In the story, Victor embodies the carelessness of mankind by creating and abandoning the monster, which serves as a warning for civilization to change its ways. In the beginning of the novel, an ambitious Victor Frankenstein describes himself as a curious individual who possesses a thirst
If I had not known right off the bat how guilty he had felt for the creation he wrought on the world, I would have viewed Frankenstein as a selfish, almost conceited character. He is nowhere near a mad scientist, and this makes my heart hurt even more for him. Shelley even manages to make the reader sympathize with the monster. This creature is killing children and torturing his creator’s mind, but we are shown in-depth how hurt the monster had been at the beginning of his life (Shelley, Chapters 11-13). It’s a very strange emotional combination that worked wonders.
Victor’s creation is described as a “monster” in the story of Frankenstein. He is immediately considered to be evil because he has committed murder, even though he meant no harm. He wrongfully forges his identity according to how others see him; as an evil monster. He forges his identity on how others view him, which is an evil monster (Lall 36). At this point, he is growing out of the mental stage of an infant and is beginning to learn how to take care of himself.
These questions range from the relatively basic- such as whether or not the relationship between Victor and Elizabeth is incestuous, to the more complex- such as whether or not Victor is trying to be God-like. The main question that this essay will focus on, however, is neither of those. In this essay I will delve into the readers’ perception of the monster and whether Victor Frankenstein’s creation should be viewed with sympathy or if relating to the creature’s struggles and reactions to such is reasonable. To start the discussion, It is important to focus on certain parts of Victor and his creation’s backstory. Victor was born into an aristocratic family and had massive amounts of money, as did the rest of the Frankensteins, from generations of business owners and government officials.
If this was the mindset that Victor Frankenstein had towards his creation, the monsters personality, and the way that he reacts to the unknown would be totally different. Victor states that he is “glutted himself from the shrieks and misery of the people” (Shelley 161). This showed that the people did not care for him because he was hideous and different from other people. If he would have loved the
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, she uses many elements and characterization of Victor and the conflicts that happen throughout the novel affects Victor later on. The conflicts that Victor later on encounters is due to his ego that results in the cause of his own tragic downfall. This is evidenced by his ambition, isolation, and the lack of responsibility. Victor Frankenstein, A university student that finds the secret of animating dead flesh, he attempts to stitch rotting corpses into some sort of superhuman giant. He learns about modern natural philosophy and seeks attention after realizing that creating such a creature, he can seem godlike.
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
Being born into prominent family means that Frankenstein is set to follow a path to success, without much work. Victor is born with natural curiosity. He seems to exhibit this want for power and it’s evident in his creations. Early events in Frankenstein’s life influence his decisions later on. After reading a book by Cornelius Agrippa, Victor expressed interest in Agrippa’s theories.
Victor Frankenstein turns away from his responsibilities by ignoring the existence of his creation. Throughout the novel, Victor is constantly running away from the monster and not giving him attention, which resulted in the monsters change of personalities. For example, in page 71 the creation said, “All men hate the wretched; how must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us.” This quote suggests that because of the ignorance of Victor the monster began to become evil and have the urge to seek
Victor Frankenstein’s intelligence and knowledge, which he initially believed was his greatest quality, would ultimately become his downfall. Ge possessed an insatiable thirst for knowledge, seeking to uncover the mysteries of nature and the secrets of life itself. However, his ambition and obsession with his scientific pursuits led him to create a monster which he was unable to control and which ultimately caused chaos and death to him and those who he loved. Victor’s intelligence is evident in his ability to create a living being out of inanimate matter, but his arrogance and overconfidence in his own abilities blinded him to the potential consequences of his actions. Shelley’s portrayal of Victor as a man consumed by his own intellect highlights
The monster is spurned by society because of his horrific appearance, his body, alone and hated, unfit for the company of strangers, just as Frankenstein fears he is. He is miserable which makes the hatred grow, as he says, “all men hate the wretched; how then must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things!” In fact, this wretchedness and enforced isolation is the monster’s main character trait, parallel to the isolation being Frankenstein’s biggest fear. Now that Victor is in college, he does not have his family to fall back upon for affection.
Frankenstein’s Monster as a Tragic Hero Aristotle once said that "A man doesn 't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall" (Carlson). In Frankenstein, many argue that Victor Frankenstein himself is indeed the tragic hero of the novel. I believe that the creation of Victor Frankenstein (the monster) is the actual tragic hero. There are several components to being a tragic hero, two of the most important are their tragic flaw, and the component of a tragedy or a tragic ending to the story. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is without a doubt tragic through many characters in different ways, but in my eyes, the creature is the character that sticks out with the most characteristics of a tragic hero.
Frankenstein Literary Criticism Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, is filled with motifs of Nature and companionship. During the Romantic period or movement, when the novel Frankenstein was written, nature was a huge part of romanticism. Nature was perceived as pure, peaceful, and almost motherly. As we read the novel through Victor Frankenstein 's perspective, we the readers can see how romanticized-nature is perceived as by those who find comfort in nature. This novel also contains, in addition to romantic elements, heavy-filled gothic scenes and descriptions.
In the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the two main characters, Victor Frankenstein and his creature, both display a sense of moral ambiguity. Each character has committed both good and evil alike, and neither knew the consequences of what they had done. However, Victor Frankenstein is generally the morally ambiguous character by his treatment of his creation and his own imperious personality. He wanted to be able to help science by recreating life or bringing it back, but at the same time, he did not want to consider the consequences of doing so. Victor tries to prove himself as a good moral character in the relationship between his creation and himself.
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.
