...Some may say Victor Frankenstein does not portray a modern Prometheus. Although he may not be a god, he is to the creature. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is the modern Prometheus. Victor seeks for enlightenment and power, in which, Prometheus does as well.Victor does something forbidden; creating human life. Prometheus also does something forbidden; giving fire to humans. Victor, in return, serves a torturous death, as does Prometheus, although Prometheus cannot die. For these reasons this novel, Frankenstein, shows how Victor is the modern Prometheus. Undoubtedly both Victor Frankenstein and Prometheus seek for enlightenment and power. In the beginning of this novel Victor starts his childhood yearning for knowledge and reading books of science. The quote, “...eager desire to learn,..., secrets of heaven and earth that i desired to learn,..., my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical,…, the physical secrets of the world” (Shelley, 23). It shows how ambitious Victor was to learn as a child and how the start of his seeking for enlightenment and power came to be. Victor also foreshadows how misfortune had tainted his mind, “...misfortune had tainted my mind and changed its bright visions of extensive usefulness into gloomy and narrow reflections…”(Shelley, 24). This quote shows how at first he had psychedelic visions of helping and being convenient until a misfortune had tainted his mind to change these to dark images. This misfortune was the want...
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...observing Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” it is apparent that her writing style gives off a very gloomy and gothic vibe. Mary Shelley incorporates many themes within the story of “Frankenstein,” that incorporate isolation, self-discovery, and death throughout the whole novel. Isolation is a key role player when it comes to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” because it defines many different things for both the reader and writer. We see it first occurring when Victor creates a creature that he eventually becomes afraid of. Victor runs away and never wants to encounter this creature again. Although at the same time, if we read Mary Wollstonecraft’s biography, we learn that she felt unwanted from her family as well. Wollstonecraft says, “Now I look back, I cannot help attributing the greater part of my...
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...Frankenstein by Mary Shelley creates great emphasis on appearance and acceptance in society, which highlights the harmfulness of judging based solely on external appearance. The novel is set in an appearance-based society, and this topic is brought to the limelight by the hideous figure of Victor Frankenstein's monster and the creature's humanistic need for acceptance. Every human is engraved with a controlling desire to be accepted in an intellectual and sophisticated manner, regardless of his or her physical appearance. The duty of the creator is displayed through Victor Frankenstein's failure in taking responsibility for his creature, this constant theme is entwined with the consequences of judging solely on physicality. The monster's revolting...
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...Secrecy is an important theme that is expressed in chapters 7 through 9. As a matter of fact, Frankenstein keeps the secret of his creation, and it has an impact on the story and on the different protagonists. When he sees the monster, and realises that it would certanly be the murderer of his little brother William. His first intinct is to go after and tell his family he knows the murderer. But then, he realises that his story won't be credible and that people will think it is madness. So he decides to keep the secret. He sais : ''I was firmly convinced in my own mind that Justine, and indeen every human being, was guiltless of this murder. I had no fear, therefore, that any circumstantial evidence could be brought forward strong enough to...
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...Khizer Awan AP LIT Frankenstein Literary Analysis I Must Know More Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley is a romantic era novel based on the theme of knowledge. The word “knowledge” reoccurred many times throughout Frankenstein and forced the reader to understand the definition of it. According to Webster’s Dictionary, knowledge is defined as “Knowledge: n. Understanding gained by actual experience; range of information; clear perception of truth; something learned and kept in the mind.” The word knowledge is very simple, but has different meanings to all of us. Knowledge is the tool we use in making proper judgement. Knowledge is an extremely powerful thing and it must be used wisely and properly. Carelessly using knowledge can cause terrible consequences. The novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is a novel that has many comparisons of powers in life. It pertains to many themes in society today. Frankenstein contrasts science, technology, life and death, and most importantly knowledge and ignorance. It shows the consequences of knowledge in both negative and positive ways. In Frankenstein, three characters searched for one thing - knowledge. Unfortunately the results of their search differed from what they had anticipated. Walton, blinded by ambition, believed that search for knowledge on the route to the North Pole would bring fame to his name, but he quickly learned that he ended up only with the danger to the lives of his crew. Frankenstein, driven by passion...
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...Victor’s creation in the book ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley is labeled as a monster by his creator and the people. The creature was born pure, making him humane. “I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity“(Shelley 105). He had good intentions with a good heart. Throughout the story the creature is both humane and inhumane but eventually his humanity disappears. The creature faced many misfortunes which started to cause him to become the ‘monster’ everyone already saw him as. He developed new traits like aggression and became less compassionate for others. The creature like most people craved affection and family or a friend. When he was repeatedly looked down at and shunned away from humans including his creator, he started to become the monster they expected him to be. Abandonment, rejection, and betrayal play a big part in the creature’s actions which lead him to becoming less humane....
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...Knowledge can be a creator and a destroyer, and in the novel Frankenstein it plays both roles. In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the monster he creates share the same deep thirst for knowledge; knowledge that they believe will bring them satisfaction. However as each man learns more about human nature, and in turn themselves, the more disillusioned they become. Victor Frankenstein creates a life with knowledge, however the life he has created has unforeseen consequences. Victor finds himself wishing he never knew how to create life in the first place. The creature Victor creates has a similar experience with knowledge and the experiences that come with it. The monster is alone from inception, leading him to teach himself everything that...
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...was capable of; he was someone very similar to Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is the story of a man, Victor, who is far more intelligent than others and fascinated with the creation of life. After much time, he creates his monster that rejected by Victor and society. From his rejection, he plans to get revenge on Victory and mankind alone. There are many thematic ideas that arise during this novel. However, the two main themes are risky knowledge and secrecy which makes the novel easier to identify with. The consequences of arrogance are portrayed through the intelligent person which is seen mostly through Victor who goes above and beyond what the average person. The value of technology and invention is obviously observed through Victor’s creation “the monster”. Lastly, the loss of relationships is a main issue that not only Victor experiences. In Frankenstein, there is much value still alive today through the issues of risky knowledge and secrecy which is revealed by arrogance of intelligence, value of technology, and loss of relationships. The issue of arrogance through the intelligentsia is developed in several places throughout the novel. Victor is most easily identified with this issue because of his starvation for knowledge which he satisfies at the University of Ingolstadt. “My departure was therefore fixed at an early date; but, before the day resolved upon could arrive, the first misfortune of my life occurred-an omen, as if were, of my future misery...
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...inevitable doom. In Jurassic Park and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley we have renowned scientists who try to accomplish feats that were never thought of and in the midst of things get carried away and things go unexpectedly wrong. This shows that the pursuit of knowledge can be very dangerous and have a catastrophic ending if not carefully planned. In the beginning these two men Victor Frankenstein and John Hammond both had amazing ideas that would change the world forever. But, in the end their experiment came to a stop because their creations turned on them and that’s when things started to get out of hand. Victor suffers because of his pursuit of knowledge and his creation that ultimately destroys his life. As the story goes on the monster starts to change as he gains knowledge. The creature at the start is innocent and means no harm. But, as he gains knowledge, he begins to learn that he does not fit in and becomes angry. This can also be related to Jurassic Park because, as time goes on in the film the dinosaurs also gain knowledge like when they gain the ability to open doors. When both the creature and the dinosaurs began to gain knowledge that’s when the misfortune began to manifest. At the same time the creature started to crave for knowledge in the hope of no longer being shunned by the human society. When this backfires the creature turned to violence and revenge as the pursuit of knowledge was to no avail. The knowledge that Victor is pursuing and the knowledge the...
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...start of life, human beings are exposed to the outside world with an open and blank mind. A new born has no knowledge, no concerns or worries and it only seeks to fulfill its main necessities. Surrounded by the outside world one lives through many experiences where knowledge is accepted. Encountering other human beings reflects upon ones perception and brings about ones self decisions. Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein demonstrates characters that through an obsessive desire for more knowledge ruin their own lives. Victor Frankenstein is a scientist, who creates a monster to life through his extensive knowledge of science, but the creature he creates brings terrible demise and Victor loses everything that was once close to him. The monster himself craves knowledge through his learning experience. He is fascinated by human nature and language and seeks to be a part of it. His desire to gain too much knowledge leads him to lose self control and destroys the lives of many people. Watson, similar to Victor, is an explorer who travels to the North Pole and chases after the idea of making a discovery. Watson serves as an example of being at risk for destruction, but after hearing about the deadly consequences of exploration he stops himself from making the same mistakes Victor did. The obsession of gaining too much knowledge causes a loss in self control and allows ones desires to take over, resulting in destruction. The desire of extensive knowledge is first seen through Victor Frankenstein...
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...who the real monster is. With judgment comes pity, a universal human characteristic that determines a person in a unstable situation looking for help. Analyzing an individuals isolation from society, having parents with poor parenting skills, and manipulation of character can all have an influence of who we pity. In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein she allows us to make our own choices based on details she presents from various characters. Mary Shelley uses the motif of Isolation in exploring the idea of humanity. Both Victor Frankenstein and the Creature suffer from isolation physically and mentally. Shelley emphasizes what the Creature lacks when he says, “ I learned and applied the words, fire, milk, bread, and woods. I learned also the names of the cottagers themselves. The youth and his companion had each of them several names, but the old man has only one, which is father. The girl was called sister, or Agatha; and the youth Felix, brother, or son”. (112) Shelley purposefully uses those words because they are exactly the first words a baby would learn, showing that the Creature is similar to a helpless infant. Clearly, Victor Frankenstein is the primary cause of his creature to feel rejected, lonely, and determined to seek revenge. Shelley has the Creature realize the rejection he feels from society when he says, “ I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endowed with a...
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...Frankenstein: Gender and Sexuality Mary Shelley explores gender and sexuality as societal constructs in her haunting, gothic novel, Frankenstein. The protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, is a brilliant scientist who creates an intimidating, powerful monster. However, Victor’s homoerotic relationship with his childhood friend, Clerval, and his disinterest in Elizabeth, his fiance and adopted sister, complicate this creation story with sexually charged undertones. Throughout the novel, Victor struggles to reconcile his homosexual tendencies and feminine traits with the society’s strict gender expectations. Victor, who is too self-conscious about his societal standing and image as an acclaimed scientist to reject traditional gender roles, allows...
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...Throughout three-fourths of the novel, Victor’s immediate response within any situation is to act upon his emotions; whether it be sadness, anger, disgust, or fear. These emotions that Victor feels so strongly, come to be defining part of his personality as they seemingly seep out of him; with or without notice, and consume the entirety of his head space. This in turn, spares no room for the concepts of logic and reasoning to take form within his life. The emotionally-guided actions that Victor takes, draws him out to be quite a childish, immature, and impulsive character and in a way stunts his growth as an individual. It is not until, Victor is able to overpower his emotions and let his logical side rise to the surface that he begins to show...
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...·Both stories contain a very intelligent creator who seems unaware of the forces that they are dealing with -They are both fascinated with human life and wish to create it themselves. Victor Frankenstein states, "One of the phenomena which had peculiarly attracted my attention was the structure of the human frame, and, indeed, any animal endued with life. Whence, I often asked myself did the principle of life proceed?" -Both creators share a fascination with where life proceeds from. Is it merely intellect? Or, as in the case of Blade Runner, are emotions the defining element of human life -Both creators are expressly interested in creating a life form equal to human and Tyrell even wishes to create a life form superior to man ·Both stories share a central theme, that the acquirement of too much knowledge is dangerous -Throughout Frankenstein, the reader is left with the feeling that Victor's obsessive desire to defeat nature, through the creation of another life, directly led to the many tragedies that befell him, "Learn from me, if not by my precept, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow" -In Blade Runner, the Replicants have been granted an intellect superior to their human counterparts. Are the Replicants revered or given special treatment because of this? No, in fact, they are treated...
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...Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Key facts full title · Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus author · Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley type of work · Novel genre · Gothic science fiction language · English time and place written · Switzerland, 1816, and London, 1816–1817 date of first publication · January 1, 1818 publisher · Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones narrator · The primary narrator is Robert Walton, who, in his letters, quotes Victor Frankenstein’s first-person narrative at length; Victor, in turn, quotes the monster’s first-person narrative; in addition, the lesser characters Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein narrate parts of the story through their letters to Victor. climax · The murder of Elizabeth Lavenza on the night of her wedding to Victor Frankenstein in Chapter 23 protagonist · Victor Frankenstein antagonist · Frankenstein’s monster setting (time) · Eighteenth century setting (place) · Geneva; the Swiss Alps; Ingolstadt; England and Scotland; the northern ice point of view · The point of view shifts with the narration, from Robert Walton to Victor Frankenstein to Frankenstein’s monster, then back to Walton, with a few digressions in the form of letters from Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein. falling action · After the murder of Elizabeth Lavenza, when Victor Frankenstein chases the monster to the northern ice, is rescued by Robert Walton, narrates his story, and dies tense · Past foreshadowing · Ubiquitous—throughout...
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