ipl-logo

Frankenstein Greed Quotes

1126 Words5 Pages

Frankenstein: a Tale of Human Ambition and Desire for Power The eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in the year 1815 plagued Europe with unusual weather patterns that, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, consisted of low temperatures, little to no sunshine, and heavy snow. Consequently, 1816 became known as “the year without a summer”. It also happened to be the year when Mary, along with her lover Percy Shelley, went for a trip to Geneva, Switzerland. During this trip Mary and her later husband spent a lot of their time in the company of Lord Byron and John William Polidori, both important figures in literary history. To pass time the group often discussed topics such as science and the nature of life. One evening Lord Byron proposed …show more content…

Frankenstein is a doctor of great ambition who is consumed by the mystery of life. This explains why he turns to science in an attempt to manipulate nature and bend the rules it plays by. Interestingly enough, at no point in the novel does Shelley condemn Victor’s curiosity or determination. Instead, she highlights that the doctor’s desire for knowledge turns into greed when he seemingly ignores the immoral or unethical decisions he must make. This clouded judgement and overly confident attitude is what leads to Frankenstein’s demise by the end of the story. Simultaneously, Shelley makes an example out of Victor by showing that disrupting nature’s balance can have fatal consequences. The scientist was able achieve his goal of creating life, but not replicate the intricate design made by nature. Therefore, the Creature turns out deformed and grotesque. It receives the gift of consciousness, but also all the horrific traits of a human …show more content…

The series of horrific events linked to the monster’s existence can all be traced back to Frankenstein’s abandonment of his creation at the start of the story. In reality The Creature only followed its natural instincts of seeking revenge after being rejected by society. Perhaps if Victor took responsibility and considered the ethical side of his experiment the monster would never have become a source of destruction. What’s interesting is that according to an article written for psychology today, for people to be able to take responsibility for their mistakes, they need to first believe that they are able to change as a person. It is possible that Victor was so consumed by his goal that he didn’t see the immorality of it and therefore didn’t feel the need to change. Either way, Shelley once again reminds that there is no inherent good or evil when discussing science, but that the intentions and actions of scientists matter the

Show More
Related
989 Words | 4 Pages

exhibiting a belief and positivity about science (Shelley, 1). A different form of light inspired Frankenstein to want to learn more, about science, about life, about the world. During his childhood, Frankenstein had seen a thunderstorm and from the lightning came a “stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak, so soon the dazzling light vanished. I never beheld anything so utterly destroyed” (Shelley, 22). This marked the beginning of Frankenstein’s love of knowledge.

Read More
517 Words | 3 Pages

A new species would owe their being to me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent creatures would owe their being to me" (Shelley 36). This quote shows that although Victor’s experiment with the creature did not turn out well, his original intentions were of pure heart.

Read More
821 Words | 4 Pages

In Frankenstein, we're introduced to Victor Frankenstein, a mad scientist whose ambition knows no bounds. Leading him down a dark path of obsession and moral ambiguity, Victor’s desire to overcome death ultimately ruins his life while also

Read More
413 Words | 2 Pages

Victor states, “My limbs now tremble and my eyes swim with the remembrance; but then a resistless, and almost frantic, impulse urged me forward; I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit… and I shunned my fellow-creatures as if I had been guilty of a crime” (Shelley 40). This shows that Victor was once an innocent youth fascinated by the science of nature and then turned into a disillusioned, guilt-ridden man determined to destroy what he has created. Paul Sherwin demonstrates that, “for Frankenstein, who is dubiously in love with his own polymorphously disastrous history, the fateful event to which every other catastrophe is prelude or postscript is the creation” (Sherwin 883). Victor represses his needs to sleep, eat, and have any contact with his family and friends to follow this one ambition. The monster and Victor have all experienced the affects of self-centeredness.

Read More
1009 Words | 5 Pages

We might appreciate one aspect of a concept but still, need to be convinced of its other parts. Throughout our lives, it is imperative to remain faithful to ourselves when experiencing and evaluating various aspects of the world. However, we can always strive to be open-minded and thoughtful in our approach to brand-new ideas. Whitman does just that when evaluating the latest technological and scientific advancements of his time. In terms of whether Whitman has a positive or negative attitude toward science, he has both.

Read More
962 Words | 4 Pages

As Othello is plagued by jealousy and Prometheus by compassion, Victor Frankenstien is crippled by his own hamartia: hubris. Frankenstein’s hamartia lead the young scientist to “ become greater than his nature will allow”(Shelley 52). He dives into his studies, and quickly becomes enamoured with chemistry, a newly evolved form of alchemy. Alchemy is an primordial science which strives to obtain the elixir of life and the sorcerer’s stone. In the intermediary stages of its transition into what is now recognized as chemistry, questions of artificial or prolonged life became popular with the educated public.

Read More
827 Words | 4 Pages

Arthur M Schlesinger once said “Science and technology revolutionize our lives, but memory, tradition, and myth frame our response.” This quote is telling us that even though science and technology keep revolutionizing our life, whether that be from reanimating the dead to atomic bombs. That tradition, memory and myths frame our responses to these new scientific discoveries. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, doctor Frankenstein need for scientific discovery causes him to give life to someone who has already perished.

Read More
542 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More
142 Words | 1 Pages

In the classic 1831 Frankenstein, Mary Shelley highlights the ethical and moral implications of science when not used responsibly. Victor possesses a great thirst for knowledge and tries to position himself as a god-like figure by creating life. Without actually considering what this means, the other characters in the novel suffer as a result of his scientific discovery. Frankenstein’s reckless pursuit only brought on terror, chaos, and tragedy, and had a disastrous effect on the world around him. Even though Shelley implies that curiosity is part of human nature and it is impossible to eliminate, she also cautions the audience by shining a light on how this can create severe dangers for man.

Read More
1348 Words | 6 Pages

Sci-fi novels tend to combine aspects of science, possible or impossible, with a fictional story. In Frankenstein, science is very prevalent and is even seen as a powerful tool only being able to be used by those with very special minds. In the case of Victor Frankenstein, his obsession with science led to his downfall. This downfall teaches us that science can hurt you if you don’t use it the right way. Mary Shelley does a great job of showing this, as explained here, “Works such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein emphasized the responsibility of society in the quest for scientific advancement and presented the belief that nature must be appreciated and respected rather than controlled” (Roy No. p.).

Read More
1472 Words | 6 Pages

Speaking of Victor, his reaction to his creation, once it is alive, is the first example of this mistreatment that would begin shaping the monster’s morality from right to wrong. When Victor first saw the monster, he was so appalled by the creature’s appearance that he quickly “escaped, and rushed downstairs.” and “took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which [he] inhabited” where he “remained during the rest of the night” (Shelly 59). This abandonment by Victor is the start of the pain and anguish that the monster would feel, and thus as those feelings continued in the monster, more desires for vengeance were eventually created.

Read More
1334 Words | 6 Pages

Devika Aji Harpreet Kaur Arora Romantic Literature 05 May 2023 The Construction of a Monster: Justine Moritz in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1818), remains a seminal work of the 19th century that continues to inspire cultural dissemination and adaptations even after two centuries. The novel stands as a remarkable culmination of colliding worldviews, influenced by Mary Shelley's radical parents, Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin, as well as her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley. Frankenstein explores the dangers of playing God and the consequences of unchecked ambition.

Read More
1070 Words | 5 Pages

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, is a novel by Mary Shelley that has become a literary and cultural icon since its publication in 1818, almost 200 years ago. The novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young student of science who creates a living creature using body parts from corpses, but then abandons it when he realizes the consequences of his actions. Throughout the novel, Shelley explores themes of ambition, ethics, responsibility, and the nature of life, death, and humanity. This paper will examine some of the key themes and ideas of Frankenstein, as well as its cultural and historical significance, its style and structure, and its critical reception. Mary Shelley was only 18 years old when she began writing Frankenstein,

Read More
1635 Words | 7 Pages

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was her way of protesting scientific advancement in her time. She saw science advancing at a violent rate and didn’t know when people would stop and think about where it could conclude. Her way of expressing her frustration with the people of her time was through the book Frankenstein. She portrays Victor Frankenstein as society, being too focused on the product to really see the result of their actions. In the beginning of the book Victor Frankenstein is so focused on being the first to reanimate life, he didn’t stop to ask if he should be trying to play God.

Read More
270 Words | 2 Pages

On one side was the good science that wished to understand nature, while on the other was bad science that wished to exploit nature Mellor states Shelley shows this through her us of Frankenstein exploiting nature but accidentally creating a monster. She also draws parallels between Frankenstein and the real

Read More

More about Frankenstein Greed Quotes

Open Document