Frankenstein Essay The book Frankenstein is a gothic science fiction novel written by Mary Shelly. In it, a man named Victor Frankenstein attempts to create new life. However, when he finally does bring his creation to life, he finds it grotesque and horrible. The monster then escapes into the world, and while attempting to integrate with the world, he realizes that all others find him disgusting as well, as they insult him, beat him, and abuse him. This horrid social environment causes the monster to feel rejected, and influenced his actions and behavior greatly.
It is Frankenstein’s responsibility to teach the monster and see it as a friend. It’s because Frankenstein rejects his creature that causes it to become evil. “Oh No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing suck as even Dante could not have conceived.”(pg.49) Each time the monster killed it was a consequence of Victor’s actions.
Victor waves his fist around and threatens to attack the monster, but is able to avoid Victor with his speed. The monster claimed to be a virtuous creature, until the actions of humans made him miserable. “All men hate the wretched; how then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us.” (Vol. II Chapter II, Page 117).
In the original Frankenstein the monster is sensitive and intelligent being but due to a sense of abandonment becomes biter and murderous. Many adaptations strip away his human qualities and made him appear as a terrifying killing machine such as the 1931 movie “Frankenstein” directed by James Whale. The first film adaptation was brought to the silver screen in 1910, however the most well known image of the monster from the 1931 film adaptation. Boris Karloff played the monster and his version has forever been the image we now know today. Multiple sequels and adaptations were made and many parodies such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, “Bride of Frankenstein”, and “Kyofu Densetsu: Furankenshutain (The Monster of Frankenstein).” Even people who have never seen or read an adaptation of Frankenstein would still likely share the general assumption of who Frankenstein is and what he looks like.
Monsters By: Robert K. Van Fossen April 26, 2012 Van Fossen Monsters are our doubles they share the same character flaws that we, humans, have. Monsters come from our mind they are, for the larger part, just a figment of our imagination. When you think of Hollywood or movie monsters you think of large, grotesque, and suffering from some kind of mental illness. Have you ever looked at the definition of “monster”? The Oxford Dictionary of English states that “monster” is an inhumane, cruel, or wicked person; or a thing or animal that is excessively or dauntingly large; how about to criticize or reprimand severely; or the Latin word “monstrum” meaning portent, omen, or well monster.
Which you also can see in the last part of the story: ‘…My teeth chattered... I escaped’. Victor had a scary dream about his mom and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, and about death. In his dream, he meets Elizabeth, which ‘lips became livid with the hue of death’ when he kissed them. He sees his dead mothers shroud and he sees grave-worms crawling.
Mary Shelley uses many language devices to portray conflict in the novel Frankenstein. In chapter 5, Mary Shelley uses alliteration to convey to the reader the emotional conflict the monster is forced to face. Victor finally finishes his creation and observes its appearance: “I beheld the wretch -- the miserable monster who I created”. This suggests to the reader that Victor is not pleased with his creation as he calls him a “monster”; the word “monster” makes the reader visualize a horrendous, spine-chilling, eerie creation creating a dark ambience. Furthermore, the author uses feelings to describe the monster.
“For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelly, Ch. 5, paragraph 3). Victor’s creation on the other hand is displayed as malicious and demonic in the beginning of the story but we see his more human side as the story progresses, as he wishes for a companion, “I am alone, and miserable; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species, and have the same defects.
Why Do We Crave Horror Films? We all have a dark side and demons we have to feed. People crave horror to fulfill the thrill they want when their lives are dull. On the other hand, is it because people have to escape from the bad emotions we suppress. In Stephen Kings essay “Why We Crave Horror Films” He claims we are all mentally ill. And he is correct.
First, Frankenstein is set in a male-dominated society, where the influence of women in the family is not present very often. The dream that Victor has before the monster is created, gives the reader an idea behind Victor’s motives. When he visions Elizabeth as his dead mother lying there, it represents the weakness of compassion in women. After he has this dream, he wants create a being that could act as his child and love him like one. So Victor does just that, but after it awakes, he is filled with disgust and hates his creation because in his eyes it is ugly.