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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (chapter 1-10 only)
Frankenstein: Nature as a refuge
One of the most interesting aspects of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: The modern Prometheus is the extent to which the monster, just like his creator Victor Frankenstein, embodies the ideal of the Romantic antihero. Victor Frankenstein uses science to challenge human limitations. However, he also finds comfort in nature when he feels depressed and desolate, realizing the mistake he has made in creating a monster. "The sight of the awful and majestic in nature had indeed always the effect of solemnizing my mind, and causing me to forget the passing cares of life" (Chapter 10). But the monster also finds comfort in nature because he is ostracized from the rest of humanity because of his ugliness. His soul is beautiful at first but because he is rejected he becomes ugly and hateful in his actions. The rejection by his creator is the origin of the monster's sinful and murderous actions, the monster believes, not his intrinsic nature (a metaphor for all human beings who sin in a fallen, dark world).
Thus in some ways the monster is even more human...
"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" (Chapter 10). Even though the monster is hated by humanity, he still desires love and redemption. He wants to worship Victor but cannot because Victor spurns him: "I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous" (Chapter 10). The monster is by nature good; he chooses evil not by his own design but because he is effectively forced into it, by virtue of his solitude. Like his creator, he is capable of appreciating the beauty of nature and the good of humanity (which is why he wishes to become a part of society) but unlike human beings who are invested with the ability to seek salvation and find comfort amongst themselves, the monster was created by man not God and has no one. Unlike Victor, he never sought to defy nature but his very existence…
Work Cited
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. The Online Literature Library. Web 19 Dec 2014.
Her list includes the following: culture / Nature reason / Nature male/female mind/body ( Nature) master/slave reason/matter (physicality) rationality/animality ( Nature) human / Nature (non-human) civilised/primitive ( Nature) production/reproduction ( Nature) self/other At first glance, this list seems to capture the basic groupings and gender associations that are at work in Mary Shelley's novel. The Creature exemplifies animality, primitiveness, and physicality, whereas Victor represents the forces of civilization, rational production, and culture. Victor is part of a happy family
Frankenstein & Romanticism How Romanticism is Demonstrated in Frankenstein In less than six years, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein will be 200 years old. This novel, indicative of the romantic period, is a compelling narrative with numerous themes and vivid imagery to consider. In the context of romanticism, Frankenstein is a worthwhile piece of literature to examine. Literature and art of the romantic period is characterized with an emphasis on intense emotional reactions, specifically
The alteration of the relationship between Victor and professor Krempe does not change the meaning of the story, it only makes it more intense. I believe that the most important change regards the character of Victor. Reading the book one has the freedom to make his own judgement and evaluation of the character while the movie imposes a certain evaluation. Reading the book I had the impression that Victor was
If you reanimate dead flesh then how do you kill it? Victor, on his death bed, intones to his new friend the Captain of the discovery vessel that ambition in science should be kept in check, even if that means death in anonymity. He first intones that he regrets that he is dying while the beast still lives and then warns the captain to keep his ambition in check. That he
Links can be made to Shelley's own life - her mother died shortly after her birth. Both the lack of a mother and a fear of natural childbirth are attributes of Victor's character in Frankenstein and ideas close to the author's own life. Through her literature Shelley demonstrates the need for both men and women to be present and willing to carry out different tasks for the well being
It has "… taken on a life of its own independent of Mary Shelley's text, and indeed even independent of certain parts of her narrative." (Goodall 19) This has resulted in film and stage play versions of the novel. The reason for this continuing popularity lies largely with the relevance of the themes; particularly with regard to the theme of man 'playing God' through his application of scientific knowledge and