his pursuit of the creature. Immediately after the monster had awoken, hatred thickened and would drive the plot to be all about revenge. The creature illustrates this hatred as he says to Victor, “Everything is related in them which bears reference to my accursed origin; the whole detail of that series of disgusting circumstances which produced it is set in view;

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Victor Frankenstein is selfish. The novel portrays Victor as a selfish character who is only concerned about his own well-being. Frankenstein wanted to manipulate the power of life. He abandons his creation because of the creature’s appearance and also withholds information or lies about his creation. Due to Victor 's selfishness, readers feel sorry for his creation.

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The gothic fiction novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley centralizes on humanity and the qualifications that make someone human. The content of the novel Frankenstein depicts a monster displaying human traits that his creator Victor does not possess: empathy, a need for companionship, and a will to learn and fit in. Throughout the novel Shelley emphasizes empathy as a critical humanistic trait. The monster displays his ability to empathize with people even though they are strangers. On the other hand Victor, fails to show empathy throughout the novel even when it relates to his own family and friends.

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