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Frankenstein Superego Essay

1381 Words6 Pages

In both novels, people within the story are extremely shocked and disgusted by the appearances of the creatures. For example, in Frankenstein, you can see Victor's perspective of the monster as he is ‘unable to endure the aspect of the being.’ This tells the reader that he is disgusted by what he has created. Victor then feels that he is unable to suffer any longer being around the creature that he had ‘worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.’ There is a certain something about the monster that Victor is unable to deal with. This could perhaps be the idea that Victor has tried to create the superego. The superego is what you want and value. It helps you feel good about your behaviour when …show more content…

There is a lot of description of the alien as they are different from humans and they don’t fit with people's ideas of social norms. There is a lot of focus on the eyes and lips in both books. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley describes the monster as having a ‘shrivelled complexion and straight black lips’ which shows that in Frankenstein's eyes, the creature is very hideous. The description of straight black lips is the opposite of what most people think when the word lips are mentioned. People will most likely think of lips as being red or pink and having a curved shape rather than a straight shape. The colors of red and pink have connotations with love, as well as lips, also being a symbol of love. Because the creature doesn't look like a human being, Frankenstein feels as if he can’t love the creature as he doesn’t look normal, therefore Victor others the creature. The idea of Frankenstein not loving the creature could link to the idea that Mary Shelley never had the chance to love her children as they all didn’t live very long. This could be associated with the fact that the creature isn't perfect in Frankensteins' eyes, therefore he is unable to love it. In The War Of The World, the alien is described as having a ‘peculiar V-shaped mouth with a pointed upper lip.’ This links back to the idea that the creatures can’t be loved as lips have the connotations of love and sensuality, so ‘peculiar lips’ would have been ill-favoured at they arent attractive. During the 19th century, when both of the novels were written, the beauty standards were to have clear faces, bright eyes, and tinted lips. These were features that neither Frankenstein's monster nor the aliens possessed, therefore they would have been othered from society because of how they

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