inconclusive nature vs. nurture debate, what constitutes as masculinity in literature can be found through narratorial voice. The construction and representation of masculine identity as arrogant and condescending can be illustrated through the male narrators in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein…
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.…
In the context of passive female characters, it is interesting to note that Mary Shelley’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was the author of the strongly feminist A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. One can argue that Frankenstein represents a rejection of the male attempt to usurp (by unnatural means) what is properly a female endeavor—birth. One can also interpret the novel as a broader rejection of the aggressive, rational, and male-dominated science of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century. Though it was long met with mistrust, this science increasingly shaped European society. In this light, Frankenstein can be seen as prioritizing traditional female domesticity with its emphasis on family and interpersonal…
Shelley presents a completely gendered representation of domestic women, set forth directly in the Frankenstein family. Caroline Beaufort, subjected by societal expectations, complies with her role as a domestic female. She takes it upon herself to act as a “guardian angel” (27), feeding attention and support, nurturing and tending to the needs of her husband and children. As an act of this domesticity, she gives Elizabeth to Victor as a “pretty present,” who, in turn, “looked upon Elizabeth as [his] – [his] to protect, love, and cherish” (28). Yielding to Shelley’s idea of gendered inequality, Elizabeth is seen merely as a possession, an object given as a present to the firstborn male, despite originally being the daughter of a nobleman. Similarly, Justine’s role as a servant for the Frankenstein family degrades her existence to solely, property. With a low-born status intersected with the notions of gender and race, her form of life deems inevitable. These women, confined in their domestic roles, consequently have no access to the outside, unable to coexist with the world of public affairs.…
Imagine a world where you create a being out of disembodied people. A said being that has such a terrifying effect that you are horrified to look at. The main character of the Frankenstein does such thing. The novel Frankenstein is a well known source of literary canon and is worthy of continuous study. Mary Shelley’s Romantic novel, Frankenstein, is worthy of continued study due to its literary canon, achieved through her commentary of men in a State of Nature and their Marxist struggle of power. The Creature who is created by Victor, goes through a journey of self discovery and lets his persona be shaped by outside forces. State of Nature essentially makes him bad, and his Marxist struggle for power over his creator Victor leads to his downfall.…
For many people, seeing someone who is different may be hard to accept. In Frankenstein, a plethora of characters mentioned were unable to accept that the monster was, for want of a better word, a person. There is an innumerable amount of traits that make a us human and the monster appeared to have many of them. The qualities that make us human include the ability to care, intense emotions, the ability to tell right from wrong, and competence. Examples of the monster portraying these traits are spread out through the book.…
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…
In the novel of Frankenstein, the monster demonstrates a very “mad” character. When it comes to justice or injustice to the monster, he leans towards justice. Due to the reason of his loneliness, he retaliates. The monster has a need for vengeance due to the reaction he gets from people, additionally, he was successful when victor died, and the significance for this as a whole was to be loved.…
As a person takes a look at the busy and diverse world that surrounds them, they may wonder why certain things appear a certain way. They may form opinions about certain issues or people not because they actually know whats going on, but because of what they see or hear. People judge. Even so, people don't always think about the results of their judgments, and the fact that those little opinions formed could end in complete tragedy.…
Readers may surmise that Victor’s tale would be the key to making Walton see Victor in a new and more reasonable light, but they would be wrong. In Walton’s final letters, dated only one more week after Victor began telling his story, he continues to describe Victor in peculiar ways. He calls Victor’s eyes “fine and lovely” (178) and says that “his eloquence is forcible and touching” (179). Although “forcible” could connote something negative, it seems more likely that Walton means it positively as in “powerful” or “convincing” (OED). On the same page he tells Margaret that his mind and “every feeling of [his] soul” were “drunk up” by Victor’s “elevated and gentle” manner and storytelling. Much like his contradictory discussion of his experience…
The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is written about a man Walton who goes on a journey to the North Pole. Walton’s ship becomes trapped in ice, and this is where Walton sees two men dog sledding. One man, who looks very frail, is invited onto Walton’s ship. The man, who goes by Frankenstein, shares Walton his story how he built this monster. This monster, angry at Frankenstein, kills all his loved ones in revenge for creating him. A main theme in this novel is the struggle between human morality and whether the monster is naturally evil or was it his decisions that caused him to act evil. This is a major concept discussed by two Enlightenment Philosophers John Locke and Thomas Hobbes.…
Humans are taught principles and morals as they grow older in order to set a boundary as to what people can and cannot do. Despite these morals, people still go out of their way to make their own decisions and make new discoveries, whether it’s beneficial or harmful. In Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein, Victor’s and the Creature’s morals are often questioned considering they were raised in two very different backgrounds. As the creature’s creator, Victor had a responsibility to fulfill the knowledge the creature seeks. Therefore when he chose to abandon and neglect him, the creature had no choice but to educate himself about the world on his own. Through this, he learns to develop his own principles and tries to make sense of everything around…
“I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed” (Shelley 70). This quote is extracted from Mary Shelley’s 19th century book Frankenstein, a novel written about Victor Frankenstein. Victor creates a Monster using his skills in chemistry and natural physiology; while doing this, Shelley portrays symbolism, isolationism, and tragedy in various ways throughout her work showing how the Monster and Victor Frankenstein both experience times in their life when it seems as if nobody cares.…
In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, Victor creates a monster who murders his loved ones. Victor could have prevented two of the female deaths but chose not to in both of the events, which provided proof that women were not of importance. By allowing all of the female characters to die, Mary Shelly was displaying how women were so disposable. In this paper, I will provide details on how women were seen and treated during the book.…
Throughout Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, we are presented with various views of women, and their role in society and family. Here, I will explore the similarities of and differences between the female characters in the novel.…