ipl-logo

Frankenstein's Ego Analysis

1097 Words5 Pages

Mary Shelley uses Frankenstein's rationalizations to show how his ego seeks to protect itself. Shelley focuses on how Frankenstein's ego gives Frankenstein a warped sense of reality. This warped sense of reality is first seen when Frankenstein decides to go from having little scientific experience to creating life from nothing. His ego forces him to labor with rot and the dead to achieve a mythical status as first and lone creator of life, further blinding him to the horror of his creation. As the novel progresses, Shelley uses ego to once again rationalize Frankenstein's actions. Shelley uses Frankenstein's injustices towards women to show how Victor's ego works only to further itself. The fact that Frankenstein will allow innocent women to …show more content…

After chasing the Monster to the North Pole, Frankenstein is rescued from near-death by Walton's crew members. Frankenstein begins his story by issuing a warning about the path that Walton is on; "I do not know that the relation of my disasters will be useful to you; yet, when I reflect that you are pursuing the same course, exposing yourself to the same dangers which have rendered me what I am." P 15. Frankenstein seems to indicate that he has controlled his ego and is trying to warn Walton not to follow the same path as himself. Frankenstein appears to genuinely care for someone besides himself without weighing where it is beneficial for himself or not, which is the first time that he has done so in the novel. However, like all good things that Frankenstein tries to do, ego ruins it. Frankenstein, in his last words, tries to convince Walton to continue the dangerous quest to the North Pole; "You [are] hereafter to be hailed as the benefactors of your species" 197. Ego takes control of Frankenstein's mind for a final time. Frankenstein reverts back to the way he thought at the beginning of his story when he thought that creating the Monster would make him the creator and master of a new species. Frankenstein encourages Walton in the hope that if Walton becomes famous for his discovery, he would receive some credit as the wise man who encouraged Walton to fight on. Frankenstein's final attempt to earn glory by sending a man into a frozen tundra in the small chance he would return victorious is a fitting ending to his life that was consumed by ego and constantly resulted in the destruction of

Show More
Related
452 Words | 2 Pages

But, in the detail which he gave you of them, he could sum up the hours and months of misery which I endured, wasting in impotent passions.” (Shelly 273) The monster feels as though Frankenstein has wronged him in every way, first by making him ugly, second by abandoning him, and lastly he destroyed the only thing he had hope in; a mate. In the previous quote he explains that there is more that just one side to every story, he explains to Walton the pains he went to on account of Frankenstein. Victor

Read More
244 Words | 1 Pages

The myth of restoring life is proven true in the novel Frankenstein, but the evidence becomes toxic to humanity and Victor makes every effort to warn others. Victor’s creation commits multiple murderous crimes, harasses and cripples villagers, and makes Victor develop anxiety. When Victor is searching for the monster in the inclement north, he discovers a ship. The crew members invite Victor aboard but he declines the offer until the ship captain Robert Walton informs Victor that they are sailing Northward. As time advances, captain Walton and Victor become acquaintances and confess their personal histories toward one another.

Read More
773 Words | 4 Pages

Frankenstein Lit Analysis Rough Draft Since the beginning of time, Man has always pursued knowledge, but this pursuit is always kept within certain boundaries, especially while searching for the truths behind the creation and origin of life. As this quest for knowledge continues, men can become consumed with the perilous thoughts and ponderings required to attain this wisdom. In her novel, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explains how the pursuit of forbidden knowledge can become dangerous through symbolism, allusion, and foreshadowing proving each effectively to the reader. Employing symbolism as her first technique, Shelley uses this in the way many other enlightenment authors do. The strongest use of symbolism is prevalent while Victor is contemplating

Read More
643 Words | 3 Pages

Walton’s desire for a friend establishes a major theme of the text. Being alone in the world creates the desire to have a circle of family and friends. This desire of Walton’s reflects the same desire of the monster later on in the story to have a companion as well. 2. How would you character Victor Frankenstein?

Read More
1439 Words | 6 Pages

After successfully creating the monster, Frankenstein is perplexed by what he has created. Due to the monster’s annoyance with Frankenstein, he acts back against Frankenstein mostly due to his lack of parenting and responsibility. Shelley’s novel strongly connects with the act of parenting. It is clear that Victor Frankenstein did not complete his role as a parent. Due to this, it further led the monster to misbehave and feel as if he does not have a purpose in life.

Read More
671 Words | 3 Pages

I believe her overall message in writing Frankenstein is that selfishness, such as Victor’s when he is creating the monster, only leads to alienation and loss down the road. Victor experienced this loss, and eventually became just like the monster at the end of the

Read More
987 Words | 4 Pages

Frankenstein’s creature initially shows no signs of ill will or malice when first encountering human beings (Shelley 72-73). On the contrary, through careful observation he is able to learn more about human society and personal relationships. He begins to admire the close connection between the people he observes and respects their virtue. This, however, makes him realise what he is missing. Observing the love and affection between others only increases the effect his own solitude has on him.

Read More
819 Words | 4 Pages

Duality is shown in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, a gothic tale of a scientist whom looks to advance the life-giving qualities of mother nature. Through this novel, Shelley proves that good and evil in human nature is not always simple to define, and that everyone has both of these qualities within them. The duality of human nature is shown through the characters of Victor Frankenstein and his monster, who are both heroes in the novel while simultaneously displaying anti-hero qualities. Shelley forces the reader to sympathize with them both but also creates gruesome ideas of the two. Frankenstein’s creature places himself in a submissive position when he begs his creator to have mercy on him and asking the creator to “create a female for [him] with whom [he] can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for [his] being.”

Read More
1003 Words | 5 Pages

Instead of starting at the beginning of his life, she begins at the end and allows him to tell his own story. Walton remarks to his sister that he found the man drifting on a sledge on a slab of ice, "nearly frozen…and deadly emaciated by fatigue and suffering" (15). By introducing him in this way, Shelley catches the reader’s interest from the start, causing them to wonder what brought this man to the arctic in such a condition. After Frankenstein catches Walton up on the events that brought him thus far, Walton provides Shelley a way to tell the end of the story as well. Because Shelley wrote these portions as letters, they remain separate from the rest of the narrative, making the switch between Walton and Frankenstein less awkward and opening the door to develop her story and characters in a

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
952 Words | 4 Pages

Frankenstein follows his creation to one of the most symbolic places on earth in coalition with his heart, The Arctic. He brings himself to his wit’s end on this search for the monster. However, Frankenstein describes how revenge is his driving force when he says, “many times have I stretched my failing limbs upon the sandy plain, and prayed for death. But revenge kept me alive; I dare not die, and leave my adversity in being" (219). Frankenstein’s rage filled hunt for his creation comes to an end when he realizes he will not be able to catch the monster.

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
929 Words | 4 Pages

The gothic fiction novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley centralizes on humanity and the qualifications that make someone human. The content of the novel Frankenstein depicts a monster displaying human traits that his creator Victor does not possess: empathy, a need for companionship, and a will to learn and fit in. Throughout the novel Shelley emphasizes empathy as a critical humanistic trait. The monster displays his ability to empathize with people even though they are strangers. On the other hand Victor, fails to show empathy throughout the novel even when it relates to his own family and friends.

Read More
1420 Words | 6 Pages

This quote makes it apparent that Victor regrets his decision to heavily pursue knowledge and create his monster, clearly showing that the path that he embarked on was one that resulted in severe suffering. In conclusion, it is clear that Victor Frankenstein’s intentions are pure, however he is unaware that his pursuit of knowledge directly leads to his personal suffering. Robert Walton, similar to many explorers during his time, is ambitious to discover land beyond the North Pole. However, to reach this goal, he has to walk the dangerous path of acquiring knowledge. Walton’s goal, which is to reach the North Pole, requires him to captain a ship which travels through thick and thin.

Read More

More about Frankenstein's Ego Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document