ipl-logo

Frankenstein Moral Ambiguity Essay

1235 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde critical essay

How do I Make Moral choices, in a World of Moral Ambiguity? A desire for meaning would also include obtaining some kind of “identity,” or individualism. Yet, society or someone will try to force their “ideal” moral system onto everyone else. “Thinking may be “good for nothing” in the world, but in the mind it is good for guidance—not legislation, but guidance” (Bruehl 193). If you base your moral standards off everyone else’s, even when in truth you think in a different way, then in the eyes of an existentialist, you have been degraded and reduced to an object. “We must act and judge in ways that do not violate the actually existing solidarity of mankind” (Bruehl 193). The main protagonist in Albert Camus’ the Stranger, ends up being sent …show more content…

It is simply the nature of our existence. So why should we waste our time forcing our ideals and morals onto others? Everyone is entitled to living how they want to, and yet people try to show everyone that their ideas are superior. For an existentialist, it is not only a foolish choice to create an opening for conflict, but also a complete waste of what little time we have. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a good example of what this sort of thing causes in the end. The simpleminded monster killed and the closeminded townsfolk scarred by this incident. “People who spent all their lives surrounded by beautiful representations of nature have been sheltered from what cannot be represented, the disgusting, and have not had occasion to strive with all their might against it” (Bruehl 193). Those who base their morals off religious beliefs such as Catholicism experience some kind of challenge to their faith. “Thus, in Camus’ The Plague the Catholic priest, father Paneloux realizes one cannot “honestly” or actually love God (or life existence) unless one accepts that this God created a world of meaningless, terrible suffering; only the terror of the plague and witnessing children dying can teach the priest the true nature of charity and love, and thus God” (Existential

Show More
Related

Morally Ambiguous Character In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

425 Words | 2 Pages

One morally ambiguous character in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein would be the monster Victor Frankenstein created. He is morally ambiguous because of his desire to know more, his constant battles against society and himself as well as his feelings, and his tragic hero personality or his desire to get revenge. These are all the things that reveal the pivotal role the monster plays in this story. It is very hard to decide whether or not the monster is benevolent. One of the key turning point ideas that are exposed to the reader was his desire to know more.

Read More

Young Frankenstein Comparative Essay

1042 Words | 5 Pages

Classical movies/films are those everyone loves throughout the generations, sending a universal message. One being the film Young Frankenstein, a comedy based on the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, Dr. Frankenstein. In this film a scientist named Frankenstein refuses to take on his families name and inventions, but later on become obsessed with the information he found in one of his grandfather’s scientific experiments which he mimics and brings life into a human body using an abnormal brain. The 1974 story was written by Gene Wilder, Mary Shelley and directed by Mel brooks and produced by Michael Gruskoff, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp, its main purpose was to show that one should be careful of how they use science, and that they should

Read More

Frankenstein Rhetorical Analysis Essay

594 Words | 3 Pages

Frankenstein Rhetorical Analysis Essay An abandoned life from society and that doesn’t follow normal activities could make you a romantic hero. In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, she portrays the main character, Victor, as a man that is intent of learning more about nature. Victor begins to make mistakes which causes him to be full of sorrow and exiled from society. Victor begins to possess some traits from Byronic list of traits that romantic heroes possess.

Read More

Frankenstein And Individualism Essay

1240 Words | 5 Pages

As a movement preoccupied with self-expression, the Romantics held an inherent fascination with individualism and the faculty of imagination, perceiving both to be of the utmost importance and as such desired it to be conveyed in their art and literature. Such innovative ideals was the product of exceptional changes in society, as oppressive institutions and practices were contested, and art became a product of an individual’s emotional state and their imaginative capability. George Byron’s poem “Prometheus”, conveys these aspects, through its elevation of ordinary people and in exemplifying the Romantic attitude that art should always originate from the imagination. Similarly, Edgar Allan Poe’s short story is fascinated with these concepts, though it showcases their darker depths, as it depicts the emotional extremities of an individual and the ability for the imagination to become consuming. Hence, Byron and Poe explores notions of the self and the imagination in their respective texts due to the Romantic fixation of each of these ideals.

Read More

Moral Ambiguity In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

550 Words | 3 Pages

The actions of an individual defines the boundary between sympathy and wickedness. Their behaviors and thoughts change the plot of the story and character identity. Mary Shelley uses moral ambiguity to overlook the unrealistic nature of her story. In Frankenstein, this concept incorporates itself into Mary Shelley’s characters. Ambiguity invokes an attachment between the figures and readers.

Read More

Frankenstein Love And Compassion Analysis

511 Words | 3 Pages

Listen: In this passage, this is the first time anyone has agreed to sit down with the monster and listen to what he has to say. The entire time Frankenstein’s monster has been alive he hasn’t been able to speak to Frankenstein or anybody without them running away from him. He doesn’t understand why for the longest time, but he finds out when he sees his reflection in the pond and realizes he’s ugly. All he wanted was for someone to hear him out and listen to what he had to say.

Read More

Theme Of Deception In Frankenstein

1056 Words | 5 Pages

In Frankenstein and also in Dr Jekyll there is a great deal of secrecy and deception throughout the book. In Frankenstein, Mr. Utterson doesn’t know the truth about the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and he desperately wants to find out. Also, by withholding the scenes of Mr. Hyde’s supposedly crazy revelry, Stevenson allows our imaginations to run to wild and bizarre places. In Dr Jekyll, betrayal in the form of secrecy is one of Victor’s worst flaws. His inability to share his secret about the monster brings the destruction of those he loves.

Read More

Victor Frankenstein Playing God Analysis

699 Words | 3 Pages

Is Victor the Ruling God? One does not simply “play God” in this world, that role is more than just a dress up and act thing. Many people say that Victor in the novel Frankenstein tries to “play God” which is absolutely true. As the novel progresses the characteristics of the creator “playing God” become more obvious to the eye of the reader. Victor “plays the Lord” when he creates the creature, when he decides what to do with the orders of the creature, and when the monster creates the connection when reading the book Paradise Lost.

Read More

Guilt And Loss In Frankenstein

1345 Words | 6 Pages

“Beware, for I am fearless and therefore powerful.” Fear only holds back those who have things to lose. So what about a man who loses everything at his own hands, what does he fear? It was a million dreams for the world he was going to make. However, Victor Frankenstein becomes the key to the making of a murderer, and his dreams were shattered.

Read More

Theme Of Responsibility In Frankenstein

904 Words | 4 Pages

Responsibility is the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the reader finds many examples of the importance, need, and especially lack of responsibility with characters like Victor and the monster. A reader of Frankenstein sees multifarious examples of Shelley’s theme of the dangers in not taking responsibility even today in the real world. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Shelley’s portrayal of Victor as selfish suggests that not taking responsibility can lead to pain, death, and the suffering of others as we see in the novel which relates to today's society of powerful countries not taking responsibility for the weapons that they create, and the damage that is revealed as a result. Characters in Frankenstein not taking responsibility show the reader the potential dangers of pain and death in numerous situations in the novel.

Read More

Essay About The Monster In Frankenstein

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.

Read More

Examples Of Moral Ambiguity In Frankenstein

790 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Frankenstein: Selfish And Selfishness In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

1135 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More

An Analysis Of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: From Benevolent To Feind

1246 Words | 5 Pages

Frankenstein: From Benevolent to Feind “I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.” (Shelley 69) Said by Frankenstein’s monster, this quote truly defines him: initially an affectionate, love-seeking creature, he transformed into an enraged killer, angry at humanity for the undeservedly poor way he was treated. Victor Frankenstein is an unique, complex individual who encounters a similar change of nature for similar reasons. The quote—though spoken by the monster—encapsulates the evolution of Victor Frankenstein’s personality; misery—a product of isolation and loneliness—aroused a deterioration of temperament from an initially benevolent Frankenstein.

Read More

Moral And Ethical Dilemmas In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

556 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the novel, the main character Frankenstein, made many poor decisions that I would consider to be morally wrong and unethical. Frankenstein’s research and discoveries are ethically wrong because he was taking dead bodies from cemeteries, cutting off their limbs, and body parts to create a human like creature. He did not have anyone's consent to do this study causing it to be unethical, and he also should not be able to do this because he is playing the role of god. In the beginning of the book, Victor Frankenstein described to Walton that he had created a monster using body parts from a graveyard.

Read More

More about Frankenstein Moral Ambiguity Essay

Related Topics

Open Document