Who is the real monster?” acts as the dominant question throughout the novel “Frankenstein” written by Mary Shelly as the reader explores the protagonist Victor Frankenstein and his nameless creation. As the novel progresses, the reader notices how the relationship between the two characters goes far beyond a neglectful creature and resentful creation, for the two influence the thoughts, actions and emotions of each other. Furthermore, the creature’s physical appearance acts as his purpose throughout the novel as well as a mirror of Victor Frankenstein’s true identity. Additionally, the creature’s lack of identity begins to initiate Frankenstein’s shame towards his own identity, revealing the flawed character of Frankenstein and determining the resolution to the question “Who is the true monster? Who is the true catalyst of destruction?” During the novel, the reader is able to identify the creature as the most effective foil for Victor Frankenstein because the creature causes: Frankenstein to view the action of the creature as his own work, the shift between pride and shame in Frankenstein, and his physical appearance demonstrates his purpose to reveal the true character of Victor Frankenstein. Throughout the novel, the creation begins to slowly murder the people closest to Victor until he is left in solitude as he is forced to bear the burden of this knowledge of the murderer in addition to his own accountability of the deaths since he is responsible for the creation.
Every story has its hero and villain. Some authors’ works easily clarify the debate between which character is the ultimate protagonist or the antagonist, but sometimes the author tries to toy with readers’ minds. Similarly, Frankenstein’s author, Marry Shelley is one of the authors who is not straightforward about who is the villain in her novel. In Frankenstein, both the Monster and Victor Frankenstein could be considered the villains in the book. Doctor Victor Frankenstein is an alchemist who is obsessed with creating life from the dead. He creates the green creature, also given the name Frankenstein, who is portrayed as the Monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Dr. Frankenstein’s complete disregard for mortal beings, obsession with becoming a God, and his self-centeredness throughout the novel are all good evidence to why he – Dr. Victor Frankenstein plays the role of the villain in the story.
Victor Frankenstein made a monster that he was scared of himself and what he had made. Victor was a smart man but he was tempted to find a way to escape death and made a monster that would kill William and the reason that Justine died. But the monster known today a s frankenstein shows us a lot of trying to to a person and fix into society but many people are scared of how he look and they ran him of of the village that he walk into. The main support that shows that frankenstein wants to be a human a person that can fit in is that he is willing to go and live in south America but all he wants is a female.”You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being.” that was when the
The monster rose from the table. He stared at the creature whom he had created, then ran away in terror. He ran away because the monster looked nothing like anything he had ever seen before; it was monstrous and utterly terrifying. He thought it would harm him as monsters are commonly portrayed to do. What would any human do in a situation like that? Prejudice is not an emotion in itself; it is an offshoot of fear. He feared the monster, which is why he acted out of prejudice and judged the monster simply based on its appearance.
Mary Shelly’s novel, Frankenstein, has been described as a book of revenge and responsibility. The novel follows Victor Frankenstein in his quest for self fulfillment. He creates a monster of inanimate human parts yet abandon him soon after he is born. While Victor tries to escape the Creature and forget about him completely; the Creature continues to learn and search for him, with hopes to destroy all that Victor holds dear. While revenge is sought by both Victor and the Creature, Victor carries the responsibility of causing the most turmoil throughout the novel.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a classic novel that portrays a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who creates a creature made from human bodies. Through Frankenstein’s eyes, the reader sees this creature as a horrifying monster who murders Frankenstein’s loved ones. However, the reader is able to see the creature’s side of the story which could change their perspective of a horrifying creature, to an almost innocent child who does not know right from wrong. Victor Frankenstein is then portrayed as the horrifying monster who abandoned his creature, was selfish by thinking everything is about him, and taking revenge on the creature who had a mind of an innocent child.
All of this could have been prevented if Victor had not abandoned his creation. Due to the abandonment, the creature changed motivations and consequently became evil. Seeking revenge, the creature went on to commit horrific acts against Victor. In this story, Victor is the true monster because by abandoning the
1. By listening to the monster's side of the story, we see that Frankenstein's creation isn't really the monster he was made out to be. He shows his intelligence through speaking and telling Victor that he has taught himself to read and write. Some may say that he's smarter than humans- he taught himself how to not only speak but to read, and he is surprisingly quick in using his observations skills to figure out the world and its ways.
Rick Riordan said that “The real world is where the monsters are.” This quote shows that although people are technically human beings, their actions can be considered cruel or “monster like”. Throughout Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, Frankenstein, the namesake of the book views his “wretch” (Shelley, 44) creation as a monster rather than a living being on par with humanity. Despite his monster-like appearance, Frankenstein’s creation is, in actuality, more human than monster. Shelley’s most famous work forces the audience to question the fine line between what makes humans “human” and what make monsters “monsters”.
In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein creates a monster whose appearance brings ineffable terror and destruction into his life. However, the monster’s appearance and actions are not an accurate representation of the monster and are influenced by many outward factors that ultimately trace back to his creator. The monster’s grotesque outward appearance acts as a mirror as it reflects the true inward qualities of Victor as well as shows the flaws and abnormalities of the relationship between Victor, society, and the monster.
Webster’s Dictionary defines a monster as a “powerful person or thing that cannot be controlled and that causes many problems”. Mankind usually thinks of them as ugly and vile creatures. This is not always true, although in the case of the book Frankenstein, the monster has hideous characteristics, according to Victor and the monster himself. Fiends have a habit of getting classified as not having emotions, but this is not the instance with Victor’s creature. Mary Shelley identifies the monster in Frankenstein by his tendency to become angry, feel unloved, and seek revenge.
Mary Shelly’s gothic novel, Frankenstein, tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, the man who created a monster that led to his demise. The man-made monster was forced to learn how to act in a society through countless rejections from the public. While Victor Frankenstein rejected his creation from the start, the monster longed for the acceptance of his creator. When the monster did not get the acceptance he was looking for, he killed Victor’s younger brother, William, saying, “Frankenstein! You belong then to my enemy- to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim” (Mary Shelley, 153; ch. 16). Afterward, he framed the housekeeper, Justine, for his crime. Elizabeth, the adopted daughter of Alphonse Frankenstein, was
The real monster in the novel is the creator and the all so ambitious Victor Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein is a very determined and obsessive character that tries to accomplish the impossible. Victor Frankenstein's ultimate goal is to create a new form of human species that will have physical and mental qualities far superior than the present day human being. To accomplish this impossible feat, Victor knows he must commit endless hours of his time and life to reach this seemingly impossible task. While although Victor does ultimately achieve his goal, Victor Frankenstein undergoes major changes before and after the completion of his prototype. The goal Victor set out to accomplished seemed rewarding and in his eyes something that will be
In the past chapters the monster was described as scary, large, and of course it couldn’t speak. However, in this week’s reading the monster began to speak. The monster became a mysterious, emotional almost human being. As the monster began to talk and ask victor questions, he also began to explain to victor about his past. The monster asked victor if he could tell his side of the story. He then asks that he should be made a happy and submissive creature again.
Shelley utilizes the differences between the protagonists, Victor Frankenstein and his creature, to emphasize the true villainy she is pursuing. The further analysis of this villainy creates a clearer understanding of one of her overall themes, monstrosity, and its effects on human life. In comparing Victor and the creature, it is quite obvious that the two have major differences in their villainous attributes. Perhaps the most noticeable, the physical appearance of the creature as a monster contrasts greatly with Victor’s normalness.
In common society, it is generally accepted that the mother, the creator of life, should love the life they create. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, challenges the role of the as Dr. Victor Frankenstein rejects the very being he constructs. Dr. Frankenstein has, “responsibilities to his creature as a new social, scientific, and cultural presence in the world”, yet he turns away from his creation when it is not the result he desired (Halpern 51). If the social norm is for a creator to care for its creation, what makes Frankenstein’s character different. This paper aims to analyze Shelley’s reasoning behind Dr. Frankenstein’s character. By using credible evidence, I argue that Shelley’s characterization stems from her experiences, her societal and