Frankenstein Man And Mind

Luke Love Mr. Schneider Honors British Literature 4 March 2024 The Monster of Man and Mind "An inflated consciousness is always egocentric and conscious of nothing but its own existence. It is hypnotized by itself and therefore cannot be argued with. It inevitably dooms itself to calamities that must strike it dead." Carl Jung, a Swiss psychoanalyst and psychologist, describes the doom brought about by the sole focus on one’s self. Examples of those who sought personal glory and who acted recklessly, ultimately resulting in their demise range from ancient Greek figures like Icarus to Napoleon Bonaparte of France. The doomed ego Jung warns about appears evident in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which follows the titular Victor Frankenstein, a

Upon realizing that his creation was responsible, he becomes “firmly convinced in [his] mind that Justine and indeed every human being was so guilty of this murder. [His] tale was not one to announce publicly; its astounding horror would be looked upon as madness by the vulgar” (Shelley 63). Despite knowing Justine's innocence and that his monster killed William, Victor refuses to tell anybody even though he knows it will get Justine executed. His reasoning that people will think him mad seems like nothing more than a thinly veiled excuse to avoid taking responsibility and thus not have any repercussions for the murder. By not telling anyone, he selfishly sentences an innocent person to death to avoid people getting upset at him and having to take accountability for his own doing. Furthermore, after delaying and delaying, Victor finally starts his work on creating a partner for the monster. However, just before he finishes, he notices the monster staring at him through a window and decides to not repeat his mistake of creating life by destroying the

Victor knows that the monster will come on his wedding night but by not telling Elizabeth, he intentionally puts her in danger because he knows that Elizabeth will not marry him if he told the truth. He intentionally manipulates her by not revealing the truth and does this for his benefit despite knowing that either he or she might die. The lack of basic regard and life threatening situation he knowingly places her in displays his egocentric lack of basic regard he has for a loved one. Consequently, Frankenstein's willingness to sacrifice lives and place others in danger to protect his personal image displays his deep narcissism. Moreover, Victor’s desire for vengeance against the monster ultimately causes his demise. After destroying the partner, the monster began a spree of killings targeting those close to Frankenstein while he continued to tell nobody and not take any action against his creation. Soon after, the monster appeared and fulfilled both his promises by murdering Elizabeth and then escaping the