Frankenstein Self Education of the Monster - 1569 Words

Q. â€Å"Self education plays a critical role in shaping the subjectivity of Victor Frankenstein’s monster†. Do you agree? Discuss. Rousseau believed that humans were intrinsically good when in their natural state (before civilization). According to him, humans were corrupted by society. Frankenstein’s creature is a case in point. So, calling him a monster in itself is a problematic view. Joyce Carol Oates focuses on the benevolent nature of the creature in his essay entitled, ‘Frankenstein’s Fallen Angel’. According to him, the demon is human consciousness-in-the-making, naturally benevolent as Milton’s Satan is not, and received with horror and contempt solely because of his physical appearance. To substantiate his point, he gives an example†¦show more content†¦In the hero of Werter, it sees â€Å"a more divine being that I ever beheld or imagined,† but the novel leads him again to feel a sense of alienation; â€Å"I found myself similar, yet at the same time strangely unlike to the beings concerning whom I read... Who was I? What was I?† In Plutarch it finds â€Å"high thoughts† but no answer to its question. But, Paradise Lost, which it reads as a â€Å"true history† contains the solution, â€Å"Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but... He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator... but I was wretched, helpless and alone. Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition....† Martin Tropp says, â€Å"Milton, therefore, provides the monster with an identity.† In myShow MoreRelatedVictor Frankensteins Failure as a Mother in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein1551 Words   |  6 PagesFrankensteins Failure as a Mother Mary Shelleys Frankenstein; Or, Prometheus Unbound analyzes the relationships that develop between creation and creator. The novel is somewhat autobiographical and incorporates many of the feelings, thoughts, and sentiments that Shelley was undergoing at the time. Through her life experiences and her novel, Shelley explores the role of the mother figure and postulates that through the creation of the Monster, Victor Frankenstein usurps the role of mother to detrimentalRead MoreSelf-Education in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay1117 Words   |  5 PagesThe Importance of Self-Education in Frankenstein    Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells a story about the creation and the destruction of a man considered by society to be a â€Å"monster†. In the novel, there is profound meaning to be found in the monster’s self-education. Patterned after the evolution of human learning, the monster’s spontaneous learning proceeds through major stages. First, is the accidental discovery of fire, this is followed by a realization by the monster that knowledge yieldsRead MoreSocial Ostracisation Within Frankenstein1670 Words   |  7 Pagesis that of a shadowy form rising from a mysterious place, Frankenstein’s monster rising from a laboratory table, Dracula creeping from his coffin, or, more generally, the slow opening of a crypt to reveal a dark and obscure figure, which all share in common the concept of Social Ostracisation both to the creator and creature. 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Prometheus created men out of clay and taught them the arts of civilisation (Websters World Encyclopedia CD-ROM 1999). Zeus, the chief god of the Titans, wanted to destroy Prometheus creation but Prometheus stole fire from heaven to help mankind. Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock where an eagle would feed on his liver during the day and each nightRead MoreThe Duality of Man: Connections Between Victor and the Monster in Frankenstein1631 Words   |  7 Pages The classic gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley details the relationship between two significant figures, Victor Frankenstein, and his unnamed monster. The critical relationship between such characters causes many literary critics to compose the idea that they are bound by nature – inadvertently becoming a single central figure (Spark). This provides provoking thoughts on the duality of mankind, revealing the wicked ness of human nature. The role of the monster as an alter ego to Victor isRead MoreMary Shelleys Frankenstein Feminism1429 Words   |  6 PagesRobert Youshock Prof. Matthew Gerber HIST 1012 10/19/18 Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Feminism before it was mainstream? Writing a paper on the topic of Frankenstein days before Halloween might give you the wrong idea- lets clear something up straight away Frankenstein is the doctor not the monster and the monster doesn’t have a name (which we later learn is mildly important to the story). You see, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is arguably a story of creation, murder, love, and learning amongst manyRead MoreThe Cruelty Of Mary Shelley s Frankenstein1508 Words   |  7 Pageshumans still persecute others who are different. All in all, the exclusion is a form of bullying. In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley exemplifies these phenomenas of human behavior, when she shows the maltreatment Frankenstein’s monster is given for his unattractive physical features and how he attempts to communicate with others in order to terminate his isolation. Victor Frankenstein, engulfed in the dedication of creating a god like image of himself, resurrects life into a eclectic dead bodyRead MoreCreation of Sympathy For The Monster In Vol Chapter 5 and Vol Chapter 7 In Mary Shelleys Frankenstein820 Words   |  4 PagesCreation of Sympathy For The Monster In Vol Chapter 5 and Vol Chapter 7 In Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Sympathy is created for the monster in chapter five and chapter seven in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein by a variety of methods. These methods are utilised and explored deeply throughout the novel. Initially, Shelley introduces the creation of Frankensteins monster, through the viewpoint of Dr Frankenstein himself. This first interpretation of him is very descriptive andRead MoreThe Cruelty Of Mary Shelley s Frankenstein1605 Words   |  7 PagesIn her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley exemplifies this phenomenon of human behavior when she shows the maltreatment Frankenstein’s monster receives for his unattractive physical features and how he attempts to communicate with others in order to put an end to his isolation. Despite the monster’s benevolent nature, he is still alienated because he is different. Through the use of the monster and his discrimination, Mary Shelley shows that humans are not that different from the monster in the way we