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Essay On Victor And The Monster In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses the characters of Victor and the monster in order to support the idea that humanity needs other people to define themselves in today’s world. Without having connections and relationships the idea of being able to define oneself, or even another person, is harder. Today’s society is based on the fact that humanity survives because of these important connections and relationships. Without other people living near each other in this world, people have trouble making positive connections. The monster needs other people for him to define himself. Since the monster is created, not born or raised, by body parts of others humans he has no idea about how humans operate. When the monster is first created …show more content…

Especially since his self-identity is based on him being a very learned man. Also, the monster does not have a mate, therefore he has no one to share his thoughts, sorrows, or hopes with. All the monster wants is someone who can reach those so-called requirements because “no Eve soothed [his] sorrow nor shaped [his] thoughts” (Shelley 120). The monster is the Adam and all he desires is an Eve. There is nobody for him to bounce ideas off of, no basic reinforcements, he is alone. Lack of connection is what really prevents the monster from being able to define himself as nice, kind, and personable because people react negatively when they see him. When he wants to get to know the DeLacey family better they take one look at him and strike him “violently with a stick” (Shelley 124). People do not even take the time to meet him they just set and assume. In Frankenstein, using her main characters Victor and the monster, Mary Shelley is able to help set stone what humanity needs. The three things humanity needs are communication, relationships, and the ability to define oneself. Relationships rely on communication and to communicate easier it is better to know yourself. Humanity needs people and connections in our lives to better understand themselves and the world

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In chapters 14-16, Mary Shelley teaches the readers that the monster is very lonely and didn 't have any friends. Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but i am solitary and abhorred.” The monster yelled and asked his creatour why he created him and him only and asked why Victor made him so ugly looking. “Do not despair. To be friendless is indeed to be unfortunate, but the hearts of men, when unprejudiced by any obvious self-interest, are full of brotherly love and charity.

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Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein is a frame narrative of the life of Victor Frankenstein recorded by Robert Walton. It is circled around his creation of a monster that suffered a lonely life and wanted revenge for being created. In Frankenstein, Shelley portrays many big ideas but, one that continues to show importance is the idea of Human Needs and Desires. so, in the novel Mary Shelley presents the idea that all creatures have a basic need for friendship and love.

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1218 Words | 5 Pages

The use of the word monster in the book also correlates to appearance, and when the creature is called a monster, he feels forced to act like one. After being rejected by society because of his appearance the creature cries to Frankenstein, “Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust” (Shelley 93). This shows that the creature internalized all of the hate he received from his appearance, to the point where he viewed himself as a monster. When he internalizes all this negativity about himself that stems from his appearance, and begins to see himself as a monster, he then begins to behave as one.

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276 Words | 2 Pages

The monster in the story of Mary Shelley is a creation of Victor Frankenstein, a man from a privileged family who became obsessed with the evolution of science and reached the point where he decided to give life to a new living being. Although Victor achive to create a living being, he can not create a human being. Since the beginning of the novel, the monster that Victor created is excluded from humanity when Victor began the creation of the monster, decided to do it in the outskirts of the city, another data that shows how before the monster came to life he was excluded from humanity with the simple fact of being created far from society. The creature that he created is excluded from society and tries to humanize through knowledge of language.

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927 Words | 4 Pages

Because the monster didn’t have a guiding figure that accepted him from the beginning of his creation, he was unable to interact with others. The inability to interact and make human connections led him to loneliness and depression, which ultimately turned into a devastating end. In today’s society, the monster could be analogous for queer people, who are not entirely accepted by society as they think and behave differently than what is deemed “normal.” Additionally, some families are not accepting of their children’s identity, which is similar to Frankenstein’s reaction to the monster. This rejection by family members is often detrimental to an individual and can lead to the same feelings and behaviors that the monster experienced, such as depression and violence against themselves and others.

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1804 Words | 8 Pages

The monster explains that he has worked hard to try to break the communication barrier with humans. He attains social skills that are similar to those of his human counterparts and is able to adequately communicate when speaking to a blind man, however, when the monster communicates with people that are not blind, they can only see his flaws in his appearance and are afraid of this monster. The monster is unable to conform to society and is prevented from being accepted by his peers. Conversely, Eliza is able to conform to society and is accepted by most of her peers: “I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins, because he always

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987 Words | 4 Pages

By denying both main characters the sensation of domestic affection, or any other kind of social belonging, Mary Shelley highlights the importance thereof. The resulting isolation became the driving force behind both Frankenstein and his creation’s abominable actions which, in turn, shows that trying to avoid isolation and seeking the feeling of social belonging is the primary message of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and of

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700 Words | 3 Pages

From the minute he was born to the minute he died he never had a friend he could talk to, all he could do was watch other people socialize, or read his book. One cannot learn how to socialize through a book, to learn how to socialize one needs to go through the steps of approaching a person and starting conversation with them which the monster was never able to do because of his looks. This was another hidden criticism that Shelley had towards The Enlightenment, she believed that people relied too much on formal education, and that people needed to go out and experience things for themselves (Willinksy ). The enlightenment that the monster experiences here is that he had to accept the understanding that he will never have a friend to talk to or share feeling with. Although he read in his book that he would not be accepted, it was not until the cottage rejection that he came to the realization that he would not actually be accepted in

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On the other hand, the monster does not experience two of the most important qualities of being human: growth, and being made by God. The monster is aware of this and admits this by saying, “From my earliest remembrance I had been as I then was in height and proportion” (103). The monster has been the same height since his oldest memory. He also implies that he was not made by God when he says, “I remembered Adam’s supplication to his Creator.

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1179 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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675 Words | 3 Pages

In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein spends two whole years toiling to create a being which is comprised of the body parts of various dead corpses, for the purposes of science. Finally, he creates the “monster”, who commits a multitude of crimes, resulting in the deaths of many innocent people. These horrific murders raise many questions concerning who is to be held accountable. Victor walked away from the situation he created instead of facing his actions. If he had chosen to stay this could have prevented the heinous crimes committed by the monster as a result of Victor’s mental and emotional Neglect.

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1220 Words | 5 Pages

In 1818 Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, a novel that follows Victor Frankenstein, an ambitious man on his journey to defy the natural sciences. In Volume I of the novel, Victor discusses his childhood, mentioning how wonderful and amazing it was because of how his family sheltered him from the bad in the world. “The innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties towards me” (35). When Victor brings up his childhood, he suggests that parents play a strong in how their kids turn out, either "to happiness or misery" (35). In particular the main character was sheltered as a child to achieve this “happiness” leading to Victor never developing a coping mechanism to the evil in the world.

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929 Words | 4 Pages

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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1292 Words | 6 Pages

The neoclassic period is described by William Harmon as follows “Deism was advancing, and the rule of reason resulted in a literature that was realistic, satirical, moral, correct, and affected strongly by politics” (Harmon 320). The experiences Frankenstein and the Creature endure are not close to being realistic or moral, and this shows the non- neoclassical approach of Mary Shelley. The creature shows his desire for friendship during his dialogue with the blind cottager, Mr. Delacey; “I am an unfortunate and deserted creature I look around and I have no relation or friend upon earth. These amiable people to whom I go have never seen me, and know little of me.

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938 Words | 4 Pages

Regardless of who we strive to be, or who we dare not to be, those who we respect and look up to will be the ones who leave an impression on our lives. To the Monster’s credit, it continued to pursue a life of good deeds until the people it idolized turn on it. Because of the influence made on it by its parental figures the Monster behaves like an outsider, and as an outsider it gains new role models and is governed by new emotions such as anger and hate. The monster should not be blamed for its malicious nature, rather, the people who taught it hate and the Doctor who created it without a true intent of being its

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