Preview

Hidden Symbolism In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
444 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hidden Symbolism In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Frankenstein, a book by Mary Shelley about a scientist named Victor Frankenstein, exhibits many elements and has lots of hidden symbolism within the text. My creature really shows just how unique this book is by having each body part represent some element of the book. The head of the monster is supposed to represent how quick the monster learns and how reading affected his growth. The monster learns language very quickly “My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian, who understood very little and conversed in broken accents, whilst I comprehended and could imitate almost every word that was spoken” (13. 12). This shows how the monster learns very fast, faster than a normal …show more content…
you belong then to my enemy--to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim.” (16.30) The creature is talking to William and because of his last name, the creature wants to kill him to hurt Victor. Another characteristics to my monster is his body. His body is icy blue because towards the end of the book and at the beginning the creature runs off to Antarctica so he will not kill anymore people. This does end in someone's death, Victors. Victor dies on his way back home from hypothermia. In the body of my creature is his heart. It is black and red. The black is for evilness inside of him that takes over whenever he is killing. The red side is for the pure good side that wants to help people and learn. Finally the most interesting are his wings. The wings of my monster show how he is similar to an Albatross. An albatross is a large seabird that is unlucky if you kill it, “I shall kill no albatross. (Letter 2)” This is something that Robert Walton, a boat captain that harbors Victor, writes to his sister. Victor talks about how Robert should learn from his

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Victor Frankenstein and the Creature appear to be completely different people. But their personalities it stands out that they are a mirror image of each other. The creature and Victor both share a strong love of knowledge but they can’t control their obsession with it so it often results in tragedy. Victor became obsessed with the science and creation of life. The Creature on the other hand became obsessed with humans. The creature observed a poor family that lived in a cottage and became obsessed with learning about them. The creature approaches the family trying to make friends and gets ran off for his looks and he learns that humans are quick to judge. The creature begins to grow a hate for humans because he realizes that he will never…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In conclusion, Mary Shelly’s message was not to say that all knowledge is bad. She was trying to portray the importance of being responsible with the knowledge that you obtain. Another important lesson is that curiosity to the point that a person is obsessed can aggravate their life. Frankenstein was able to demonstrate those points well. Most likely, Victor’s life would have been completely different if he understood those…

    • 70 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Internal struggles are common enough that everyone has experienced it at some point or another throughout their lives. Whether a person deals with an internal struggle alone or if they find an outlet is based on the individual. Many people, however do search for outside assistance rather than struggle with the problem on their own. There are some, though who chose to keep the internal struggle to themselves. Moreover, building a solitary confinement with which to keep themselves in. Solitude has negative effects on an individual with internal struggles, however proper support and guidance will alleviate it.…

    • 215 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Shelley uses aspects of Romanticism in the novel by having the Creature live in the heath. Romanticism is also displayed on Victor’s retreat to the mountains. Shelley displays an enormous amount of emotion in the novel which assists the reader to understand the feelings of alienation and neglect that the Creature is experiencing. With all of these aspects, the reader may begin to question whether Shelley had an extreme personal connection to one of the characters, whether it be the Creature or Victor.…

    • 83 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein and was published in 1818. The main character, Victor Frankenstein, he is the protagonist and also writes the main portion of the novel. He discovers the secret of life and creates an intelligent monster feeling increasingly guilty and ashamed. Victor realizes how helpless he is from preventing the monster from ruining his life and other people’s lives as well. The story takes place in Geneva in the 1800’s. Where most of it takes is in the frankenstein’s house in the town of Switzerland.There are a few different characters like Victor Frankenstein, the monster, Robert Walton, and Elizabeth Lavenza. Victor’s father is very sympathetic toward his son. There are three themes that is involved with the book is family,revenge,…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The book “Frankenstein” by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley discusses Victor Frankenstein's life before the creation and after. The monster wasn’t made for mass destruction but godful life. Seeking revenge for rejection from mankind, the creature creates loneliness in Victor’s life. The question “Is man born evil or is evil created in man by society” is answered in the book because the creature wasn’t born evil. Over the years he grew a dark side because of no guidance, rejection, failure, and jealousy.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was written in 1817 and published in 1818. She actually wrote the book as a part of a contest among friends, according to her biography. She first published her book anonymously and called it her “Hideous Project”. The book sets the stage in various parts of Europe. Shelley uses popular themes that were relevant during the time period in which she wrote the novel. It is easy to understand that she was focused on introducing themes revolving around treatment of the poor, addressing the power struggle of women’s rights, and even romanticism. In the preface Mary Shelley reveals she is trying to “preserve the true element of human life,” (Frankenstein Preface). The story revolves around three main characters, Robert…

    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagery in Frankenstein

    • 269 Words
    • 2 Pages

    There is a thematic connection between Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein (they both have a burning ambition to bring glory upon themselves; both are ambitious, tenacious and driven by a desire to conquer nature. Walton wants to discover a new land, Frankenstein wants to create life). The images of ice and cold that Shelley uses to begin the novel symbolize the cold reception that the creature receives from society and from his creator, Victor Frankenstein. Ice, snow and cold are associated with the creature throughout the novel, from his first appearance in the North Sea to his final disappearance into the “darkness and distance” on the “ice-raft”.…

    • 269 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The narrative of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is set at various locations around Europe. In the first of his letters sent to his sister, the reader sees that the explorer, Robert Walton, is on a voyage to the North Pole in his ship. The narrative of Frankenstein is relayed from Victor Frankenstein, the man whom Walton discovered, abandoned in a ship. Victor begins by telling of his adolescent life and the formulation of a hideous creature that he ultimately rejects due to his wretched appearance. This leads the creature to commit a series of vengeful crimes on those whom his creator holds dear. The reader learns by the end of the narrative that subsequent to Victor’s death, the creature realizes that he has been deprived of ever finding happiness.…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The use of symbolism also strengthens the prevailing theme by tying in additional hidden messages to the novel. The process of Frankenstein relaying his story is painful for him because it is symbolic that he never learned from his mistakes or repented. He expresses this grief to Walton “I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections inflicted upon me; I have tried to dispel them, but sorrow only increased with knowledge” (Shelley 83). Frankenstein’s story shows how his entire pursuit has brought him nothing but pain and grief. Yet despite telling this story and experiencing all his grief anew, he still does not fully reject the pursuit of excess knowledge. This is symbolic of him being in a state of denial which ties in to how he…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ambiguity In Frankenstein

    • 1567 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, Victor creates the creature in order to be noticed and remembered for creating life. However, even though making the creature was fascinating and exciting for Victor once the creature was animated Victor wanted nothing to do with his creation. Throughout the novel the creature can be seen trying to fit in and be accepted by Victor and the other people in the society. However, he is turned away and treated harshly because he does not look like a normal human, he looks like a monster leading him to be overcome by rage and be the monster he is seen as. Therefore, the creature is portrayed as morally ambiguous because of the good and evil that can be seen in him throughout the novel.…

    • 1567 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Written in 1818 by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein is widely considered to be among the novels that fully exemplify Romantic-era literary achievement. The Romantic movement is a general term used to denote the intellectual evolution in literature and the arts, primarily in 19th century Europe. Substantial facets of literary Romanticism include belief in the innate virtue of humans, the bounds of nature, as well as the polarity of human emotion, all of which are embodied in Shelley’s Frankenstein. Through reading Shelley’s novel, some of the fundamental ideals of Romanticism genuinely become obvious.…

    • 1511 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Doctor Frankenstein continues to use and implement his knowledge, which seems to go against nature and is called ‘dangerous’. This knowledge, when used to create his hideous monster, deeply affects his mental and physical state of mind. Shelley showcases this in chapter four of Frankenstein. In the novel, Frankenstein acquires knowledge, then causes detrimental harm to his mental and physical health.…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Humans as a species are prone to make mistakes, not all of which are forgivable. Doctor Victor Frankenstein, the mad mind behind the grotesque creature known as Adam, or “The Creature”, a being brought back from the undead, without a soul and purpose in this world. When Dr. Frankenstein dwells into for lack of a better word black science, he becomes obsessed with the thought of cheating death and taking back one's life. Through secret experimentation on deceased animals he perfects the formula, with the permission of his mentor he illegally digs up corpses to find suitable body parts for his undead creation. As Frankenstein gives life to Adam, he realizes the that he has created a monster without a soul, so he dips out like a…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The creature created by Victor Frankenstein was very vicious and evil as described in the story. The book creates an image of the creature as a monster that murders people close to Victor. The monster is actually a victim of an injustice taking place. The creature understands that in his life there is no justice, he tries to make himself perfect in order to change his injustice, and the willingness of searching for fairness gives the story a sense of inspiration and life lessons.…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays