Dr.
Frankenstein dreams of the bows of society and all the riches that go with
that, 'working feverishly for more than two years day and night' in order
to accomplish something no one else had even seriously contemplated. His
feverish and obsessive desire to create what no one has ever created leads
him into a mindset that becomes a permanent part of his psyche. Much of
that psyche has to do with the overwhelming sense of guilt that he has
created a being that needs his assistance and guidance in order to achieve
what he had most desired for his creation. Even if the reader discounted
the allusions to God, and placed instead a failed father-son relationship,
it is evident that at times the Doctor is devastated that his creation
could have gone so horrifically wrong.
The reader cannot easily ascertain that God would have such abhorrence
for his own creation, but it is easily recognizable that such abhorrence
can easily come from a father to his own son, especially if that son had
been the instigator of such horrible deeds as the creature had done. On
page 107 the creature discovers why his creator has such abhorrence for him
stating; "I saw and heard of none like me. Was I then a monster, a blot
upon the earth, from which all men fled, and who all men disowned?'
Shelley's choice of words here (disowned) lends credence to the
supposition that she was referring more to...
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Charles Darwin, Origin of Species There are many themes which readers can discern in Mary Shelley's inestimable work of literature, Frankenstein. They include the virtues of humanity vs. The vices of monstrosity, the power and effect of family and "community" (Bentley 325), as well as the considerable ramifications of ambition and work. However, the prudent reader will perceive that the principle motif unifying all of these themes, and
My attention was fixed upon every object the most insupportable to the delicacy of the human feelings. (Shelley, 1961, p. 44) Frankenstein challenges the values of man that are based on fear and thus goes forward to create a beast that even Dante could not have conceived of. (Shelley, 1961, p. 50) He then chases the beast to his own death. The Beast on the other hand exemplifies a helpless child
What Victor is saying is that in order to create a living being from the dead, he must haunt the graveyards like a human ghoul and experiment on live animals to "animate" "lifeless clay," being the deceased remains of human beings. From this admission, it is abundantly obvious that Victor, like Prometheus, sees "clay" as the foundation for creation, a substance which is part of the earth itself and
Frankenstein in the Work of Mary Shelley FRANKENSTEIN BY MARY SHELLEY The focus of this study is to summarize chapters 16 through 20 in Mary Shelley's and to choose two to three particularly meaningful quotes or quotes that are provocative or significant. work entitled 'Frankenstein'. Chapter 16 opens with the exclamation of "cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live?" (Shelley) This exclamation importantly sweets the scene for the dilemma in this story
Mary Shelley & Emily Dickinson Women's Roles Then and Now: A Dialogue between Mary Shelley and Emily Dickinson Mary and Emily are having an afternoon tea at Emily's Homestead garden. In the midst of enjoying the different flowering plants that Emily had planted in the garden, the women talked about and compared their lives way back in 19th century Western society and in the present time. MARY: I know I should not be
Frankenstein's creation of the monster is rendered as a kind of horrific pregnancy; for example, where a pregnant woman expands with the child she is bearing and usually eats more, Frankenstein wastes away during his work, depriving himself "of rest and health" (Shelley 43). Rather than expressing any kind of paternal (or maternal) love for his creation, Frankenstein recoils, as "breathless horror and disgust filled [his] heart" (Shelley 43).
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