Theme Of Appearance Vs Reality In Frankenstein

While Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, and The Prestige, directed by Christopher Nolan, are both works of art that distinctly follow the codes and conventions of an epistolary story, they contain several other similarities and differences within their elements of fiction that can be used for analysis purposes. In both the novel and film, there is a strong overarching theme of appearance vs. reality, which, when studied closely, can tie in to other elements of fiction in each text. Appearance vs. reality could, arguably, be the main reason for both Victor and Angier descending into obsession, as well as being a primary source for the character relations establishing in the way that they do.
In Frankenstein, the creature is often times

reality lends itself to the downfall of both Victor and Angier, as well. Victor Frankenstein creates a being with the intention of having it worship him, but instead creates one with a mind of its own. As stated before, Victor and every other character in the novel treat the creature horribly, by neglecting and attacking him due to his questionable outward appearance. Initially, Victor is eager to construct the being. He spends countless hours and sleepless nights working on the project, so many that when his creature does not behave in the manner that he expects, he is disappointed to say the least. The creature then ventures into the outside world to attempt to live his life independently. Frankenstein, paranoid that the being may cause harm to others, makes it his personal goal to end the creature’s life. The being is good at migrating on it’s own, causing the chase to proceed for a long period of time. In this time, Frankenstein’s entire life is put on hold, as he is preoccupied with this task. He is unexpectedly killed at the end of the novel, and while it is not possible to state for sure who or what is responsible for his death, one can infer that it was the being, due to the fact that he was present at the scene and the time of the crime, and he was wanting to get revenge on Victor. Frankenstein’s last years of his life are stripped away from him due to this obsession he had with hunting his creature because of what he thought it

Studying character within a form of literature includes looking at character development, characteristics, and how these lend themselves to the relationships amongst the characters. In Frankenstein, Victor and his creation have a rough relationship right from the beginning. Victor is hostile to the creature from the moment he first sees him alive. Victor and several other people the creature encounters make the assumption that the creature has an awful personality because of his his concerning physical features. If Victor had been willing to give the creature a chance, there is a large possibility that he would never have killed a young boy, Elizabeth, or sought to get revenge on Victor. Victor would still be alive at the end of the story. The being would have felt a sense of belonging, rather than neglect. In terms of The Prestige, if only Borden is able to recall which knot he used during the water cell trick with Julia McCullough, he could have saved himself and Angier from years of dispute. The idea that Borden is actually two people is discovered by Angier at the end of the film. Say Angier had known this from the beginning, he wouldn’t have ruined his relationship with his assistant, Olivia Wenscombe, by asking her to befriend Borden for information. The character relationships and dynamics would look quite different, say if they weren’t aiming to solve their personal issues, that, in reality, weren’t as big of problems as