Answer
2 of the following open-ended questions:
- In his afterword in the Signet Classics edition of Frankenstein, Harold Bloom asserts that “all Romantic horrors are diseases of excessive consciousness, of the self unable to bear the self.” Does this Romantic characteristic apply to Victor and his treatment of the creature? Explain. Consider the fact that Victor never gives the creature a name.
3. Explore the parallels between Victor and the Monster (creator and creation)
4. Discuss the role of Nature in this text. What does it provide for the plot, characterization, extended metaphor, etc. (not just setting!).
2. Nature vs. Nurture is a prevalent concept in this novel. When looking at the Monster, it is hard to determine where his actions originate from, in terms of this debate. The Monster was created as a super-human, so his nature exceeds that of a regular person. That being said, his excessive strength and power play a major role in his violent actions. It is reasonable to conclude that he would not have been able to do many of the things he did throughout the novel if he had not been constructed the way he had. There is no doubt that the Monster's genes were a significant factor in his evil abilities. However, the Monster's actions can be looked at from the other side of this debate as well. The Monster had several traumatic and disheartening experiences with the humans that he tried to associate himself with. The Monster's experiences and environment, or Nurture, contributed significantly to his violence and crimes. He faced discrimination and rejection everywhere he went and spent countless days and nights in the cold with little food. It is obvious that the brutal conditions he went through ignited the hatred he felt towards humans, specifically Victor. This hatred and jealousy of not being able to fit in caused him to lash out and murder innocent people. That being said, I think that Shelley believes evilness is formed through the way society and parents mold a human being. The Monster was most definitely capable of performing his evil acts because of his nature, but he was capable of feeling compassion and sympathy as well. Had it not been for the isolation, rejection and self-loathe he faced, the Monster may not have been such a bad guy. I think Shelley would agree with the idea that a person may not be born evil, but can develop evil thoughts and perform evil actions when faced with never ending difficulties and abandonment.
ReplyDelete3. There are several different parallels between Victor and his Monster. For example, both Victor and the Monster feel the effects of isolation. Victor worked vigorously for two years in a secluded lab to create the Monster. He was isolated from society, especially his family. After the Monster is created and begins to murder Victor's family and friends, Victor's isolation only increases. Similarly, the Monster is alienated from society. All the Monster seems to want is a companion, yet he is rejected and lives his life as an outcast. Another parallel between the two is that they are both hungry for revenge. In my opinion, Victor's thirst for revenge began after the Monster murdered William and, indirectly, Justine. After this scene, Victor becomes infatuated with the Monster and seeks to destroy him. I also believe that the Monster's desire for revenge began when he realized that no one in society would accept him. He seeked revenge on the creator that had made him so unappealing and grotesque. He murdered everyone Victor cared about and wanted Victor to feel the loneliness that burdened him. This desire for revenge is so strong that it carries out throughout a significant portion of the novel. And finally, the last parallel between the Monster and Victor are that they are both extremely intelligent. Victor's desire for knowledge and involvement with science led him to create an actual human being, which is a very impressive accomplishment. Likewise, the Monster's capacity for learning was also highly impressive. He was able to learn how to survive without the help of his creator or anyone else for that matter. He was also able to learn how to speak French, as well as how to read and write. The Monster was very intelligent, even though he had no real guidance in his life. Thus, despite the difference of being creator and creation, Victor and the Monster are actually very similar.
2. Nature v. Nurture is a very important concept throughout this novel. It can easily be concluded that it was in “the monster’s” nature to act the way that he did and be who he was. He was just that, a creation, with no upbringing and was created with super-human characteristics. However, while taking a closer look at “the monster,” the concept of nurture is brought up. If “the monster” had received the nurturing that he needed from his Victor, I wonder if he had been different? “The monster” had the cards stacked against him from the beginning. Immediately after he was created he experienced abandonment- a concept that people who are nurtured properly do not experience. Victor was completely disgusted with what he had created and was ashamed of himself and “the monster.” This isolation that “the monster” immediately experienced contributed to who he became. He then experienced the loss of the only true familial presence he had ever felt and the rejection that he experienced from them even further contributed to who he had become. I truly believe that if “the monster” had been nurtured properly as soon as he was created, he would have not become so evil. I think that Shelley believes this as well. I think that she believes that it is through the way we are raised in society and by our parents and parental figures that we obtain some form of “evilness.” It would have been in “the monster’s” nature to be truly evil, like he ended up being. Although there were instances where we could see “the monster” being sympathetic and caring. Had he been nurtured properly early in his existence, I believe that those traits of his character would have overpowered the “evilness” in his nature.
ReplyDelete3. There are very distinct parallels between Victor and the monster throughout the novel. I believe that both Victor and the monster both have a form of a moral compass. The monster, although cruel, evil, and heartless, shows emotion and sorrow towards Victor once he dies. He reveals the guilt that he felt for Victor throughout their whole story. Victor feels guilt about creating the monster throughout the entire novel. He takes personal responsibility for all of the loss that he has experienced because of the monster. He ultimately shows that he has a moral compass by not obeying to the monster and fulfilling his request of a companion, another monster. This shows that he finally learned his lesson and thought of the consequences that could happen by creating this other monster. Also, the monster and Victor both experience the feeling of isolation. Victor isolates himself from the beginning of the novel, when he first becomes passionate in the science of creating a new form of life. He has little to no contact with his family or friends for an extended period of time and risks his own health to finish his creation. The monster was isolated the minute that Victor abandoned him. Victor had left the monster to figure out how to survive on his own. The monster was the only of his kind and was unable to have any contact with the human race because of what he was. Lastly, both Victor and the monster are driven by revenge. Everything that the monster does once he loses Felix and his family is in revenge against Victor. He wants Victor to experience the pain that he is. Victor wants to get revenge on the monster for killing his loved ones. Once the monster kills Elizabeth, he dedicates his whole life towards tracking down the monster and finishing what he had started. Since there are so many parallels between Victor and the monster, I wonder if Victor was so disgusted with the monster because he saw himself in what he had created?
3. Victor and the Monster have reoccurring similarities throughout the novel. First off, a main parallel between the two is that they experience guilt heavily throughout the novel. Victor experiences this sense of guilt when he creates the monster and begins to feel disgusted and horrified by his creation. He also feels this liability when members of his family begin to die because of the monster. The monster feels this guilt in the beginning of the story when he hurts members of Victor's family and realizes that he is stronger than he knows. He also experiences this guilt when he sees Victor, his creator, on the verge of death. I wonder if the monsters actions in the final chapter show that he is truly sorry for the pain he caused Victor. These characters are also similar when they are both lonely and feel isolated. Victor feels this loneliness from the beginning of the novel to the end. He feels this way when he builds the monster, then becomes lonely at the end of the story when most of his family is killed and he ruins the second monster. The monster feels lonely and isolated throughout the entire story also, from when he is created to when he decides to die alone in the cold. The monster feels this way because no one can seem to understand him. He does not want to hate mankind, but cannot help his urges to hurt them when he sees the way human react to his appearance. He feels as if he is an outsider trying to fit into the wrong place, and he eventually decides to live on his own until his death. Lastly, the two characters experience the motif of revenge. Victor and the monster continually find the need to get revenge on each other. The monster felt as if he was abandoned by his creator, so he killed William as a result. Then, as the story progressed, the hatred began to build and events snowballed until both characters wanted great revenge on one another. Ultimately, both characters neither win or lose. They both got some revenge on one another throughout the story, but they both die at the end. Overall, Frankenstein and the Monster have many similarities throughout the novel.
ReplyDelete4. Nature plays a large role in the novel. Victor Frankenstein seems to associate himself with nature whenever he is in a state of distress or low mental health. The most early sign of Victor associating himself with nature is when he describes the mountains that he travels on in a metaphor. Shelley used a metaphor of a natural setting describing the mountains rather than just describing it in a different way. Next, Victor associates himself with the setting when he takes a breath of fresh air after being ill for a number of months. The air is a restoring agent for Victor throughout the novel. "We passed a fortnight in these perambulations: my health and spirits had long been restored, and they gained additional strength from the salubrious air I breathed, the natural incidents of our progress . . . "(Shelley, 43). After the deaths of William and Justine, Victor also turns to nature to help him heal from his pain. It is also interesting to me how Victor and the monster end up in a very nature-filled setting where they both accept their death. Victor turns to nature more than family throughout the course of the novel, and I think that is important to think about.
2. Nature and Nurture play a regulatory role in the novel. More specifically, nature and nurture mold the characters into what Shelley portrays them to be. For the monster, the natural circumstances under which he had raised himself, contributed to his sense of hostility and violence towards mankind. With a complete lack of guidance from a parental figure, the monster was not nurtured properly, as a human would have been, and the result is the monster's hostile character. Given that he was created through supernatural means, the monster was abominable (in the eyes of everyone in the book) and was more savage and barbaric. Nature is then connected to nurturing, due to the fact that without the presence of the other, either nature or nurture would be the determining factor in the monster's way of life and motive. In other words, nature can take hold, but nurturing is the means of which values, morals, and proper behavior is passed on. With that being said, if the monster had received nurture from Victor, then the story would have ultimately been completely different. No one is born, or in this sense "created" to hate, as shown in the monster's "espionage" of the De Lacey family. It was the monster's own solitary and neglected experience that drove him to hostility and revenge.
ReplyDelete4. Nature, other than the physical environment, in my opinion, provides for the moral of the story. There are two sides of nature, one of which is human nature, and the other being the limitations set forth by the natural boundaries of life. Additionally, the physical environment is used metaphorically. Frankenstein portrays that human nature is naturally inclined to change, and as a result becomes easily corruptible. The corruption of human nature is evident in the characterization of Victor as he ages. In younger years, Victor was attentive and had his passions. However, as he discovers more, his passions became obsessions, which ultimately played a role in the unfolding of his more egotistical and arrogant side. The time period in which Victor develops the monster is marked by the neglect of his family and subsequently, the monster. Furthermore, the event of Victor trespassing what is considered natural, marks a turning point for himself, and naturally the monster. For Victor, the creation meant that he was nearly abominable as the monster himself. At this point, Victor has been corrupted, which later he finds out when the monster takes revenge on his family. However, the creation of the monster can be interpreted as almost a crime against nature, but the idea of the monster's character becoming corrupted is not as great as it is for Victor.
Metaphorically speaking, the nature is used as a higher power with the power to restore. After the creation, nature for victor, has become the only place that provides respite. Such is exemplified as Victor travels through the mountains and is brought back to memories of happier times.
In conclusion, nature provides characterization in the novel, as well as a moral for the story.
2.Nature vs. Nurture is a very powerful theme in this novel and there is a lot of room for interpretation on how the monster would have turned out had he been nurtured by his "father" figure in Victor would he have turned out to be a killer. The nature of the monster appeared to be that of someone who is a monster and a murderer however I don't think that he was truly inclined to do so as he only goes on a killing spree after having been spurned twice by Victor and once by the other family. If Victor had nurtured him and taken care of him I believe that he would have acted normally and not have been a major thorn in Victor's side.
ReplyDelete1. I would say that Harold Bloom's assertion still applies in Frankenstein. Once the monster is created, Frankenstein feels sick, and is unable to face it, even though the monster is right in front of him. Frankenstein's mental perception causes him to try and ignore the fact that he created the monster, and things that he associates him the monster, like his lab equipment or his school, also cause him to feel sick.
ReplyDeleteThese various things are all because he does not want to face the creation of the monster. Victor does not even name the monster because he does not want to accept it.However, once Victor accepts that he created the monster, he feels horror, and decides that he needs to isolates himself from everyone. He eventually breaks down, and dies after chasing the monster for months. These events were caused by Victor's horror at creating the monster.
2. In Frankenstein, the monster’s evilness is drawn from the way he is treated, not the way he was created. Victor did not intend on creating an evil being, he only intended on creating life. When the monster is complete, Victor is horrified and leaves the monster. From the moment the monster takes his first breath he is shown hatred. Victor, the one who should be most proud of the monster, is disgusted, and doesn’t hesitate to show it. Everywhere the monster goes he is beat up and hated; not once is he shown compassion or kindness. Even when the monster saves the little girl from drowning in the river, he is shot at. The monster never did anything to be seen as a monster, he only begins to hurt people when no one listens. He has no other way of expressing his anger and sadness. If the monster was treated well from the start, do you think he would have hurt all those people?
ReplyDelete3. Victor and his creation, the monster are both very similar. The two are both in search of something, which in turn, motivates their actions throughout the novel. Victor is in search of greatness, and he wishes to be known and praised for something. He wants to be recognized as the creation of a species and to be worshiped by the race that he creates. And so, he creates the monster with out thinking of the consequences. The monster is in search of a companion. All he wants is someone who will be kind to him and want to be his friend. Because no one is, he retaliates by taking the lives of innocent people so that Victor can feel the way he did. By killing everyone Victor ever loved, he makes victor feel isolated, just as the monster is. By the end of the novel the two characters are almost indistinguishable. They are bloodthirsty and will stop at nothing to kill the other. The monster has become evil, and kills with intention. An emaciated Victor is willing to kill the monster, and himself in order to win this animalistic race for power.
2. The concept of Nature vs. Nurture is a very important concept displayed in the novel. Since the monster was not raised by any "parent" or guardian, he learned everything that he did by himself. Therefore it was in the monster's nature to do what he did. With the way that he taught himself, he didn't see that all of the killings that he had done were bad enough for him to stop. When the monster was teaching himself everything that he learned, he was observing a family that acted very loving towards each other. This caused the monster to realize that Victor Frankenstein failed in providing him adequate nurturing. The monster was offended and hurt that Victor did not provide him the care and guidance that the family showed one another. The monster was also upset by how society treated him as an outcast and did not give him a chance to prove himself as a kind being. I believe that Shelley is trying to show that parents and society provide an essential role in molding a human being. If the monster wasn't left to fend for himself and wasn't treated harshly by everyone who laid eyes on him, he wouldn't have succumbed to his evil ways. It should've been Frankenstein's duty to raise the monster and teach how to behave normally and with better morals. It also should've been the society's duty to have acted with more gentleness when coming into contact with a monster who initially wasn't trying to pose as a threat. If the monster was raised the same way as the people in the cottage were, then he wouldn't have become evil. His evil actions were driven by his desire to get revenge on his creator for being absent from his life. Victor could have prevented all of his family and friend's deaths just by taking on his responsibility of raising what he created.
ReplyDelete3) Although physically the Monster and Victor Frankenstein are very different, they do have similar traits. One parallel between them is that they had to travel into a foreign area early in their lifetime. The monster had to travel into the woods within the first couple of days that he was created. He had to learn how to maneuver himself to different locations, to search for food, and to find places to spend the night. Likewise, Victor had to fend for himself when he went to study at Ingolstadt. He was only 17 and it was the first time he was leaving his family. This was an important decision in Victor's life and he had to learn how to get around on his own. Another parallel between the two characters is that they both had a desire to learn. The monster was very anxious to learn about the culture and language of the family living in the cottage. He was driven to read books and find out the things they were saying and doing. This was the start of the monster becoming intelligent. Victor also had a strong desire to learn. From an early age he would read books about old scientists and even took the time to mention the scientists to his professors. Victor's love for science was strengthened by learning more from those books. Also, both are very passionate about what they want. The monster was passionate about having a companion with him and did whatever it took for Victor to make him a female monster. He at first pleaded, then began to threaten, and then began to act upon those threats. He was not going to make any compromises about what he wanted. Victor was passionate, too. He was driven by the desire to find something in the world that was never discovered before. This essentially led to the creation of the monster. His passions led him to being able to create life. In the end, however, both fall victim to death unsatisfied with their lives. Neither the monster or Victor win in the end.
3. I believe that Victor and the monster have many similarities. Both are alone and isolated from society. Both have loved ones that are either killed or destroyed. They also have a strong command of language and philosophy, and constantly speak/argue. And in the end, both die with regrets, and far away from their birthplace.
ReplyDelete2. Within the novel, the concept of Nature vs. Nurture is prevalent and thoroughly explored by Shelley. Shelley asserts that Victor’s nature is responsible for his downfall, while the nurture is responsible for the downfall of the creature. It was described from the beginning that it was in Victor’s nature to be curious and desirous of power and knowledge. From the start of his life, Frankenstein was eager to learn all he could about philosophy and he was eventually able to showcase his knowledge by creating the monster. This necessity of power and knowledge could be found in Victor’s nature and it lead to his downfall and death. On the other hand, the monster’s downfall begins with the idea of nurturing. The monster only did monstrous things when he was cast off and rejected by society harshly and violently. The monster’s first memory was that of horror in Frankenstein’s face when the creature first comes to life. Therefore, from the very beginning of the monster’s life, he was exposed to negative emotions and violence, aspects that were not necessarily in his nature. I believe Shelley asserts that the concept of evilness can be either born from nature or nurturing considering that both Victor and the monster could arguably be “evil.” Frankenstein is evil in the respect that he rejected his creation from the start and began its miserable and lonely life out of selfishness and desire to be rid of the ugliness of the monster. The creature is evil for murdering innocent people such as William, Henry Clerval, and Elizabeth just for revenge against Frankenstein.Thus, Shelley asserts that evilness can form out of Victor’s nature and the monster’s nurturing.
ReplyDelete3. Victor and the monster have many parallels concerning their relationship as creator and creation. They have similarities in the beginning stage of life, their personality traits, and the ending of their story together. In the beginning of Victor’s life, he was the eldest son to his parents and “remained for several years their only child” (Shelley 19). Growing up an only child is similar to how the monster was brought up. The monster, despised for his ugliness and inhuman size, was cast off to live alone and not bother people with his horrible appearance. Both creator and creation grew up individually and by doing so caused them both to try being sociable but only finding a few real friends or none at all. The monster wanted to be accepted in society and tried multiple times with different humans to fit in and talk to. He first tried the family in the cabin, then the little boy, and occasionally made an appearance in a village where he was thrown out. Victor was friendly with Elizabeth and made friends with Henry Clerval. Also, at the university Victor interacted with his professors and classmates. The monster and Frankenstein share personality traits as well. They share a “Like father, like son” relationship because of their similarities such as curiosity and desire for knowledge. Victor was curious when he found the books about Cornelius Agrippa and other philosophers (24). Desirous of more knowledge, Frankenstein went to a university to further his study of philosophy and learn about the world in general. Curious of the family in the cabin, the monster gradually learned about history, their daily plans and activities, and their language. He used the books he found to learn more about himself and human relationships. He wanted to learn more about human interaction so he decided to introduce himself to the blind man in the cabin. An additional personality parallel is temperament. Victor says his “temper is sometimes violent” (23) and it is quite obvious the the monster also gets irate and violent occasionally. Another parallel between creator and creation is the conclusion of their lives. Victor and the monster died alone, without any whom they loved to be there to comfort them. The monster said he loved his family in the cabin, but they deserted the place as soon as they learned of the monster’s existence. He also lost his “father” because Frankenstein abandoned him for his monstrous appearance. Victor no longer had his mother, his youngest brother, Clerval, Elizabeth, or his father. Both characters were able to give their last statements to Walton. Frankenstein told his life story and the monster shared his final opinion of his creator and told Walton his decision to kill himself and the reasons why. Both were finally able to relieve the weight of secrets and past anger to someone who was willing to listen.
ReplyDelete1. The idea that romantic horrors are cases of extreme self consciousness and the self unable to bear the self is exemplified through the life of Victor Frankenstein because his inability to accept himself is shown through the mistreatment of the creature. Instead of simply caring for the creature, that Victor himself created, he decided to shun it away because of his ugly appearance. He continues to beat himself up because of his creation and later because of the death of his family members. Because Victor himself feels the guilt and anger, he can't even handle himself. He falls into a series of fits, mental instability, and extreme anxiety. Victor even becomes extremely paranoid, carrying around weapons such as a pistol in case of the creature's sudden attack. These are all outcomes of the fact that he couldn't accept himself or the creature. He continues to carry the weight of anxiety, fear, and hatred until his tragic death. Victor is essentially an example of the "self unable to bear the self" because of the immense guilt he held and fury towards himself for creating the monster.
ReplyDelete3. The most apparent parallel between Victor and the monster is their hunger for revenge which essentially causes the death of both. Victor, after losing his wife and family members, goes on a rampage for revenge. He chases the monster wherever he goes but often misses his opportunities. Revenge literally becomes the sole purpose of his life, which goes the same for the monster. After the monster was ditched by Victor and has no companion, he dedicates his life to make Victor suffer. After Victor loses everything and the monster feels mistreated, they both only live to see the other suffer. Another obvious parallel is the isolation, intentional or not, that they are both in. Victor places himself in isolation, ignoring the letters from loved ones and social interaction, in order to create life. He spends around two years alone in his laboratory to create the monster. The monster however is unintentinally placed in isolation because of his looks. Although he craves a family and friends, he is unable to do so because of his appearance that scares citizens away. He is forced into isolation and looks from afar at families and citizens. He deeply desires companionship which he is never able to attain no matter what he tries. Lastly, another similarity they share is that they die because of their ambitions and stubbornness. Victor refused to compromise with the monster or simply just ignore him and decided to dedicate a life to kill the monster. His dedication and ambition ultimately led him to die in his last attempt to chase him. The monster, instead of trying to understand where Victor was coming from or just leave him alone, is fueled by fury and is always out to get Victor. In the end, the monster is left alone which he is unable to handle and thus kills himself.
1) Harold Bloom's assertion applies to Victor and his treatment of the creature because of how horrified and appalled he is by his creation. Victor dedicates almost all of his time for many months to creating the creature and then as soon as he is faced with his finished product, he cannot express anything but utter disgust. He was disgusted with himself and his creation immediately upon watching the being come to life. This disgust caused Victor to literally drop everything and run. He could not fathom what he had just done, let alone cope with the reality of his situation. His inability to face the monster is just another form of him not being able to face himself. Victor tries to reason with himself but he winds up driving himself insane in trying. He isolates himself from all other humans because he feels that he has done a great disservice to humanity by creating a monster.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Victor's treatment of the creature highlights his inability to face himself. Victor tries not to allow himself to pity the creature because he does not believe anything so horrifying should deserve human sympathy. He calls the creature a wretch, demonic, and a mistake. I think this is how he views himself at the moment, as a result of his horrific creation. Furthermore, the fact that Victor cannot even assign a name to this creature emphasizes how much he cannot face the reality of what he has created. He created a life, but cannot even give it a name because he does not want to accept it as truth. Overall, he believes that if he an ignore it enough, and rid his mind of thoughts about it, it will disappear.
2) The nature vs. nurture battle is ongoing in Frankenstein and I believe that Shelley presents arguments for both sides in her novel, so that the reader can make their own inferences as to what they believe is the cause of the creature's evilness. To start, the creature is definitely born with some superiorities to that of its human counterpart because it is a superhuman being. The creature is created with the ability to dominate the human race as a result of its size and strength, and it was only a matter of time before the creature realized its own potential. Once the creature did come to this realization, it set loose on a violent rampage of killing that came very easy to it. This evilness almost seemed innate at times because of how naturally it occurred and how easily it was carried out. However, there is much reason to believe that the creature was molded by society and a series of traumatic experiences because of the story the creature tells Victor. The creature had to learn to survive on its own because Victor abandoned it, and that alone made the creature resent humans. The being believed that all humans were comprised of this same hateful nature. Yet, the being had another chance to develop compassion towards humanity when it observed the De Lacey family for a while. The creature felt intimate with the family because it felt that it had a real connection between them. It began to realize that there was more to human beings than hatred. He learned about love and all of the affectionate feelings and attitudes associated with it. Yet, this only proved to be counterproductive for the being because these feelings of love and affection were all taken away from it when it encountered humans. Therefore, the being sought revenge on its creator and humanity for their cruelty towards him. Ultimately, Shelley incorporates components for both sides of the argument in her novel, but the nurture side seem to have slightly more compelling evidence as to how the being became as evil as it was. It learned its vengeance seeking ways, and hatred from the limited contact and experience he had with humans. Without this learned hatred, he would have never been able to resent human beings or feel the need to seek revenge on a single man and his family.
The name is coming up as unknown but it is Michael Cavallo
Delete2. The theme of Nature versus Nurture runs throughout “Frankenstein”, generally relating to the monster. Frankenstein creates the monster, but is filled with disgust once it comes to life, and leaves and has nothing to do with it for a while. The monster, completely alone in the world with no parents or guardians to guide it, wanders around. In his wanderings, the monster is only met with hate and fear due to his grotesque features. His seemingly terrifying looks were part of his nature, as were his almost super-human abilities. In this way, his nature isolates him from mankind which leaves him sad. It is also in his nature to want a companion. Since Frankenstein leaves him and he is met with loathing despite his kindness- saving the girl from the river and helping the cottagers with their firewood- he becomes hateful towards mankind. I believe that Shelley asserts that evilness is not necessarily innate, but can be a product of society’s views and actions. Although the monster’s super-human nature enabled it, I do not believe that it was in his nature to want to murder and wreak havoc because he was also able to feel compassion and love. Rather, Frankenstein and society’s rejection and disgust towards him caused the evilness in the monster.
ReplyDelete3. Shelley draws parallels between Victor and the monster, linking them together even more. Both Victor and the monster seek out knowledge; Victor going to Ingolstadt to pursue natural philosophy, and the monster eagerly learning French and history while continuously observing the DeLacey family. The monster and Victor both face isolation from mankind as a result of each other. The monster is rejected because of his horrifying appearance which Victor gave him as the creator, and is left friendless and alone. Victor becomes engrossed first in trying to create life which ended up being the monster, and then later, trying to stop the monster from the murdering his family, isolating himself from all those around him. They serve as each other’s demise, both recklessly pursuing revenge on the other, chasing each other to the point of death. Ultimately, they both die- alone and unhappy- because the other exists.
1. The idea that “all Romantic horrors are diseases of excessive consciousness, of the self unable to bear the self," is applicable to Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." In the novel, Victor Frankenstein creates this creature meant to glorify his name and put his scientific discoveries into the world in a positive light as he toiled and worked on it for over two years in isolation. However, once the creature is actually created, Victor is repulsed and frightened by it. Victor then abandons his creation only to discover it has murdered two innocent people and is still on the loose. At that point, Victor is angry and blames himself entirely for the deaths of those two people since the creature was created by his own two hands. Instead of being just repulsed at the creature, he becomes repulsed at himself for bringing a murderous being to life. Then, Victor unfortunately plummets into deep depression and regret and is "unable to bear himself." If one compares Victor to God as the Creator, God created all humans in the likeness of his own image. Therefore Victor created the creature as God had created humans where part of Victor's own self is seen and reflected in the creature. However, Victor ends up being afraid of the creature and can thus be seen as being afraid of himself and unwilling to know his deepest feelings. He does not even go as far as to give the creature a name, which represents his neglect and towards his work as well as his resistance towards knowing himself as a person. Hence, one of the reasons "Frankenstein" can be considered a horror story is because it reveals how humans have a tendency to be very superficial and push themselves away when discovering who they really are on the inside, which is disheartening and scary to not truly know or be afraid of one's innermost self.
ReplyDelete4. Mary Shelley uses the concept of nature, in regards to nature of the environment and human nature, to develop the story of "Frankenstein" and reveal qualities and morals of humans. She includes many descriptions of the nature surrounding the characters to develop the setting and plot. For example, in the beginning, Victor joins Robert Walton on his boat in the North Atlantic, completely surrounded by ice, and utterly detached from the rest of the world. This depiction represents both men's isolation in their relationships in the midst of seeking fame and both eventually accept the fact they will die in their seclusion. Also, Mary Shelley used a lot of imagery with clouds. Most of the major events in "Frankenstein" happen at night, and while the only light upon them is the moon, clouds tend to encompass that light. Therefore, they allow the events to unfold in complete darkness which indicates sinister or malicious occurrences to develop the characters, like the creature. Mary Shelley also uses nature to reveal human character. She includes images such as wind to illustrate how fragile and susceptible to change humans are. A light gust of wind can easily sway trees, just as instances in life can alter humans. Thus, Mary Shelley uses the concept of nature in "Frankenstein" to develop the plot, characterization, and disclose truths about human nature.
4) Nature is extremely powerful in this story especially in the way that it affects the characters. I think that part of he reason that victor is so appalled at his creation is that it is so unnatural. A wonderful juxtaposition is when Victor is in the mountains surrounded by the ice and enjoying the beauty of nature and his monster comes lumbering up to him looking so stark and appealing compared to the background. When Victor is going to make a female monster he keeps having doubts and sits in a boat on a lake enjoying the beauty of nature and trying to block out what he has done/will have to do and make something so unnatural and unholy. Nature also makes the plot more intriguing like at the very beginning of the book when we are in Captain Waldons perspective and we see these two figures clamorong across the ice. It makes them so much more mysterious and eerie and intrigued the reader to continue on. Focusing on nature is very much involved in the Romantic and Gothic styles however romantiscim likes to focus on the similarities between man and nature where as the gothic style try's to expose mans flaws by contrasting them to nature.
ReplyDelete3. There are several present parallels between the creator and the creation (Victor and the Monster). For starters, they both have a constant feeling of isolation and loneliness. In the beginning of the story, the author includes that as Victor is creating the monster he is keeping very private from people causing him to have to keep secrets and keep himself secluded. The creature, as we all know, has a constant desire for companionship, but he can’t attain it due to everyone’s fear of his appearance causing him to be alone and isolated as well. By the end of the story they are both entirely connected in this aspect because the Monster always has been alone and now that everyone Victor loves has died they are both completely on their own. Both Victor and the Monster also both have a constant desire to learn and gain more knowledge. Victor has always been driven by his want to discover and create as we see when he creates this Monster and once the Monster is alive he immediately starts observing everything to attain knowledge to be able to read and write.
ReplyDelete4. Nature plays a major role in Frankenstein in developing the characters and the plot while also making the setting extremely descriptive and clear. The role of nature was there to enhance certain emotions in different points of the book, for example when Victor would reject one of the Monsters requests an eerie rain would begin showing the anger of the Monster. Gloomy skies would also appear whenever it spoke of Victor's depressive state. Nature was also used as a symbol in several different parts of the book such as the frozen ice barren of people and happiness was a symbol of how lonely Frankenstein and the Monster felt inside.
2. From the inception of the Creature, we can see the concept of nature vs nurture being wrestled with. When the Creature is first brought to life, we see that he doesn't know very much about anything, and is in an almost infant like state. He is able to think coherently and walk, but he cannot express how he feels. Along with that internal conflict, he is also rejected by the person who created him, Victor Frankenstein, laying the groundwork for a life of insecurity and self hatred. Not knowing where to turn after having the only person in his life being disgusted by him, he finds solace in observing a family's daily activities and learning about life and basic utilitarian functions through them, such a reading. He fantasizes about one day joining them and being able to have the kind, gentle interactions that they have with one another. He decides to go through with making this dream a reality, despite knowing that the reaction of the family will most likely be akin to that of Frankenstein's, but immediately scares the family off to the point where they abandon their cabin for fear that he will come back. This drives the Creature into a blind rage, wanting to destroy everything and everyone, believing that humans hate him and, therefore, he should hate them too. These series of events clearly show Shelley's belief that humans are not innately evil, and that evil is brought on through the actions of others that can cause someone to snap irrevocably. In many ways I see Frankenstein himself as the monster, for turning his back on the creation he had so fiercely believed in, only to turn away when he saw that it was not the image he wanted.
ReplyDelete3. Both Victor and Frankenstein led lives of complete misery. In the beginning, they both had an insatiable hunger for knowledge, reading copious amounts of books and devoting their time completely to the works of others. This focus on knowledge serves themselves in similar ways, causing them to become isolated from the outside world, although the Creature had less of a choice in this matter, instead it just caused him to become aware of his isolation. Because of the Creature's isolation, he points his anger directly to the source: Victor. By feeding into this anger, he embarks on a restless clamber for revenge, using intimidation, and ultimately, killing Victor's loved ones to voice his anger for his creation. The lengths that they went to in order to service their ambition is possibly their greatest similarity. Frankenstein followed the Creature all the way to the North Pole in order to continue his search for revenge, just as the Creature followed him to his wedding day in order to fulfill his promise of ruining it. By the end of the story, they have become mirror images of one another, bloodthirsty in their pursuit of nothing else than to see the other suffer.
2.The concept of Nature vs. Nurture is one that is greatly discussed in regard to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The main character Victor takes it upon himself to create a semi-human monster. At first he believes that his creation will benefit the science, but this was not the case. Instead, he was disgusted with his creation and decided to abandon it, "Oh! No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch"(43). Victor felt that his creation was worthless because of the monster's odious appearance. Rather than trying to get to know the monster, Victor runs away from his creation leaving it in a state of turmoil. The monster was in many ways a newborn child and did not know what to make of his surroundings. Eventually, he finds his way out of Victor's room and escapes, leaving him subject to society. It was clear that the monster's only desire was to be loved by his creator, Victor. When most children are born, their parents love and adore them. Most of the time this results in a happy child, but ,on the other,some parents are not as nurturing towards their children. Although Victor is not the monster's biological father, the monster views him as such. That is why it was wrong for Victor to leave the monster without even trying to better understand him. Also,even after the monster escapes, he is mistreated by a variety of individuals. Even when he is trying to be helpful, he is still shut out by the human race. For these reasons, I feel that Shelley asserts the message that parents/ society play a major role in shaping a human being. Society is categorized by being very judge mental and hateful. The monster only sees the wicked side of society , and it is for this reason that he becomes a horrendous being. At first he was able to look passed society's faults and he tried to look for goodness. Unfortunately, he was not able to find it. I feel that if Victor had treated the monster with love and affection maybe the monster would not have become so terrifying. Moreover, Shelley makes this point more poignant by including the townspeople's reactions towards the monster.
ReplyDelete3. While reading Frankenstein, one can clearly draw connections between Victor and the monster. It seems fitting that Victor would be similar to his creation. At first, Victor is introduced in a very isolated setting. He is discovered by Robert Walton and his crew while they are traveling in the North Atlantic. Victor is extremely disheveled and looked to be on the verge of death. His introduction causes one to infer that some force has brought him to this state of isolation, perhaps, it was the monster. Later in the text, it is mentioned that even after he created the monster, Victor secluded himself from his family and the outside world. He had gone crazy and did not wish to speak to anyone. The monster also faces this struggle with isolation from the beginning. This is due to the fact, that Victor abandoned the monster. The monster was left alone in a foreign world. The monster did not know what to make of his surroundings and he tried to make the best of them. In many ways, all the monster wanted was a companion. He tried to find any one that could withstand his horrendous appearance. He did this by attempting to speak to little children hoping that they would be unprejudiced, but ,unfortunately, he had no luck. Victor also made the best of his surroundings, while on Walton's ship. Victor knew that he was going to die soon and he wanted to ensure that his story would be heard. That is why he reached out to Walton and asked if he would listen to him. Also, both Victor and the monster had a deep desire for learning. Victor was so intrigued by philosophy and wanted to make contributions to the field. That is why he created the monster in the first place. The monster gains a desire for learning when he encounters the De Lacey family. He finds them to be very kind and nurturing individuals. He is able to learn french and he begins to understand how society works. Both are very intelligent beings and are able to absorb knowledge. Overall, the two are similar based on their isolated nature, their ability absorb their surroundings, and their intellect.
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ReplyDelete2. The concept of Nature V. Nurture is shown throughout the entirety of Frankenstein. I think Shelley tries to use this concept in terms of parenting and society in molding a person. The monster was born a very clean slate with no prior knowledge and the inability to speak or read. The fact that Victor, instead of taking responsibility for his creation, runs away from the Monster already creates a negative connotation for Victor in the nurturing sense but also in the sense that we find nurture in human nature. Most parents are very nurturing with their children because that’s the way human nature works but Victor’s sheer fear makes him run away from that. Not only was the Monster shunned from Victor but every place the Monster went to seek refuge he found himself because attacked by their villagers for his ugly appearance and superhuman powers. This societal construct of being attractive, such as in modern media, is very pronounced in this novel and directly affects how the monster begins to view mankind and human nature. Because the monster has these negative past experiences he is not able to be molded into the person that society would want him to be. Even though the monster is able to gain the ability to speak and vast knowledge on how people work he is isolated in his appearance. I think Shelley purposely makes the monster neglected and ugly to sympathize with his character and to feel a certain away about the parenting and nurturing skills of Victor, who grew up in a very loving and affectionate family with friends like Henry Clerval who took great care of Victor in his times of trouble.
ReplyDelete3. Victor and the Monster both find themselves actually being very parallel characters. As readers, we see a continuous struggle between both characters and we find ourselves trying to determine who is the actual “monster” of the story. Victor and the Monster both go through a period of curiosity and discovery. Victor was an extremely curious student and became very passionate in his studies of the body and creating life. He wanted to determine emotions and human characteristics. He toiled for years learning how to and then creating the actual being he deemed as the Monster. Similarly, the monster also was very curious when he ran away and found himself hiding in the shed of the De Lacey family. Here, he was able to learn about real human emotions, relationships, and communication. Victor and the Monster also experience low moments in their lives. Victor becomes fatigued with guilt, anxiety, and nervousness after the deaths in his family that were caused by the Monster and the Monster feels isolated and outcasted caused by the villagers who had attacked him and discouraged him. This creates the similar dislike for mankind and the curses of human nature. The readers try to figure out who the real monster is at this point, whether Victor is for creating and neglecting the monster who killed his loved ones and never took the blame or the Monster who was neglected and lonely. This parallels both characters because of their similar mentalities and patterns.
1. The Romantic characteristic described by Harold Bloom is very relevant to Victor in Frankenstein. From very early on we as readers understand that Victor pursues and has a burning desire for greatness. This is foreshadowed by the character Robert Walton who is searching the arctic circle for humanity’s next great scientific breakthrough. He and Victor Frankenstein share this quality. It is rooted in the need for validation which is inherent of a lack in self-esteem. This is why Frankenstein even creates the monster to begin with, to breathe purpose into his life through scientific advances. The result, however was unbearable for him. The product of his work, the result of his toils, the monster was just that. Frankenstein had created a creature so hideous and unnatural in strength and appearance that he could hardly look at it without flinching. He could not even bring himself to name the living creature he produced. To him it was an abomination, one that represented the failure that was his career as a scientist. The failed experiment had much broader implication. Victor, in his own mind, was also a failure. So he could not show any sort of compassion for the monster, a decision that resulted in much death and strife for the both of them.
ReplyDelete2. Mary Shelley uses the novel Frankenstein in many ways as a means of conveying the way she feels about human nature. The characters in the story all in some way reflect a behavior that Shelley sees as common or defining. In the case of Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton, unyielding desire for greatness was this trait. Shelley particularly has much to say about the concept of nature versus nurture. Based on the story she wrote, she seems to believe that nobody is evil simply by nature. According to the logic of the novel, people become evil commit immoral deeds because of poor upbringing and the pursuit of revenge. The monster is the main symbol of this concept in Frankenstein. He is neglected and hated by his creator, Victor Frankenstein, who is immediately repulsed by his creation once his work is complete. For this reason the monster, when released into the outside world, leads a solitary and unfortunate life, blaming his creator all the way for his misfortune. His motives become vengeful and he then intends to wreak havoc and inflict suffering upon Victor. In the process he murders many of Victor’s loved ones such as his brother, William, his best friend, Henry, his father, inadvertently a close servant, and his wife, Elizabeth. The monster, though ruthless, is not without conscience and even confronts Victor attempting to obtain absolution before continuing his rampage. He tries to explain that he is capable of compassion, but Victor foolishly does not submit to his terms.
2.) I think Shelley’s overall assertion regarding nature vs. nurture is the idea that people/beings are shaped by their surroundings and by things that happen to them. They are not brought into the world predisposed to be or act evil. Victor abandoned the Monster immediately after he created it, so the Monster was left without any companion or form of guidance. Without any preconception of right and wrong in a society, the Monster is left to find his way all alone. Perhaps prior to his observance of the De Lacey family, the Monster did not feel any resentment or hate towards Victor. I don’t think it would have been possible for him to make sense of his feelings and act on them in a vengeful way like he did when he killed William. The De Lacey family introduced the Monster to the feeling of love, attachment and caring. He soon grew to feel these things towards the members of the family, so much so that he felt he could reveal himself to them. When they reacted with horror and disgust like Victor had when he first created him, he felt the true sting of rejection. This event is what triggers the Monster to ultimately murder William. I also think that the Monster’s comprehension of the concept of death and loss is skewed as a result of his lack of experience with it. He never felt the closeness to someone that would allow him to understand the true devastation that death brings. Therefore, I believe that Shelley is demonstrating that we are only a result of how we have lived. The Monster only comes to feel vengeful and angry because of his experiences. Had his “upbringing” been different or more nurturing, I do not think he would have become such an evil figure.
ReplyDelete3.) The parallels between Victor and the Monster are a key aspect of the novel. The two have a lot of similarities, the most obvious being isolation. Victor slaves over creating the Monster and completely isolates himself from society for large chunks of time. The only attachment he has to society is his friend Henry who helps Victor keep in touch with the outside world. The Monster suffers through isolation from pretty much everything because of his horrid appearance. He is not accepted in the slightest by society and is seen is a disgusting being. For both of these characters, isolation proves to be detrimental. The Monster’s desolation leads him to foster anger and evil, ultimately leading him to kill Victor’s family. Victor’s segregation from society drove him away from his family and his home and toward the empty feeling that would come from creating the Monster. Victor and his creation also share a desire for fulfillment. Each of them in their own right wants to find meaning in their lives. Victor turns toward science for this. He dedicates all of his time to research and the creation of the Monster. Once the Monster is in existence and Victor abandons him, the Monster’s life is empty as well. He hopes that he will be accepted into the De Lacey family, but when that fails he decides the only way he will be happy is if Victor creates a companion for him. Both Victor and the Monster have gaps in their lives that they desperately want to fill. Both of them need something that they don’t already have to complete them. In my opinion, Victor and the Monster set these high goals for themselves so they have room to dream and be comforted by the idea that something has the power to make them happy.
1. I think that Harold Bloom’s characteristic of a Romantic horror definitely applies in Victor Frankenstein’s case. The book starts off explaining to us that Victor is an egomaniac on a power trip and that his intentions when creating the monster are to gain great renown and proof that the unthinkable can be accomplished. Yet when he sees the Monster after its creation he is reviled by its appearance and seeks to forget it. Once they both begin to have intelligent conversations, the reader is immediately put into the position of realizing that the two are overly similar and face the same issues within their day to day lives. Indeed to stare at the Monster is to see Victor’s unbalanced, determined, and reckless side come to life. And I think that the Monster remaining nameless is the best proof that Victor is battling with himself and with the truth of what his unchecked and manic desires lead to.
ReplyDelete3. The Monster and Victor share few experiences, but have remarkably (or unremarkably) similar minds. They both take themselves to be the face of everything they stand for and cherish, which is why Victor only realizes at the last moment that the Monster is set to kill Elizabeth. They both are dogged in their pursuits to a degree that is almost fantastical, the Monster could live out his years happily but chooses to make his creator suffer time and time again. These two physically different beings are in reality as close to each other as can be. This is probably due to the fact that Victor created the Monster in his image, much like the god he was seeking to replace.