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Literary analysis of Frankenstein
Science in frankenstein by mary shelley
Literary analysis of Frankenstein
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The vainglorious and vindictive tones in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein demonstrate Victor’s evolution from a character who took pride in becoming a father to a new species to the annihilation of his own existence. Victor’s ego drove him to finish his creation and become world renowned. It is that same creation that he abandons and must take vengeance upon. Victor’s egotistical aspiration to conquer death is something beyond what others are capable of. “A new species would bless me as its creator…”
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or the modern Prometheus Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist, displays the behavior of evil due to his nature, the reason for his natured evil is because of his will to create life and succeeds. In the evil Victor has done, he irrevocable realizes the full implications of his evil actions. “It was on a dreary night of November that I looked at my accomplishment… I saw the dull, yellow eye of the creature open.” (Shelly 53). This quote displays Victors evil, his creation of life, his thirst for knowledge, his nature, is what caused his creation of the nameless monster.
In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor is fascinated by the creation and decay of life and is relentless to create him one, but turns out to be a horrifying nightmare by bringing a monster into the world. One's desire can be so great that it blinds people from the things in life they truly care about, but would not know till it is gone. Victor Frankenstein goes from an arrogant man who only thinks about his only desires to a guilt ridden man who wants to protect others after his mistake killed innocent people. Victor Frankenstein is an arrogant man who only thinks about his only desires and does not care about what people says. Since he is spoiled by his family by giving him gifts like Elizabeth “as his- his to protect, love, and cherish” (30).
Someone who is hungry for power will never be satisfied and will desire for more until he or she gets what they want. In the novel by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, we are introduced to Victor Frankenstein a scientist that aspires to create a creature, which later he achieves. Throughout the novel, the theme is well developed and takes the reader through Victor and the creature's point of view showing the reader a clear picture of the dynamic between the two. The story shows the reader who constantly seeks power will cause destruction upon himself or others. Victor wants to discover more but is only doing the discoveries and achievements for the sake of fame.
Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a great comparison is shown between Victor Frankenstein, the main character, and Prometheus, one of Greek mythology’s greatest Gods. Shelley borrows from the tale of Prometheus a consequence resulting from searching for a great source of enlightenment and power. In creating a being and giving it life, Frankenstein seems to take on the remarkable role of God which leads him to thinking that a power that is so heavenly cannot be played with by mankind. During his quest to expand his creative knowledge, abilities, drive, and ambition to know the origin of life, he puts himself in conflict. Frankenstein gambled his way into the godly realm without realizing he committed a sin by creating the monster, and
When people hear the word “monster”, most people imagine a massive, horrid, and grotesque figure that haunts people. While pondering what a monster is, mankind thinks of the outward appearance. Seldom do people think of man’s internal qualities as being barbaric or gruesome. Authors allow readers to create their own images of these terrifying beings. Frankenstein is a thought-provoking novel that empowers readers to have their own opinions about who the actual monster is and what it looks like.
“The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.” –Elder Uchtdorf Many have argued that the stories of Frankenstein are based on the mythical adventures of the god, Prometheus. In both stories, the main character- a smart gentleman- creates a new being of some sort, and must face the consequences of this creation. The story of Mary Shelley’s, “Frankenstein” and the Greek tragedy, Prometheus, have strikingly similar characters and plot lines of creation and punishment that prove that Victor Frankenstein is, indeed, “The Modern Prometheus.” The characters of Victor Frankenstein and Prometheus were similar in multiple ways.
Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines a monster as "a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty. " The being is unnatural right from the very beginning; his "birth." He was not carried in his mother's womb and delivered as normal babies are. The being is solely a construction of random corpses' bodily parts sewn together and brought to life. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, society continually regards Victor's creation as a monster, both physically and psychologically.
Novels of the Romantic era, including Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, also known as The Modern Prometheus, were full of gothic elements, grasping yet tactful moments, and historical connections that provided accuracy to the novel. Frankenstein provides the reader with the narrative of Victor Frankenstein, a young and gifted scientist who attempts to create artificial life through the gift of his knowledge and discoveries. Through their game of cat and mouse, Frankenstein faces tragic losses caused by his very own creation, while that very creature struggles through the life that he was brought into and how he is perceived with his hideous appearance. As Victor desperately tries to reverse his actions, he experiences what it feels like to fall
The novel “Frankenstein,” by Mary Shelley tells the story of a man named Victor Frankenstein, who decides to go against the laws of nature by bringing to life a being constructed with decaying body parts. Victor believes in natural philosophy and science, which leads him to the idea of creating this Creature. Although this novel can be interpreted in many ways, I believe that Mary Shelley is shining a light on the harmful and dangerous impacts that prejudice and assumptions can have on people who are considered different. Shelley may be suggesting that humanity is the true 'monster ' due to its socialized ideologies that make ambition, self-greed and rage fulfilling. Even to this day society is known to shun those who we do not see as equals.
Victor questions why men so instinctively attempt to become superior to nature when men are also a product of nature. He criticizes that if humans reverted to our primal instincts, “hunger, thirst, and desire” (67) that we’d be free, or content with our lives. This is his subliminal self-reflection as he understands that seeking the secret to life, by creating the monster, did not bring him happiness but rather brought him misery and self-loathing. In this last line of the passage, Shelley highlights a major morale and theme of the story which is using science to tamper with nature, a critique against the enlightenment period. The consequences of Frankenstein’s creation have not only caused the death of William and Justine but will also become the reason for his own inevitable doom
Frankenstein In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a conflict as old as life itself emerges as the story progresses; parent versus posterity in a struggle for reconciliation. Victor Frankenstein and his creation become tied up in a constant battle as the creation seeks his origins, finding a horrifying truth; the creator had abandoned the creation. This central conflict derives from the creation of the creature, inability of Frankenstein to appreciate his creation, and the creation’s need for a parental figure. The conflict addresses themes of the book such as human desires for prestige, acceptance, and the intimacy of a relationship with one’s creator.
In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley there are many similar characteristics between Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he creates. Victor and his creation both let their emotions get in the way of their actions, act revengeful, are isolated from society, and are very intelligent. From the beginning, the lives of Victor and the monster are very similar. They both grow up without a strong role model figure, and are forced to quickly grow up. Since they both grew up in similar settings, they react similarly to different situations.
Marry Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ or ‘The Modern Prometheus’, largely resembles the Greek myth, where the subject makes severe mistakes, attempting to play god, as he disregards the ethics of humanity, as well as his own moral. Victor Frankenstein, who is the ‘Modern Prometheus’ in Mary Shelley’s novel, attempt to do the impossible – create life! While the Greek Prometheus (a titan), commits three sins against Zeus, one of them being the giving of fire to humans. Both are in their own way absurd, however in both cases, they succeed. However both are subjected to either pain or suffering, whether it is physical or mental, after realizing what they have done.
By connecting the character of Viktor to Prometheus, and adding an allusion to create a better understanding of the characters Shelley allows the reader to uncover the fate of both characters along with their creations and the punishments that follow. The connection to the greek myth, allows the readers to take on a second perspective when reading Frankenstein. The very prevalent themes enhance not only the authors writing but also the characters themselves. Overall, Shelley’s use of Prometheus as a silent background helped foreshadow the inevitable fate of Frankenstein's creator,