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Frankenstein By Mary Shelley: Character Analysis

1114 Words5 Pages

Imagine being looked at and automatically being assumed in the most negative, narcissistic way possible; this was what Frankenstein's unnamed monster faced throughout his life. In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the monster that Dr. Frankenstein made is experiencing this exact problem, even though he did nothing to deserve that treatment. The book Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, conveys a strong message of people always relying on their own experience and ideas before objectively seeing a situation for what it really is; this can directly be seen with the saving of a girls life, the monsters interaction inside the hovel, and the ending sequences with Walton. An event that expresses the theme seen in Frankenstein is the saving of the young girl’s …show more content…

When Walton overheard the talking coming from Dr. Frankenstein's room, he was shocked; yet once he opened the door, he was speechless. The monster, that Dr. Frankenstein had been describing throughout the story, was standing over his dead body and mourning his death. Walton, not knowing what to do, did not do anything rash. Walton’s reaction was unique from all the other characters. Shelley really emphasizes how with the captain understanding who this monster was and his actual backstory, he acted in a sense where he did not base his decisions based off looks, unlike all the other characters. Keep in mind though, throughout the event the captain had expressed great disgust with the monsters physical looks, but Walton did not take the physical appearance of the monster in to account for his actions. It is also in this event where the monster expresses the theme in direct wording of “Once I falsely hoped to meet with beings who, pardoning my outward form, would love me for the excellent qualities which I was capable of unfolding.” (Shelley 184). The monster clearly states how he dislikes how people automatically assume the worst of him and how those only judge him by their own eyes. Walton was the only character who did not judge Frankenstein at first glance. It was because he knew his story and knew the monster did not have evil intent at first glance, unlike the other characters who falsely assumed

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(Frankenstein, 101). As a matter of fact, the creature "looked upon crime as a distant evil" and believed that "generosity were ever present before me." (Frankenstein, 101). As time passed, the creature learns that not everyone is filled with kindness as the family he was with but that there were people like the "barbarous villagers" he encountered when he had first woken up (Frankenstein, 93).

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Throughout this novel, we learn the views of the creature that Victor Frankenstein created. His views on society, justice, and injustice. When he is first created, he seeks to be accepted by society despite his appearance. However, the events he experiences shape his views. Victor Frankenstein, the DeLacey family, and the father and daughter he meets throughout his journey do not accept him.

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A dynamic character is somebody that changes his or her personality or attitude. Victor’s creature from Mary Shelley’s novel fits the definition of a dynamic character because he changes his attitude during the novel. The creature in the beginning of the novel starts being a good “person.” He did a lot of kind things for human beings like helping Felix’s family.

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The definition of Prejudice is, “An unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason”(Dictionary.com) The majority of humans tend to judge others by appearance rather than personality. Examples derive from culture and treatment of African American people and how others perceive them to be. Prejudice and appearance are prevalent in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein as well as today’s culture which has consequences regarding race, age, religion, etc. In Frankenstein, the monster is a hideous, vicious being of large stature who has the potential to cause injury, so he is perceived to be malicious due to these characteristics.

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Whereas the real monster throughout the story is no other than Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein displays many of the characteristics any monster would have. He was cruel and manipulative in order to become and valued like God. However, the odds were not in his favor after rejecting the monster the minute he came to life, "A flash of lightning illuminated the object, and discovered its shape plainly to me; its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect, more hideous than belongs to humanity, instantly

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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.

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"Never did I behold a vision so horrible as his face, of such loathsome, yet appalling hideousness. I shut my eyes involuntarily" (Shelley 228). Even Walton is repulsed by the creature’s

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Victor Frankenstein Character Analysis Essay

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In 1818 Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, a novel that follows Victor Frankenstein, an ambitious man on his journey to defy the natural sciences. In Volume I of the novel, Victor discusses his childhood, mentioning how wonderful and amazing it was because of how his family sheltered him from the bad in the world. “The innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties towards me” (35). When Victor brings up his childhood, he suggests that parents play a strong in how their kids turn out, either "to happiness or misery" (35). In particular the main character was sheltered as a child to achieve this “happiness” leading to Victor never developing a coping mechanism to the evil in the world.

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