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Critically analyse the character of the Monster in mary shellys frankenstein
Frankenstein mary shelley critical analysis
Frankenstein mary shelley critical analysis
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In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses Victor’s selfishness and ambition for knowledge to questioned how far society has to go to satisfy our yearn to be God. Vicor’s God complexion shows the dangers of wanting to challenge the limits of human knowledge without thinking of the consequences. When Victor attends university and the material he has learned is belittled by a professor as a waste of time, Victor is determined to prove him wrong. As Victor becomes more interested in the sciences and in the creation of life he sees that as the only way to make advancements that others have not yet done. He succeeded in bringing the dead back to life but not in the form he had in mind.
The cold, calculated nature speaks to the Monster’s state. He has become the same thing he once found incomprehensible, ran from and was hurt by. The systematic destruction of Victor’s life evens the scales. It provides the Monster with an opportunity to address his abandonment issue, which lies just below the surface, while not actually addressing it. However, taking a life, and its significance, remain an aspect of life the Monster overlooks.
Later in the novel, the creature gets angry at Victor as he did not finish or made a female creature for him. The creature wanted someone to be with so that they can make a family. “You have destroyed the work you have begun; what is it that you intend? Do you dare to break your promise?”(172). This conveys the theme, the fact that it made the creature angry that his female creature was destroyed.
The Path Imagine a child waking up in the hospital with no recollection of how he ended up there. Alone in the room with no parents or nurses around he may instantly feel alone. Not even able to remember his name, he cries out for a nurse, but when a nurse does not appear he gets out of the hospital bed and goes to look for one on his own. In a confused state he approached a nurse in his gown.
“Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings” is a quote by Salvador Dali expressing the importance of ambition. Ambition is the greatest trait shown by the human race, driving innovation and creativity, which helps to change the world. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley shows the ambition of scientist Victor Frankenstein, who unknowingly, tested the boundaries of science and created something that would inevitably bring his demise. Without the creation of the monster, there would be no way of telling whether or not it was the correct course of action to do so. While ambition blinds the ethical aspect of choices made by scientists, there is a more central theme to the story.
Victor would stop at nothing to finish his project and became so obsessed that he was isolated from his family and friends. His way of collecting lifeless matter for his creation is unethical and morally wrong. Eventually, he is punished for his actions: “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.” (pg.56) Additionally, extreme devotion to the building of his creation caused Victor mental distress due to the fact that he neglected his own needs in order to work exclusively on the creature: “I had deprived myself of rest and health.”
Frankenstein: A Passionate Revenge Cycle “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science”(Einstein). This quote by esteemed physicist Albert Einstein describes the relationship between the unknown and known and how a mystery is used to find answers. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, protagonist Victor sought after the concept of life as it was a mystery which led him towards a dangerous path of scientific discovery.
The fact that Victor sees the creature as such a vile thing shows us that Victor doesn’t have any respect whatsoever for it. The creature states that he was ‘dependent on none and related to none’ which also
The only responsibility Victor had left was to nurture the creature he made, but instead, he abandoned him. The creature’s actions in return are parallel to what he told Victor. '' If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear. (121).” Another instance in which Victor shirks responsibility is earlier in the story, when Justine, a family friend, is framed for the death of William, though it was the creature who killed him.
In order to further understand the person who is Victor Frankenstein, we will analyze two specific quotes in which he ponders the consequences of creating his monster. The first specific quote that shows Dr. Frankenstein pondering the consequences of his actions is when he states, “but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust fill my heart.” When Victor is initially building his creation, all he thinks of is the great science behind his work. However, he never once thinks of the consequences he may face once his creation becomes a reality.
This unquestionably exhibits his egocentric conventions as he places himself above everyone else even in matters of life and death. Furthermore, if Victor himself is willing to take responsibility for her death then it becomes unambiguous as to whether he should be held accountable for the actions of his creation. Throughout the story, the monster struggles with the repercussions brought about by his creator which leave him in turmoil. He does eventually overcome these obstacles, although it is undoubtedly too late.
Victor selfishly creates the Creature to gain prestige, pretentiously claiming himself as a human god when he succeeds and saying it was for the sake of humanity. In reality, he creates a grotesque being and abandons it the moment his illusions shatter, making the creature a victim because he denies the responsibility of raising it causing hardships for it. Victor also believes the creature is a reprobative individual since it kills his brother and foists Justine’s execution, thus he acts inimical towards it throughout the whole novel as he invectively exclaims, “Abhorred monster! Fiend that thou art! The tortures of hell are too mild a vengeance for thy crimes” (93).
Guilt can either be an emotion that makes a person feel remorse for his or her’s actions toward another, or can be the conduct involving the executions of such crimes and wrongs. In the novel, “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, both definitions of guilt were the common theme. However, the main problem was whether the creature or the creator, Victor Frankenstein, were guiltier for their actions. The one presumed to be more guilty was Victor Frankenstein who created the monster in the first place causing his family pain and failed to take responsibility for the monster’s actions. Although he didn’t directly kill his family, the monster is guilty too.
He commits the most heinous crimes and shows a terrifying volatility, having “murdered the lovely and the helpless”, yet he seeks forgiveness at the side of his dead creator, expressing regret for his actions (146-148). At the deathbed of Victor, the creature laments that he “the miserable and the abandoned” is “an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled” and resents this injustice, for he is was he was created to be
“Solitude vivifies; isolation kills” -Joseph Roux This quote unveils that the idea of choosing to be alone for philosophical pursuit and the stimulation of the mind doesn’t deviate from an ultimate outsider who longs for companionship as well as affection. Isolation can lead to destruction and insanity. In Chapter 14 of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the creature gets an insight on the cottagers’ lives in the past.
