Premium Essay

Loss Of Innocence In Frankenstein

Submitted By
Words 767
Pages 4
Secrecy is an important theme that is expressed in chapters 7 through 9. As a matter of fact, Frankenstein keeps the secret of his creation, and it has an impact on the story and on the different protagonists. When he sees the monster, and realises that it would certanly be the murderer of his little brother William. His first intinct is to go after and tell his family he knows the murderer. But then, he realises that his story won't be credible and that people will think it is madness. So he decides to keep the secret. He sais : ''I was firmly convinced in my own mind that Justine, and indeen every human being, was guiltless of this murder. I had no fear, therefore, that any circumstantial evidence could be brought forward strong enough to …show more content…
He is also convinced that, during the trial, there will be enough evidence to prove Justine's innocence. So Frankenstein takes the decision to keep the secret and relies on the others. Then, when Justine is designated as the murderer, Frankenstein feels bad about the situation, but still doesn't say anything. In chapter 8, Victor sais : ''A thousand time rather would I have confessed myself guilty of the crime ascribed to Justine ; but I was absent when it was committed, and such a decleration would have been considered as the ravings of a madman, and would not have excultpated her who suffered through me''. Through this statement, Victor affirms he would have confessed himself guilty but he is defending himself by saying that he was absent during the events and that people would take him for crazy if he told the truth. But Victor had several opportunities to tell his secret and never did. So would he really have confessed ? I have the impression he his saying that to feel less guilty and feel innocent, eventhough he know he has a responsibility in what happened. He also acts selfish when saying that people would think he is a

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Loss Of Innocence In Frankenstein Essay

...to identify with the beast due to Victor's activities. During childbirth the monster's “jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, but I escaped.” (Shelley 63-64). This quote touchingly portrays in detail how the beast carried on, similar to an infant so it appears to be all the more unkind that Victor surrendered the creature. At the point when the audience read the novel, they can envision an infant crying and prattling soon after its introduction to the world. This is precisely what the beast did when he was conceived however Victor overlooked him. Likewise, coddles connect with their guardians and their loved ones. In Frankenstein, the beast connects with Victor as though Victor is his father. The creature is demonstrating that he trusts and cherishes Victor however when Victor escapes we sympathize with the beast. The creature had the absence of both nature and sustain in the presence of no organic family and Victor left him during childbirth. The creature is unnatural and strange so he needs to create fundamental impulses without help so he needs to utilize 'experimentation' to survive. This is profoundly interesting that the creature wasn't raised at all yet he is still seemingly benevolent. The beast can't be supported by another creature since he is the main beast so he needs to gain from people. He is urgent to comprehend life. The beast says, “Why did you...

Words: 438 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Lightening In Frankenstein

...Frankenstein was published during the beginning of the literary movement which abolished previously-held ideas of structure and form that occurred in novels beforehand. The author embodies the Romantic literary movement by the use contrasting emotions of terror and beauty to emphasize the inspiration that nature could provide. The use of lightening symbolized a nearing revelation. During the commencement of the novel Frankenstein witnesses his first thunderstorm and the force lightening enchants him, “...As I stood at the door, on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak…and nothing remained but a blasted stump…The catastrophe of this tree excited my extreme astonishment.” The power that the lightening held and...

Words: 919 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Abuse Of Power In Frankenstein

...The role of science is the modernization of the world, thus possessing a lot of power. The outcome and use of scientific progression depends solely on the scientist’s intentions of its use. Humanity should fear the power of the creator or the creation’s behavior due to its social, physical, mental and environmental health effects, if it is not used for the better of the community. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly argues that the beast is dangerous because it symbolizes scientific technology; implying that the beast can impose threats to civilization. The author warns, that the beast can form independent consciousness and then turns upon society in an apocalyptic rage. Society becomes afraid of the monster and as a result, rejects it. This fear...

Words: 1620 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Romanticism Unshackled: a Study of the Modern Prometheus

...Romanticism Unshackled: a Study of the Modern Prometheus The most remarkable aspect about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the ability to label the novel in so many different ways amongst many genres, ranging from science fiction, to fantasy, to horror, and have all of them be correct. At such a young age, Mary Shelley constructed a narrative so revolutionary, intricate, and involved that it is still pertinent to be written about in college essays almost 200 years after it was written. As the author, Shelley is often attributed with vast creative intellect, and rightly so, as is evidenced while reading through her novel. It is imperative to recognize, however, just how much influence her colleagues—the Romantic poets—had on the ideas that became manifested in her writing. Frankenstein should bear the title of Romantic literature because the novel embodies trademark Romantic ideas, situations, and characteristics throughout the text. In an attempt to categorize any novel as Romantic, however, one must first attempt to identify what, exactly, makes a work Romantic. A group of poets, including the likes of William Blake, Samuel Coleridge, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Lord Byron and—Mary’s husband—Percy Shelley, who are commonly credited as being the ground-breaking authors of the Romantic movement (Ferguson). A prime example of this method of poetry was introduced in the 1798 collection, Lyrical Ballads. This work, written by Wordsworth and Coleridge, is a compilation...

Words: 3287 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Knowledge In Frankenstein

... The theme of dangerous knowledge is prominent in the story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The three major characters face significant consequences due to their uncontrollable desire for knowledge, and more importantly, the manner in which they choose to do so. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the consequences of detrimental knowledge are shown through the actions and thoughts of the characters Frankenstein, Robert Walton and the Creature. The character of Victor in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley depicts the dangers of excessive...

Words: 1374 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Nature Vs. Nurture In Frankenstein

...Nature vs. nurture is one of the oldest philosophical debates in history. The argument is whether your life experiences or the environment you grow up in has a lasting effect/influence on the type of person that you become or if your development is predisposed in your DNA. Both nature and nurture play important roles in the development of a human being, but it is not known which one causes the majority of the way a person turns out. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, I believe nature vs. nurture is a theme that she raises. Would the creature have turned out differently, even good, if Victor Frankenstein raised him and didn’t abandon him when he was first brought to life? She is arguing in favor of nurture and saying that the creature behaves...

Words: 1887 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

The 24 Hour News Cycle

...Imagine living in a world where each and every person was unaware. A world where information did not reach televisions or phone screens. A place where no one knew of ongoing events and lived in solicitude. Fortunately, the 24-hour news cycle has made that reality implausible. Over the past 40 years, the emergence of major news networks such as CNN, Fox and MSNBC has allowed for a constant stream of information directly into people's homes. This media spike has allowed people all over the world to stay in touch with current events, but as seen in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, every new creation comes with consequences. Despite allowing people to stay connection with the world, the 24-hour news cycle has resulted in reports of insignificant news,...

Words: 1963 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Monstrousness In Grendel And Frankenstein

...Of Monsters and Men: How Humanity Incites Monstrousness in Grendel and Frankenstein All too often on a daily basis do people judge others based on their physical appearance or other superficial criteria. Generally, close-minded individuals perceive anything foreign or a deviation from the norm as offensive or even as a threat. We would like to think that we are not prone to such a fault, but this foible is ingrained in human nature. Literature has examined this aspect of humanity on a magnified scale by using monsters as a metaphor for those we judge; the novels Grendel by John Gardner and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley are as much character studies on humanity as they are stories about monstrousness itself. The monsters in each novel certainly...

Words: 1270 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Frankenstein

...Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Key facts full title ·  Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus author · Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley type of work · Novel genre · Gothic science fiction language · English time and place written · Switzerland, 1816, and London, 1816–1817 date of first publication · January 1, 1818 publisher · Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones narrator · The primary narrator is Robert Walton, who, in his letters, quotes Victor Frankenstein’s first-person narrative at length; Victor, in turn, quotes the monster’s first-person narrative; in addition, the lesser characters Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein narrate parts of the story through their letters to Victor. climax · The murder of Elizabeth Lavenza on the night of her wedding to Victor Frankenstein in Chapter 23 protagonist · Victor Frankenstein antagonist · Frankenstein’s monster setting (time) · Eighteenth century setting (place) · Geneva; the Swiss Alps; Ingolstadt; England and Scotland; the northern ice point of view · The point of view shifts with the narration, from Robert Walton to Victor Frankenstein to Frankenstein’s monster, then back to Walton, with a few digressions in the form of letters from Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein. falling action · After the murder of Elizabeth Lavenza, when Victor Frankenstein chases the monster to the northern ice, is rescued by Robert Walton, narrates his story, and dies tense · Past foreshadowing · Ubiquitous—throughout...

Words: 51140 - Pages: 205

Premium Essay

Examples Of Mental Illness In Catcher In The Rye

...protect himself. Holden is deemed to be an outsider to everyone else; Salinger captures the whole story of an undeveloped teenager living in the big scary world. Because of his perception of the world, Holden uses isolation as a way to protect himself. We will cover the possibility of separation being a mental disorder, how Holden would rather spend his life solitary and how characters in other stories deal with isolation, and how Holden discerns the world around him. Throughout the story, Holden seems to have a negative perspective of the world around him. This is caused by a mood disorder such as Post-traumatic stress disorder or Borderline personality disorder. At the beginning of the novel, Holden experiences a traumatic event of the loss of his brother Allie. In the story Catcher in the Rye, Holden struggles to cope with Allie’s death. I was only thirteen, and they were going to have...

Words: 1917 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Frankenstein History

...Reading Between the Lines: An analysis of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus, using Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto as an example of male discourse about women Louise Othello Knudsen English Almen, 10th semester Master’s Thesis 31-07-2012 Tabel of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Historical Context .............................................................................................................................. 10 The View on Women and Their Expected Roles in the late 18th and 19th Century ....................... 11 - Mary Shelley disowns herself .................................................................................................. 11 - Mary Shelley’s Background .................................................................................................... 12 Women’s Role in Frankenstein ..................................................................................................... 13 Men’s Role in Frankenstein ........................................................................................................... 13 - Women in Society and Women as Writers .........................................................

Words: 30015 - Pages: 121

Premium Essay

Apa Format

...Updated 11/01/2011 Running head: APA FORMAT EXAMPLE A maximum of 50 characters 1 How to Do that Annoying APA Format Stuff: A Brief Overview of the 6th Edition Scott W. Plunkett California State University, Northridge Noh Wahnelse and I. M. N. Oyed University of Invisible Students Authors’ names should appear in order of their contribution to the manuscript. Author Note Scott W. Plunkett, Department of Psychology, California State University Northridge. Noh Wahnelse, Department of Paranormal Experiences and Life Events, University of Invisible Students. I. M. N. Oyed, Department of Anger Management, University of Invisible Students. Special thanks to Bill White in the Management Department at Liberty University for suggestions to the content of this document. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Scott W. Plunkett, Department of Psychology, California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330-8255. E-mail: scott.plunkett@csun.edu APA FORMAT EXAMPLE Abstract 2 The abstract provides a brief, comprehensive summary of the paper. Abstracts should not exceed 120 words, unless otherwise stated. Be sure and highlight the major ideas of the paper. For example, this paper is designed to enlighten people how to use APA formatting through a somewhat silly example. Important considerations such as formatting, headings, citations within the text, and references are addressed (not undressed). Keywords: APA, citing...

Words: 2684 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Course Project

...paper. For example, this paper is designed to enlighten people how to use APA formatting through a somewhat silly example. Important considerations such as formatting, headings, citations within the text, and references are addressed (not undressed). Keywords: APA, citing, formatting, 6th edition, referencing APA FORMAT EXAMPLE How to Do that Annoying APA Format Stuff: A Brief Overview of the 6th Edition This document is an overview on how to do an APA formatted paper as outlined in the Sixth Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010). My hope is that this document will help you in your academic and professional endeavors. I know learning APA styles seems like a hassle and can be scary (Dracula, Frankenstein, & Werewolf,...

Words: 2625 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Old English Literature

...OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE • Palaeolithic nomads from mainland Europe; • New inhabitants came from western and possibly north-western Europe (New Stone Age); • in the 2nd millennium BC new inhabitants came from the Low Countries and the middle Rhine (Stonehenge); • Between 800 and 200 BC Celtic peoples moved into Britain from mainland Europe (Iron Age) • first experience of a literate civilisation in 55 B.C. • remoter areas in Scotland retained independence • Ireland, never conquered by Rome, Celtic tradition • The language of the pre-Roman settlers - British (Welsh, Breton); Cornish; Irish and Scottish Gaelic (Celtic dialect) • The Romans up to the fifth century • Britain - a province of the Roman Empire 400 years • the first half of the 5th century the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes (N Germany, Jutland) • The initial wave of migration - 449 A. D. • the Venerable Bede (c. 673-735) • the Britain of his time comprised four nations English, British (Welsh), Picts, and Scots. • invaders resembling those of the Germans as described by Tacitus in his Germania. • a warrior race • the chieftain, the companions or comitatus. • the Celtic languages were supplanted (e.g. ass, bannock, crag). * Christianity spread from two different directions: * In the 5th century St Patrick converted Ireland, in the 7th century the north of England was converted by Irish monks; * in the south at the end of the 6th century Aethelberht of Kent allowed the monk Augustine...

Words: 9579 - Pages: 39

Premium Essay

Masculinity in Chuck Palahniuk's Work

...Introduction Mass culture would have most readers and viewers believing that the Post-modern American male is a simple creature. Common stereotypes margin male satisfaction in a minimal setting – a Lazyboy armchair in a lounge with a flat screen TV playing ‘the game’ along with primal banter regarding women. More often than not, this is washed down with a beer. With this array of comfort and leisure we are inclined to believe that male lifestyle has reached its peak on the timeline of satisfaction. This was until David Fincher took Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club and made it into a big budget Hollywood blockbuster. With the male demographic being the hardest to pinpoint in the literature sense, David Fincher’s adaptation helpfully put Palahniuk’s thoughts into the cinematic forefront. This increased the popularity of Palahniuk’s other works and placed him in the cannon of Post-modern American fiction. It is the issues of modern masculinity that grasps critics’ attention more so than any other Palahniuk themes. It is very apparent that masculinity has changed as a natural progression of modernisation. This dissertation will analyse masculinity as it is depicted in Palahniuk’s writings and explore Palahniuk’s intentions and beliefs. I will interpret the responses of select critics in order to gain some understanding of what Palahniuk deems to be the ideal model of masculinity in the modern world, beneath his post-modern twists, transgressive characterization and...

Words: 7055 - Pages: 29