Frankenstein Character Flaws Essay

There is a distinct line between the value of a flawless character and the beauty of a flawed character. It is difficult to create a meaningful story without the implications of imperfection, especially in the characters involved. This is because of the absence of many key story-telling strategies, such as setbacks, conflicts, negative emotions, weaknesses, personal failings, and poor choices, which are entirely disregarded in the lives of flawless characters. The effect of flaws in a character can form incredible messages in stories which would not be otherwise possible without imperfection. Such examples include the “Monster” in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley as well as Sydney Carton in Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Although flawless

A vital reason as for why Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is still relevant in today’s society is because of the incredible usage of imperfections in the character the “Monster”. The flaws in the Monster are incredibly meaningful in creating the deep theme in the story and may be more relevant to society than ever. The Monster was, unnaturally, created with many flaws because of the circumstances in which he was born into. Since the Monster was born with no parents, no family, no friends, and an insecurity for his appearance, the Monster fundamentally depended on parasocial relationships which helped him learn the English language, form emotions, develop opinions, and understand human beings. It is apparent that the Monster’s traits emphasize the flaws of humans and their worst traits. As the Monster’s one-sided relationships with humans eventually failed, it gave light to the effects of betrayal and rejection leading to the killing spree the Monster commits. This projection of human traits shows not only how humans hate being ostracized, but

This quality of life can be used in stories to create a more relatable character which develops in front of the eyes of the reader throughout the story. An example of this is the character Sydney Carton in the novel Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. In the beginning of the novel, Sydney Carton is a drunkard who suffers from deep depression and believes there is no purpose for him in life. The imperfection of Sydney Carton is obvious and immediately becomes a source of relatability as readers are sympathetic to him. Many humans have gone through times when they have had similar philosophies in which their meaning feels pointless. However, similar to Sydney Carton, through hard work and determination, they can dig themselves out of this despair and create a better life with a bright future ahead. Sydney Carton becomes determined to be a hero and find a purpose in life. His sacrifice at the end of the novel is symbolic of him fulfilling his purpose and creating a hero out of someone who was initially destined for failure. This theme of creating purpose out of nothing and becoming hero is a theme which many readers can relate to appreciate the depth in which the story is told. Sydney Carton’s origin and character development is a perfect example of how a flawed character is used to formulate a vivid story using relatability and depth which creates