Human nature develops through time from its acquisition of new experiences and standards. Human nature is maintained and controlled by society, and they both work hand-in-hand to advance mankind. As society can help mankind as a whole, it can also hinder the individual. Society’s pressure through standards pushes the conformity of the individual; but as the individual is unable to meet these standards, they are faced with opposition. The opposition of society over the individual causes the corruption and change of the individual. In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses the mental growth and transition of the monster to prove the ideology of the noble savage and that man is corrupted by society.
The innocence of the monster is seen throughout
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When the monster first interacts with humans, he is met with opposition and hate. The monster states, “He turned on hearing a noise; and, perceiving me, shrieked loudly, and. Quitting the hut, ran across the fields with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appeared capable. (74)” Humans are clearly terrified by the monster and see him as an evil threat. The human’s reaction surprises the monster as he is incapable of understanding why they act in such way towards him. The monster states, “...but how I was terrified when I viewed myself in a transparent pool!...and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification. (80)” This epiphany of the monster’s image reveals to him the reason why humans are afraid of him. This truth changes the monster’s personality as he is faced with the truth of his separation from human beauty. During his time at the De Lacey’s, the monster learns about the fall of man, which opens his mind towards good and evil. Paradise Lost is the pivotal poem which revealed the monster to human nature. The monster states, “Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me. (94)” Satan parallels very well with the monster as they are both …show more content…
The monster, like man, was born innocent but tainted by societal pressure. The monster’s abandonment by Victor causes him to strive for acceptance. As the monster begins realizing his separation from man through his terrifying figure, he realizes his inability to be normal. The monster also loses his final attempt for happiness as he is denied a female companion. The epiphany of his failure causes his outrage and transition from good to evil. The monster’s change in nature is caused by society’s rejection of him. As the individual lives in the midst of society and learns about mankind, we become subject to opposition. The life of the individual is a constant struggle between individuality and
From the moment he was brought to life the only thing he knew about himself was that he was seen as a monster, "I beheld the wretch - the miserable monster whom I had created," (Shelley, 59), which gave him the reasoning to act upon what he was labeled as. Except the monster was not a monster in the slightest. He was kind and was able to understand emotions. After stealing the families necessities he began to interpret the problems the family he was encountering when, "I discovered one of the causes of the uneasiness of the amiable family: it was poverty… I had been accustomed, during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own consumption; but when I found that I doing this I inflicted pain on that cottagers, I abstained," (Shelley, 114), however since society had already labeled this creature based on the outward appearance they were unable to look past it.
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.
The gothic fiction novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley centralizes on humanity and the qualifications that make someone human. The content of the novel Frankenstein depicts a monster displaying human traits that his creator Victor does not possess: empathy, a need for companionship, and a will to learn and fit in. Throughout the novel Shelley emphasizes empathy as a critical humanistic trait. The monster displays his ability to empathize with people even though they are strangers. On the other hand Victor, fails to show empathy throughout the novel even when it relates to his own family and friends.
Regardless of who we strive to be, or who we dare not to be, those who we respect and look up to will be the ones who leave an impression on our lives. To the Monster’s credit, it continued to pursue a life of good deeds until the people it idolized turn on it. Because of the influence made on it by its parental figures the Monster behaves like an outsider, and as an outsider it gains new role models and is governed by new emotions such as anger and hate. The monster should not be blamed for its malicious nature, rather, the people who taught it hate and the Doctor who created it without a true intent of being its
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, Frankenstein’s Monster experiences a sense of self-actualization after coming to terms with his “monster” identity. In chapter 13, after Frankenstein’s Monster learns about human history and social norms, he conducted a self-analysis of his current self. He stated, “I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome”. Moreover, when he “looked around, he saw and heard of none like [himself].
The fear felt for monsters and ultimately connected to desire. Jeffery Cohen has a clear opinion of this. “We distrust and loathe the monster at the same time we envy its freedom, and perhaps its sublime despair.” They are both terrifying and the heart of fantasies. This accounts for the monster’s popularity.
The monster depicts his otherness when he wonders: “Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned” (Shelley 85). The monster evidently remains in isolation and is dehumanized. The monster attempts to get integrated into his society but his appearance and lack of social skills hinder his success. The monster strives to be accepted but is incapable of acceptance. The monster reiterates this feeling of isolation as he says: “I felt as if I were placed under a ban- as if I had no right to claim their sympathies – as if never more might I enjoy companionship with them” (Shelley 108).
First, the creature reveals emotions of his “Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust. God in pity,
Duality is shown in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, a gothic tale of a scientist whom looks to advance the life-giving qualities of mother nature. Through this novel, Shelley proves that good and evil in human nature is not always simple to define, and that everyone has both of these qualities within them. The duality of human nature is shown through the characters of Victor Frankenstein and his monster, who are both heroes in the novel while simultaneously displaying anti-hero qualities. Shelley forces the reader to sympathize with them both but also creates gruesome ideas of the two. Frankenstein’s creature places himself in a submissive position when he begs his creator to have mercy on him and asking the creator to “create a female for [him] with whom [he] can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for [his] being.”
The creature’s mental knowledge is very small-minded and intolerant, causing his understanding of justice to be exceedingly narrow. The monster’s isolation from society is forced by its fate. Nobody could with handle the hideous looks given by the creature 's appearance, this made it nearly impossible for the creature to have any interaction with any sort of human. To illustrate, the creation said while reciting his tale to Victor “And what was I?
The unjust treatment that the creature received from humankind was harsh and unreasonable as he wasn’t allowed the opportunity to prove his intentions were far from malicious. His loneliness, isolation and injustice from those he tried to befriend turned him into an actual monster, evidently his perspective and personality changed after being excluded. The monster had been treated unfairly by humanity “I desired love and fellowship and I was spurned. Was there no injustice in this? … Am I to be thought the only criminal when all human kind sinned against me?”
The Creature in Frankenstein Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein” is an inspirational work of horror and science fiction; it is the narrative of an unorthodox act of creation, of a monster which torments his miserable creator. The author puts forth ideas, and reinforces it through the development of the plot, that mankind is capable of both good and evil. Shelly demonstrates the ‘humanity’ of the creature; his actions and his inclination are like those of mankind. Indeed, even the negative aspect of his character, demonstrated through his quest for revenge, has a parallel in the actions of his human creator. In Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” the creature is represented as being vicious and murderous but he is not inherently evil or malicious.
The monster was a troublemaker. Nobody liked him and he was always damaging everybody’s property. He shook the ground every time he walked. The people were terrified of him. They trembled when they saw him coming towards them.
In the novel Frankenstein,by Mary Shelley, the mysterious and unnatural origins of the character of Frankenstein’s monster are an important element. The Monster, having been created unethically and haphazardly, is at odds throughout the novel, resulting in his alienation from society and prolonged feelings of anger, desertion, and loneliness. Shaping his character, his relationships with other characters, and the meaning of the work as a whole, the Monster’s origins are what define him. The Monster faces rejection and violence every time he attempts to make contact with the new, foreign world he has been thrust into.
The fictional horror novel of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is driven by the accentuation of humanity’s flaws. Even at the very mention of her work an archetypal monster fills one’s imagination, coupled with visions of a crazed scientist to boot. Opening her novel with Robert Walton, the conduit of the story, he also serves as a character to parallel the protagonist’s in many ways. As the ‘protagonist’ of the story, Victor Frankenstein, takes on the mantle of the deluded scientist, his nameless creation becomes the embodiment of a truly abandoned child – one left to fend for itself against the harsh reality posed by society. On the other hand, Walton also serves as a foil to Victor – he is not compulsive enough to risk what would be almost