Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Frankenstein as a Gothic novel
Elements of the gothic novel in frankenstein
Writing a descriptive essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
While the monster himself did begin as a benevolent creature, rejection from man time and time again caused him to grow with a bitter rage inside. He cursed his creator “Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed?”(Chapter 16, pg. 1) and swore revenge on Frankenstein. This ultimately leads us to his first victim, William Frankenstein, who like those before him were all terrified of the monster though as the monster held him captive William unknowingly caused his own death by revealing his last name.
A good monster is never human or inhuman. Monsters serve as cautionary tales about the consequences of reckless abandon, and far more often than appearing as metaphysical beings, their true form is an idea. When children check under their beds and inside of their closets for a pair of yellow eyes and a toothy grin, they do not dispel any physical entity. Instead, they dispel the unknown. Similarly, in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein grapples not with a physical entity, but his own personality flaws.
In the end, Frankenstein can 't help but blame the creation. He never offers any affection towards the poor creature. All of the death and turmoil tie back to Victor and his blind ambition and fear of real responsibilities. The creature had simply had experiences that morphed his personality and drove him to terrible acts. If Frankenstein had simply taken care of the creation and gave him the correct guidance, lots of needless death could have been
This is best noticed when he encounters Frankenstein's brother in the woods. The boy was mocking the monsters appearance, but the monster chose to ignore him until he found out it was Frankenstein's brother. At that moment the monster recalled how frankenstein abandoned him, so he killed the brother to get vengeance on his creator. This scene depicts how the monster did not intend to kill him, but thought it was necessary. The monster had no one to look out for him; he had no family, so he wanted to inflict the same loneliness he felt upon the creator who caused him the pain.
“At first I started back, unable to believe that it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror; and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification”(Shelley 80). The Creation of Frankenstein woke up in a world of hate. Since he looked different, the Monster never fit in with normal people. He would become isolated and feared because of his looks. Because the Monster was a hideous creation from Frankenstein, he was isolated and hated by his looks and behaved in an ethical manner when he began his path of vengeance.
In his attempt to create a new being, Frankenstein is successful. That is, he is successful until he allows his creation's innocence to be tainted by the relentless savagery that is reality. As a result, Frankenstein's creation becomes Frankenstein's monster, defiled by hatred and the need for revenge. However, the destruction of innocence occurred not only in Frankenstein’s creation, but also in Victor Frankenstein himself. By the time of his death Victor is a monster consumed by hate and revenge.
Written during the ninteenth century, the gothic Frankensteinnovel by Marry Shelly, tells the story of a young educated student Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque but fantastic creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment, which leads to different tragic events. Shelly writes about the creation of the creature and how he is first introduce to his livelihood and this world. In this novel Shelly uses different types of literary techniques to convey the expression of the creature as a baby just learning about life and the world, and by employing innovative literary techniques such as imagery, setting, theme, and characterization, she creates a feeling of sympathy on the readers. This feeling is created through Shelly establishment of pity on the readers by reavealing the creature’s loathsome creation, habitat, or even existence.
Victor Frankenstein turns away from his responsibilities by ignoring the existence of his creation. Throughout the novel, Victor is constantly running away from the monster and not giving him attention, which resulted in the monsters change of personalities. For example, in page 71 the creation said, “All men hate the wretched; how must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us.” This quote suggests that because of the ignorance of Victor the monster began to become evil and have the urge to seek
Poet Mary Oliver once wrote, “Someone I loved once gave me a box of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too was a gift.” Darkness is usually framed as being corrupting and evil in life, the little known truth is that Darkness can also be a force healing and development as seen in Frankenstein , A Tale of Two Cities, and Cannery Row. Frankenstein is the tragic story of Victor Frankenstein and his monster.
Though a naturally gentle being, Frankenstein’s creation gradually transforms into a bitter and vengeful existence that murders his creator’s beloved ones. His transformation into a blood lusting and seemingly remorseless murderer is a tragic instance. However, when the story comes to an end, readers learn of the internal conflicts he goes through. As his creator finally passes away, he expresses his immense suffering to Robert Walton, who has promised Frankenstein to destroy his creation. “You hate me, but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself… Blasted as thou wert, my agony was still superior to thine, for the bitter sting of remorse will not cease to rankle in my wounds until death shall close them forever”
Frankenstein Literary Criticism Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, is filled with motifs of Nature and companionship. During the Romantic period or movement, when the novel Frankenstein was written, nature was a huge part of romanticism. Nature was perceived as pure, peaceful, and almost motherly. As we read the novel through Victor Frankenstein 's perspective, we the readers can see how romanticized-nature is perceived as by those who find comfort in nature. This novel also contains, in addition to romantic elements, heavy-filled gothic scenes and descriptions.
The monster continues by reassuring the creator of his independent intelligence and power over the creature by telling Frankenstein, “This you alone can do”. Here, the creature assumes a role of submissiveness and reliance on Frankenstein. Frankenstein’s monster gains the sympathy of the reader who, despite condemning the murder of innocent people, commiserate with the lonely creature who is in search of an acquaintance, which he will likely never find. The monster also displays power and aggressiveness over Frankenstein; “You are my creator; but I am your master; obey!” The monster wants to desolate Victor’s heart, not by killing him directly,
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.
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.
Discouraged and discontent, the monster gives up his quest to become acknowledged by humans. Finally, arguably the most important confrontation in the entire novel, Victor Frankenstein and his monster meet face to face and explain the causes of each other's suffering. The monster explains that it is simply his mere knowledge of his own existence that causes him great grief, "I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind?