...In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the Creature take on the roles of God, and Satan at different occasions. Victor is often accused of attempting to assume the role of God, due to his multiple scientific endeavours as well as his relationship with the Creature. Despite this, one may suppose that Victor is not committing these acts with that goal specifically in mind, rather it becomes the consequence of his nature, when given excessive power. He is not a actively pursuing a goal of achieving godlike power, yet his actions would imply so. Victor’s actions could even be viewed as those of one who is actually Satan, spiting the powers of God. One could argue that Victor’s thirst for knowledge, and his desire for power through knowledge, is displayed at a relatively young age. After the death of his beloved mother his quest only intensifies, maybe due to an unconscious desire to reanimate the dead, rather than create life out of nothing. This increasing perseverance, which never once seems to falter until the actual reanimation of the Creature, is key to Victor’s character. However, this extreme tenacity also translates to stubbornness when coupled with naivety and impulsiveness. Victor never ponders the consequences of his own behaviour,...
Words: 892 - Pages: 4
...GOD created the fantastic world by his own power. GOD created all creature including human beings. And the human beings are the who is appointed by GOD to take care of his creature. And those human beings are our first parent Adam and Eve. GOD place Adam and Eve to the Paradise and said you can take and eat all you want in this place except the fruit of knowledge place in the middle of this place. But the snake tempted the woman to eat the fruit of knowledge, and then the woman decided to eat that fruit and take one more for her husband. After eating that fruit the man and woman have the knowledge that they are naked. So they hide themselves to GOD, then GOD knows the disobedience they have committed. Then GOD punished them. In that story...
Words: 363 - Pages: 2
...In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley tells the story of a creature who does not understand the world around him. Mary Shelley gives the reader a look into the hardships the creature face and that he was never loved buy a family, which is one of the Maine things the monster looks for. Mary Shelley uses various techniques to convey the impression of the creature as a baby just learning about life and the new world around him. Mary Shelley chooses to portray the monster as a baby who does not know much about the world around him. she uses the word strange to describe how the monster felt during the beginning of his life. The creature seemed to be shocked or unaware of normal human senses. These being new to him, he had a hard time figuring...
Words: 378 - Pages: 2
...“IT’S ALLIIIIIVE!!!” Everyone knows the famous line from pop culture’s Frankenstein where, surrounded by fantastical science equipment, Dr. Frankenstein, aided by his hunched assistant, Igor, zaps life into a grotesque monster within medieval castle under the cover of a dark and stormy night. At the epicenter, a creature awakens while the mad scientist cackles maniacally. It would be equally shocking for most, however, to find that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the original, poses a quite different, almost anti-climatic, scene–void of any shouting, Igors, and with no clear depiction of the creature’s endowment of life-giving forces. In fact, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein contrasts heavily to the pop culture Frankenstein in many aspects, namely,...
Words: 1483 - Pages: 6
...After observing Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” it is apparent that her writing style gives off a very gloomy and gothic vibe. Mary Shelley incorporates many themes within the story of “Frankenstein,” that incorporate isolation, self-discovery, and death throughout the whole novel. Isolation is a key role player when it comes to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” because it defines many different things for both the reader and writer. We see it first occurring when Victor creates a creature that he eventually becomes afraid of. Victor runs away and never wants to encounter this creature again. Although at the same time, if we read Mary Wollstonecraft’s biography, we learn that she felt unwanted from her family as well. Wollstonecraft says, “Now I look back, I cannot help attributing the greater part of my...
Words: 686 - Pages: 3
...HUMN 303 Week 7 Assignment Sheri A. Green DeVry University Professor Gessford August 23, 2014 Frankenstein, a novel first published in the year 1818, stands as the most talked about work of Mary Shelley’s literary career. She was just nineteen years old when she penned this novel, and throughout her lifetime she could not produce any other work that surpasses this novel in terms of creativity and vision. In this novel, Shelley found an outlet for her own intense sense of victimization, and her desperate struggle for love. Traumatized by her failed childbirth incidents, troubled childhood, and scandalous courtship, many of Shelley’s life experiences can be seen reflected in the novel. When discussing the character and development of the monster, Shelley launches an extensive discussion on the need for a proper environment and education for a child’s moral development. When we explore the novel in depth, we can see that it exudes the true horror of childbirth felt by Shelley, and articulates the fears and anxieties she had regarding her reproductive and nurturing capabilities. Shelley’s life was marked by a series of pregnancies, miscarriages, childbirths, and deaths. Her firsthand experience of a bereavement started early in her life, when her mother died when she was eleven days old, because of a puerperal fever contacted because of childbirth. This marked her first encounter with pregnancy and related complications, but unfortunately, it was not the last...
Words: 1703 - Pages: 7
...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
...Frankenstein: The First Modern Monster Story When we hear Frankenstein the image that many of us think of today is that of a mindless monster with bolts in his neck who wishes to terrorize anyone who crosses his path. This image is far different from that of the monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In Shelley’s novel Frankenstein’s monster is smart, caring, and he posses near super human strength and speed. Frankenstein is thought to be heavily influenced by of many of the places and events in Shelly’s life. For example many of the scientific themes are thought to be influenced by the scientific revolution which was being analyzed during the romanticism period which is when Frankenstein was written. Frankenstein is often considered to be the first modern monster story because it deals with many modern issues, it has many differences from earlier monster stories, and because it is written using a modern romanticism writing style. The most prevalent modern issue dealt with in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the boundaries between religion and science. In the novel Victor uses science to create life which is something that only God can do. Frankenstein’s monster compares himself to Adam and Victor to God when he says, “Remember, that I am thy creature: I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.”(Shelley 66), this quote is an example of Shelley relating religion and science. During the period of Enlightenment science...
Words: 1263 - Pages: 6
...Nine English AEP Frankenstein/Science Fiction Essay (Reading and Writing Task) Topic: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the Science Fiction text that allowed all other examples of the sub-genre to follow. Discuss this proposition with specific reference to the Drama Script and Film versions of the novel, along with any other relevant Science Fiction texts you have read or viewed. * Your essay should especially consider Shelley’s context and that of other writers you refer to, as well as your own context as a reader. * You should make specific reference to the texts you are discussing via both direct (quotations) and indirect (explanations) evidence. * Be sure to plan your response so that each paragraph has its own unified idea. A sample paragraph structure might look like the following: 1. Introduction – Thesis: e.g.: “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the first text which uses scientific experimentation as the basis of its plot. In doing this, it paved the way for all Science Fiction which followed…” 2. Body P1 – Author context + sub-genre features – what changes have occurred over time as a result of context? Consider Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury 3. Body P2 – Discussion of Frankenstein 4. Body P3 – Discussion of other text e.g.: War of the Worlds (make some reference to Frankenstein as well) 5. Body P4 - Discussion of other text e.g.: There Will Come Soft Rains (make some reference to Frankenstein as well) 6. Body...
Words: 1268 - Pages: 6
...Throughout the novel, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein proposes the parallel between monster and man, and the raises the question as who is the real monster; Victor Frankenstein or the monster he created. In passage A, Mary Shelley conveys that man and monster are not entirely different and rather the real monster is essentially mankind. In this case, Shelley uses specific word choices, along with character development and parallels to demonstrate that man and monster are indistinguishable. In the following passage, Mary Shelley’s choice of words and characterization indicates that man and monster are along the same spectrum. Robert Walton writes, “My affection for my guest increases every day. He excites at once my admiration and my pity to an astonishing degree. How can I see so noble a creature destroyed by misery without feeling the most poignant grief?” (Shelley 12-13). The idea that Walton addresses Victor Frankenstein as a “noble creature” is crucial in identifying as to what is considered to be human. He addresses Victor as a creature with understanding, and “gentle, yet so wise; his mind cultivated…” (Shelley 13). Mary Shelley associates man as creature; creature with intelligence, feelings, and innocence. This pinpoints to the idea that man is monster. In addition, the passage sets up the scene for the telling of Victor’s narrative. Mary Shelley uses Walton’s character as an introduction whose story parallels that of Frankenstein’s. In the second letter, Walton addresses...
Words: 470 - Pages: 2
...Mary Shelley’s horror story, Frankenstein, is about the entanglement between a young and talented scientist, Victor Frankenstein and his creature. Victor Frankenstein rebuilds a human body and uses thunder to activate it. He is worried because of the creature’s ugly face that he abandons him. As soon as the creature realizes he is rejected by the society, he starts to revenge. Mary Shelly used Victor Frankenstein and his creation to reveal the monstrous spirit of human, including sexism, incest and abandonment. The creature tolerates all unfair treatments at first. He chooses to surrender until his fury reforms his personality. He says, “All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things” (Mary...
Words: 650 - Pages: 3
...Khizer Awan AP LIT Frankenstein Literary Analysis I Must Know More Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley is a romantic era novel based on the theme of knowledge. The word “knowledge” reoccurred many times throughout Frankenstein and forced the reader to understand the definition of it. According to Webster’s Dictionary, knowledge is defined as “Knowledge: n. Understanding gained by actual experience; range of information; clear perception of truth; something learned and kept in the mind.” The word knowledge is very simple, but has different meanings to all of us. Knowledge is the tool we use in making proper judgement. Knowledge is an extremely powerful thing and it must be used wisely and properly. Carelessly using knowledge can cause terrible consequences. The novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is a novel that has many comparisons of powers in life. It pertains to many themes in society today. Frankenstein contrasts science, technology, life and death, and most importantly knowledge and ignorance. It shows the consequences of knowledge in both negative and positive ways. In Frankenstein, three characters searched for one thing - knowledge. Unfortunately the results of their search differed from what they had anticipated. Walton, blinded by ambition, believed that search for knowledge on the route to the North Pole would bring fame to his name, but he quickly learned that he ended up only with the danger to the lives of his crew. Frankenstein, driven by passion...
Words: 2183 - Pages: 9
...1818, by an “anonymous” author, Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus has inspired numerous adaptations, remakes and parodies across different literary genres. Reprinted again in 1831, this time with an introduction written by Mary Shelley acknowledging her authorship, Frankenstein through its discrediting of science and the omnipotence of nature, confirms ands challenges our own habitual understandings of the world around us. The habitual understanding I will be focusing on is western hegemonic rationalism and the dominance of science as the ruler and explainer of my universe in comparison to the earlier more romantic ideology of Shelley’s time. Frankenstein also carries a warning about ambition. In a society that believes ambition to be a good thing, Shelley attempts to revel catastrophic consequences for humans over come with the quest for glory and science’s obsessive and overly ambitious nature. Western hegemonic ideal is the cultural identity that has conditioned me, becoming habitual, normal and routine. However, Shelley was privileged as she was writing at the beginning of the scientific enlightenment era, and could therefore identify what would be lost if science and technology were to usurp the position of God, nature and fate. Art, emotions, passion, suffering, humility etc were to be restricted into liminal spaces, creating a world not unlike Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World. Romantic philosophies have been endorsed in Frankenstein through the downfall of Victor...
Words: 2067 - Pages: 9
...As a myth about procreation, the maternal imagery in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is clear, evident, pervasive. Yet, while the novel suffers no shortage of mother figures, Shelley’s interpretation of the maternal archetype in her seminal work is unique in its focus. The theme of the maternal finds itself in a paradox wherein its absence becomes evidence for its ubiquity; it is everywhere in that it is nowhere. One can therefore conclude that the concept of motherhood in Frankenstein does not require a mother, but only demands the notion that there was once a maternal presence where there is now none. By promptly abandoning his role as his monster’s creator, Victor seems to have perfectly complied with Shelley’s aforementioned definition of the maternal archetype. Still, some argue that the fact of Victor’s sex precludes him from ever fulfilling the theme of motherhood in Frankenstein. Victor is a man; the evident conclusion would be to declare Victor a paternal force in his creation’s...
Words: 1196 - Pages: 5
...Frankenstein as a Gothic Novel Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is considered as a Gothic novel but it can be seen as a compilation of both Gothic and Romantic because of the significance of the sublime. Certain events and settings in the novel present the gothic themes. Shelley uses the different themes in her novel to evoke feelings of horror and terror in the reader. Frankenstein engages in a quest in pushing the realms of science to their limits which leads him to playing god and creating an unnatural being using science. One of the themes Shelley uses in the novel to create the gothic presence is the theme of Forbidden Knowledge. Mary Shelley introduces the ideas that science is capable of being very dangerous and has consequences through the character of Victor Frankenstein. Shelley’s time was described as the age of unprecedented scientific discoveries, which influenced her in writing of Frankenstein. The process of the creation of his creation was influenced by the Italian physician Luigi Galvani who discovered “animal electricity” which manifests with the twitching of nerves and muscles when an electric current is applied. Frankenstein seeks to find “the secrets of heaven and earth” to fulfil his quest. He calls them secrets; he is aware they are not to be known and should not be found. Frankenstein knows that acquiring such knowledge would not be easy as he states “how dangerous the acquirement of knowledge”. Frankenstein is aware of the uneasy task of seeking...
Words: 1561 - Pages: 7
