Material and Spiritual Worlds in Frankenstein
Michele Kettner
James Julius VanKeuren III
Ms. Orr
English 11-2
11/16/12
Material and Spiritual Worlds in Frankenstein In Frankenstein there is a close relation with the material and spiritual world that each character must face and accept. A major part of it is how these worlds interact with each other and how the character act on how they feel would be in the ethical bounds to achieve their own personal fulfillment and goals. Such is the question that the major characters of the story face since many of the characters have to go through very hard times in which they must find what could fulfill their needs and get rid of their impenetrable sadness and depression. Also are Frankenstein and his monster’s insatiable search for knowledge that they think will lead them to spiritual contentment but both find out that their pursuits will only lead to horror.
The monster, created by Frankenstein, has many material needs once he is on his own. He is essentially like a baby, he doesn’t know much about the earth or what to do to survive, and slowly he starts to learn. Once he was in the woods he started to become accustomed to the habitat, “I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it,” (Shelly 99). He started to realize that he needed things, like fire to survive in the wilderness. When the monster sat his creator down, and he told him that, “You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being,” (Shelly 138). Nobody accepted the monster for who he was because he looked scary on the outside, but was kind and needy on the inside. The monster just wanted a friend to be able to talk to and not have run away before speaking to them. While learning from the cottagers, the monster had a need for knowledge. When talking about himself, the monster said, “ While I improved in speech, I also learned the science of letters as it was
James Julius VanKeuren III
Ms. Orr
English 11-2
11/16/12
Material and Spiritual Worlds in Frankenstein In Frankenstein there is a close relation with the material and spiritual world that each character must face and accept. A major part of it is how these worlds interact with each other and how the character act on how they feel would be in the ethical bounds to achieve their own personal fulfillment and goals. Such is the question that the major characters of the story face since many of the characters have to go through very hard times in which they must find what could fulfill their needs and get rid of their impenetrable sadness and depression. Also are Frankenstein and his monster’s insatiable search for knowledge that they think will lead them to spiritual contentment but both find out that their pursuits will only lead to horror.
The monster, created by Frankenstein, has many material needs once he is on his own. He is essentially like a baby, he doesn’t know much about the earth or what to do to survive, and slowly he starts to learn. Once he was in the woods he started to become accustomed to the habitat, “I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it,” (Shelly 99). He started to realize that he needed things, like fire to survive in the wilderness. When the monster sat his creator down, and he told him that, “You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being,” (Shelly 138). Nobody accepted the monster for who he was because he looked scary on the outside, but was kind and needy on the inside. The monster just wanted a friend to be able to talk to and not have run away before speaking to them. While learning from the cottagers, the monster had a need for knowledge. When talking about himself, the monster said, “ While I improved in speech, I also learned the science of letters as it was
Cited: Shelly, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Signet Classic, 1963. Print.