ipl-logo

Frankenstein Responsibility Essay

510 Words3 Pages

Responsibility and alienation were evident scenarios in 19th-century societies. Mary Shelley supports these themes through her writing in the novel Frankenstein. Through the plot, setting, characters, imagery, and other themes, Mary Shelley portrays how 19th-century society neglected their individual and social responsibility, leading to the alienation of specific people in the community. Shelley uses imagery throughout the novel to make the element of alienation and responsibility more concrete and appealing to the readers. An aspect of imagery is evident when Shelley describes the Glacier Mountains and valleys to create a vivid understanding of the alienated nature of the setting where Victor and his creation go. For instance, Shelley states, …show more content…

"I felt the cheering warmth of summer and heard the rustling of the leaves and the warbling of the birds, and these were all to me" (Shelley,
2022, p. 204). It is only in alienated places that sounds of birds and rustling of the leaves can be heard. Shelley uses exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and eventually resolution in the development of the novel's plot to describe how society has contributed to alienation through neglect of their responsibilities. The book begins with the story of Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist character who is obsessed with science. The rising action occurs when his obsession and alienation from society drive him to create a monster, leading to conflict when he becomes frightened and abandons it (Brännström, 2006, p. 11). The story's climax occurs when Victor learns of the murdering trend of his creation. Despite building a wife for the monster, Victor destroys the new creation, and the monster takes revenge by murdering his loved ones. The chasing spree leads to the falling action when Victor chases the monster to the Northern ice, where he dies at the rescue of Walton. The story ends with the conflict unresolved, where the monster kills himself

Show More
Related
1299 Words | 6 Pages

after The Monster appeals to Victor’s sense of responsibility as his creator and promises to flee to South America and stay hidden from society , he finally

Read More
974 Words | 4 Pages

The Dangers Of Responsibility Responsibility is the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone. Responsibility is something that every human needs. A lack of responsibility can be harmful to the person and the people around them and a plethora of responsibility can change a person 's life. 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 the reader sees 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.

Read More
762 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the entirety of the novel, nature is presented in a way that allows the characters to be restored and reach a more peaceful state of mind. Using the common style of nature being presented as a maternal presence, Shelley is able to use nature as an external force throughout the novel. One of the vital ways Shelley illustrates nature as an external character is by her use of seasons affecting specific characters in certain ways. Victor

Read More
855 Words | 4 Pages

Have you ever heard the term, “curiosity killed the cat”? In the novel by Mary Shelly tiled Frankenstein: or the Modern Prometheus, it tells the story of a man that wishes to pursue and exceed in the sciences by creating a living being, or play God, without knowing how this action of the later abandoning this creation and allowing it to experience the world on his own, will affect him and his loved ones in the future. In this way, Mary Shelly uses the characterization of the character, Victor, and the conflicts that he encounters to convey that the pursuit of knowledge is a dangerous quest ; as shown by his lack of responsibility, the consequences of his actions, and his narcissism. AS the novel begins, it is shown that Victor wants to create

Read More
711 Words | 3 Pages

In fitting with the natural theme of romanticism, Shelley uses highly detailed descriptions of landscapes to mirror the feelings of her characters. For instance, Frankenstein’s monster sees his natural surroundings as nurturing when he is innocent and new to the world, yet he later views the same surroundings as mocking when he feels abandoned. Victor and the Monster see nature as “comforting and soothing” and they often surround themselves in the natural world when they are experiencing internal conflict (Gatto). Frankenstein is narrated by three characters throughout the novel, Walton, Frankenstein, and the monster. The purpose of various narrators is to replace the typical Gothic “stock villain[s]”, with “morally ambiguous” characters who have more psychological depth, allowing the reader to empathise with each of them (Teuber).

Read More
1297 Words | 6 Pages

1. How do you define personal responsibility? When something bad happens that involves you, how do you know whether or not you bear some responsibility for it? (2 points) A personal responsibility is a person responsible for the cause of the actions. If something bad had happened all because of that person than he or she is fully responsible for it.

Read More
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
987 Words | 4 Pages

By denying both main characters the sensation of domestic affection, or any other kind of social belonging, Mary Shelley highlights the importance thereof. The resulting isolation became the driving force behind both Frankenstein and his creation’s abominable actions which, in turn, shows that trying to avoid isolation and seeking the feeling of social belonging is the primary message of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and of

Read More
555 Words | 3 Pages

In Shelley’s Frankenstein, it can be understood that Shelley uses Romantic ideals to move the novel's plot along. In this novel, Shelley starts off with her own ideas based on a story she creates. As the story progresses, the readers can see characteristics of Romanticism and Shelley’s own life in the characters and settings she uses. Mary Shelley lives with her husband, Percy Shelley, and her friend, Lord Byron, on Byron’s estate. One night, they write and tell ghost stories to pass time on the estate.

Read More
1245 Words | 5 Pages

As the creature wanders aimlessly through nature, he comes to find that his version of nature is dark and depressing. The overall feelings and views of Victor Frankenstein and his

Read More
1179 Words | 5 Pages

Victor abandons the monster and he is left to fend for himself out in the wilderness, unaware of his social identity or morals. Unfortunately, the monster frightens

Read More
782 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel Frankenstein,by Mary Shelley, the mysterious and unnatural origins of the character of Frankenstein’s monster are an important element. The Monster, having been created unethically and haphazardly, is at odds throughout the novel, resulting in his alienation from society and prolonged feelings of anger, desertion, and loneliness. Shaping his character, his relationships with other characters, and the meaning of the work as a whole, the Monster’s origins are what define him. The Monster faces rejection and violence every time he attempts to make contact with the new, foreign world he has been thrust into.

Read More
1921 Words | 8 Pages

The fictional horror novel of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is driven by the accentuation of humanity’s flaws. Even at the very mention of her work an archetypal monster fills one’s imagination, coupled with visions of a crazed scientist to boot. Opening her novel with Robert Walton, the conduit of the story, he also serves as a character to parallel the protagonist’s in many ways. As the ‘protagonist’ of the story, Victor Frankenstein, takes on the mantle of the deluded scientist, his nameless creation becomes the embodiment of a truly abandoned child – one left to fend for itself against the harsh reality posed by society. On the other hand, Walton also serves as a foil to Victor – he is not compulsive enough to risk what would be almost

Read More
758 Words | 4 Pages

In Mary Shelley’s iconic gothic novel, Frankenstein, Romantic themes are strongly represented in order to propagandize Romanticism over the elements of knowledge and the Enlightenment. In her novel, Shelley uses gothic nature settings to foreshadow dark events that are about to happen in the novel. She also uses nature to intensify the effect that is brought during significant scenes, a strong example being, when Victor Frankenstein’s monster approaches him after a long period of time. Nature and its use to influence mood is one of the most paramount themes of both Frankenstein and Romanticism.

Read More
656 Words | 3 Pages

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a gothic novel that tells the story of scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his obsession with creating human life. This leads him to creating a gruesome monster made of body-parts stolen from grave yards, whom upon discovering his hideousness, the monster seeks revenge against his creator, causing Victor to regret the creation of his monster for the rest of his life. Shelley uses the literary elements of personification, imagery, and similes to give a vivid sense and visualization of Victor Frankenstein’s thoughts and feelings as well as to allow us to delve deeper into the monster’s actions and emotions. Throughout the novel, Shelley uses personification of various forces and objects to reflect the effect in Victor’s actions.

Read More

More about Frankenstein Responsibility Essay

Related Topics

Open Document