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Quotation: "Wealth was an inferior object; but what glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death!" Pg 22
This desire of Victor's confuses me. His intention condradicts his motivation. On the one hand he wants to help humans in protecting them from all but a violent death, but his motivation for doing this is the "glory that would attend the discovery." Although his intentions are good, do they really count if his reason for doing so isn't so honorable? This humanizes Victor because it reveals his complexity. Perhaps it sets the stage for future internal contradictions he might possess?
" The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into in inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health." page 39
This passage is very interesting because Frankenstein states that feelings are more powerful and important than the "accidents of life," also known as fate. Frankenstein considers his own feelings to be of the utmost importance, and even as he has created a new creature, he only cares about himself. He is upset that he feels he has lost time and energy over this project, but he doesn't fret whatsoever over the fate of the new creature.
"Ye weep, unhappy ones; but these are not your last tears! Again shall you raise the funeral wail, and the sound of your lamentations shall again and again be heard!" (60)
Victor Frankenstein spends a good portion of the novel pitying himself, viewing life as a string of sorrowful events. I understand the shame he must feel, his creation the catalyst for each terrible event that ensues, but his whining reminds me of the Moan in "Notes from the Underground". We moan because we want to be heard, because to suffer alone is not enough. We want others to hear us; we want to cry out in agony. Frankenstein retells his unfortunate past in moans and groans, which, although understandable, make him a less pathetic and more bathetic character.
"Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world." - pg. 32
I feel that this passage reflects Victor's character (so far) very completely, in its diction and specific word choice. In the previous paragraph, Victor muses upon whether to mold his creation in his own image, mirrored by the use of "appeared" in this excerpt. Though life and death "appeared" to him to be reasonable barriers to break, appearances can be both deceiving and false. The impossibility of achieving these no doubt insurmountable odds are oddly underscored by the use of the word "first," as though Victor has even greater plans for his own intellect. This grandiose self-confidence is also evident in his belief that he is bringing "light" into a dark world, resembling a God-like figure. In undertaking the task of breathing life into an inanimate life form, Victor has taken the role of a deity - and he knows it.
“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow” (p. 31). Here Victor touches on the omnipresent fact that knowledge is power, and power is responsibility. Yet instead of warning Robert, to whom he tells the story, to be careful with knowledge, he states that he will be “happier” in a state of ignorance. His aim is not to prepare Robert for what his journey will inevitably provide, but to demand that he turn his ship around and return for his “native town”. Yet Victor knowingly allows Robert to continue on a journey to knowledge, a journey similar to the one that led to his own personal demise. Instead of taking action, Victor passively states “Learn from me”, implying that although he regrets his past actions, he does not believe his personal duty includes steering a friend away from “the acquirement of knowledge”. In this early stage of Frankenstein, Victor appears firm in opinion, but weak in action.
"So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein- more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold the deepest mysteries of creation" (33).
Agency is a fascinating concept in this book. So many times, Frankenstein says things about such-and-such terrible thing happening to him, for example, meeting M. Kempe and beginning his true scientific education is "chance- or rather [an] evil influence" (31), rather than an effect of a choice he made when he enrolled in University. This lack of agency is Frankenstein's general attitude throughout the book, most notably that his decision to create his monster was an unfortunate fate life had destined for him ("No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane" [40]). And yet in the above quote, Frankenstein actively admits to his longing for scientific greatness, saying he wants to "unfold the deepest mysteries of creation." The word "creation" has an inherently Biblical effect, causing Frankenstein to appear as an aspiring God, which he does become, in a way, when he creates his monster. Part of being God-like, however, is taking responsibility for your actions, which Frankenstein refuses to do. This quote stuck out because it contradicts a lot of what Frankenstein says about fate and demonstrates that he is, in fact, responsible for his actions.
@helenholmes (I'm not sure how else to comment on these!):
I totally agree! I'd take it one step further even by adding a Biblical connection. Science is kind of like religion because scientists, like Victor Frankenstein, are creators. The mention of "light" and "dark" reminds me of how God creates light and dark in Genesis. Based on this passage, and a few others where Victor talks about giving life, Victor almost seems to think of himself as a God, or a god of science, because he has the ability to create. Also, mentioning life and death as "ideal bounds" seems to connote that he thinks he can play with them, another God-like attribute he gives himself.
"'Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it. ...Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.'" (p. 68 - 69)
This is really the closest we get to an explanation for what Frankenstein's monster does - that his misery makes him act out in revenge or anger. But Frankenstein asserts, even when he's dying, that the monster is just innately evil, a demon who uses words to manipulate the humans around him for pity.
Are either of them right? Everyone feels lonely, but the normal reaction isn't to demand a wife and go on a murderous rampage. Then again, I don't think any human being could be as cripplingly lonely as Frankenstein's monster, who tries to love without ever being loved back. I don't know how I'd act, if I were that alone and that powerful. Is Frankenstein's monster really innately evil?
(Hannah Weller)
@clara (...is there a way to reply to other comments besides this?)
I agree completely, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. Victor lost my sympathies about halfway through the novel, because every time there was a lull in the action he filled it with moans about how his pain is worse than all other. On his "honeymoon" with Elizabeth, he thinks "Ah! it is well for the unfortunate to be resigned, but for the guilty there is no peace. The agonies of remorse poison the luxury there is otherwise sometimes found in indulging the excess of grief" (140). He basically says his pain trumps all others because he feels guilt, and accuses those who are merely 'sad' as being lucky since they can indulge in their grief. This strikes me as an extremely callous thing to say about people grieving loved ones - not to mention that in all his lamentations of how his pain is supreme, he never spares a thought for the pain of the monster.
@JuliaSpector
"So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein- more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold the deepest mysteries of creation" (33).
This quote stuck out for me too! For the same reason of it being a contradiction to Frankenstein' per-usual attitude toward desire and fate and the responsibility of his actions. I also found it interesting that he began this chapter saying "the first misfortune of my life had occurred-an omen, as it were, of my future misery"(23)(blaming outer forces for his outcome)and then at the end of the chapter, flipping to him actually being responsible for his actions. Also the fact that he describes his "soul" saying the above quote makes me believe that inside he knows that he is the cause of his "future misery", yet outwardly he blames misfortunes.
"I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on." (165)
The vulnerability in the angry self-pity of the monster at the end of the novel (when standing above Victor) evokes a motif of abortion. The monster being an abortion: an unwanted creation abandoned by its creator. The self-pity and devastation placed into his words bring the reader into the monsters inner human, which is why this stuck out to me. Its like the insecurity of being abandoned motivated the injustices he inflicted...? Victor fundamentally being the cause of the misery for himself, the town and the monster. Perhaps Victor is the true monster?
"But through the whole period during which I was the slave of my creature I allowed myself to be governed by the impulses of the moment" (111).
Victor creates this being to see if he can break the boundaries of life and death. He says earlier in the book that the joy of giving life to something, and having it be grateful to him would be amazing. Victor now is a slave of his creation, and the being does not love Victor for giving him life. This was just interesting to me, how Victor's passion to be the creator of life turned out the complete opposite.
@Cecilia
This quote stuck out to me as well. Also, later in the book Victor's creation says something along the same lines. He says, "increase of knowledge discovered to me more clearly what a wretched outcast I was" (93). The same idea here is repeated, that sometimes "ignorance is bliss". The being's increase of knowledge only gave him more pain than he had previously.
This quotation reminded me of something we learned in Euro about Petrarch. He debated whether it was best for a knowledgeable man, who took objection to the organization of society, to insert himself in public affairs or to retreat from society. Frankenstein takes a decided stance on the matter with this quotation: better to be content with your lot than to endeavor to stretch yourself beyond your powerless "nature." Throughout the book, Frankenstein's ambition is the source of his discontent. He sought to change the world, to conquer death. In fact, death conquered him and left him a shell of a man. The simple pleasures of Geneva are a far cry from the perils of the icy Arctic Ocean. The former, his warm "native town," contrasts with the latter, a cold desert that pushed him to the brink of his nature and finally overcame him. Frankenstein dies a "wretch"; had he heeded his own advice, perhaps he could have avoided his unfortunate fate.
Whoops. My quote seems to have disappeared from my answer. It was: "how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is ho believes his native town to be the world, than who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow." (30)
"'The feelings of kindness and gentleness, which i had entretained but a few moments before, gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, i vowed eternal hatred and vengence to all mankind. But the agony of my wound overcame me; my pulses paused, and i fainted,'" (101).
This quotation stuck out to me because it shows the monster's shift from gentleness to rage. What i found interesting about this quotation is that in the last sentence he is overcome by his agony, which reminded me of the end of the book. In the end he is ultimately overcome by his actions and feels remorse. He says that his 'pulses paused,' which alludes to how in the end his need for vengence stops.
@Clara
I agree that Victor's pity was at times unbearable; however, I think you are a bit unfair when think his moans resonate only in self-pity. I think he also has a powerful urge to instruct, to ward off others (in this case Walton) from pursuing a path of treacherous ambition. Yes, he moans because he needs to the world to know his life is empty, but he also moans because his life's emptiness has so ravaged him that he wishes it upon no one else. Indeed, his story has this effect: through its telling, Walton and his crew live. They return South. Walton abandons glory for the sake of a happy life. Could this have been the noble aim of Victor all along?
@aymehouston
This is an incredibly sad quotation and it stuck out to me too. I agree with you that his horrible actions where caused by his loneliness and desperation. He has the potential for good, but being rejected and abandoned by his creator made him lash out and seek vengeance. Perhaps Victor is the true moster for turning his back on his creation and causing him so much pain.
"The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit. It was a most beautiful season; never did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest, or the vines yield a more luxuriant vintage: but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature. And the same feelings which made me neglect the scenes around me caused me also to forget those friends who were so many miles absent" (33)
This quotation stuck out to me because it shows that, in trying to thwart the laws of the living, Frankenstein missed out on the pleasures of life. While death may be one of the most awful things in life, conversely life may be one of the most beautiful. In trying to create a false semblance of life, however, he experienced only a weak portion of what life has to offer: love, friendship, and even simple sustenance. It is as if, in exchange for creating life, he gave up on getting the most out of his own (as is especially represented in his following sickness). It is at this moment in his life that Frankenstein begins to realize the magnitude of his discovery, for himself and for others - it also, i believe, points to the beginning of his true madness. In giving life and motion to another, he began to give his own life and mental stability away.
"I had resolved in my own mind, that to create another like the fiend I had first made would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness; and banished from my mind every though that lead to a different conclusion."
Victor decides it is for the best if he does not give his creation his upmost desire, because to do so would be selfish. Victor thinks he is being selfless here, but isn't, because he isn't sacrificing only his own happiness, but the happiness and lives of the monsters and his friends and family. Though the monster told him of the consequences of breaking his promise, Victor looses everything, then indulges himself in trying to avenge a monstor for a decision that was ultimately his. Victor is not only selfish, but unable to accept the responsibility of acting like "god", and being a master of creation.
"This was strange and unexpected intelligence; what could it mean? Had my eyes deceived me?And was I really as mad as the whole world would believe me to be, if I disclosed the object of my suspicions?" (57)
Everything in this quotation centers around and reveals uncertainty. His original suspicion of his creature is called into question (although later proven correct), as is the reliability of his eyes and that which they perceive -in this case the evidence of the case- as well as his sanity and even the world through his use of "mad," implying an insane or unstable element. Even the form in which Victor muses on this uncertainty is, as a question, itself uncertain. This idea of uncertainty recurs throughout the novel as Shelley calls into question the assumptions and actions of every person in the book (even Victor is questioned in Ireland, and he questions himself in this quotation), especially those who demonize Victor's creation based on his countenance, which does not reflect his inner altruism, displayed in his actions towards the De Lacey family.
@clara, while I agree that Frankenstein's self-involvement undermines his character, I think you go too far, sir, in saying that it makes him a bathetic character because it is this aspect of his character that precipitates his creation of the monster and all the ensuing events. We moan not only because we want others to hear us but because we want them to moan as well; misery loves company, therefore we inspire others to moan when we do, implying an influence in moaning that defies the description "bathetic."
@iziicarter
Yes, I agree with your previous comment (not the comment on my comment, the one before). I feel, like you do, that Shelley focuses a lot on perception– perception of the self, perception of others. You found an example of Victor's influenced, perhaps skewed perception of himself. His creation's story is an example of faulty perception of others (the monster SEEMS scary, but he's actually super cool!). When Victor is falsely accused of murder on the beaches of Ireland (like Justine also was for William's murder), Victor, like the monster, is wrongly perceived. We must look further– our eyes deceive us!
"'If I were engaged in any high undertaking or design, fraught with extensive utility to my fellow-creatures, then could I live to fulfil it. But such is not my destiny; I must pursue and destroy the being to whom I gave existence; then my lot on earth will be fulfilled, and I may die.'" - pg 158
Frankenstein's motivation at the end of the novel is confusing and fascinating to me. He is just as dedicated to his task as he was when he was creating the monster (book ends!), yet feels none of the same nobility of purpose. Clearly there is the juxtaposition of live vs. die--live to further mankind, die to remove his creation from it. Ironically, had he not sought to "live," he wouldn't have had to die. Or maybe that makes perfect sense. Either way, Frankenstein displays clear fatalism that is very much in contradiction with his previous playing-god.
-Emily Wu
@Michaela What's on Victor's mind, though, is clearly his concern of what his creation might do to mankind if he were to be selfish and satisfy his monster to ensure himself a happy life. I don't think that Victor is playing the unreliable narrator here--I think he honestly believes he's doing what he thinks is altruistic. At the same time, I'm not entirely sure whether his actions were right. I think, with the stories of Frankenstein and his monster given to us, that there really was no right path, and that perhaps the one mistake was creating a monster, which there was no way to right.
@michaela
I might not go as far as saying that he is shirking his creator duties in not creating another 'monster' - he certainly thinks that he is fulfilling his duty to society by not giving his creation a match. However, I agree that to not comply with the needs of his monster Frankenstein was being extremely selfish, especially because he knew what was at stake. I think that this is the point at which he is at his worst (even though he thinks he is at his best), and at which he becomes almost worst than his creation: he almost knowingly gives up the lives of his loved ones and the happiness of his creation so he won't feel guilty on the off chance the new 'monster' will turn out to be inherently bad as he believes the original to be. Our reactions to Frankenstein's decisions leave me to wonder, however, at Robert Walton's reaction as he hears all that we are reading for the first time.
"'I expected this reception,' said the daemon. '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. You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life?"
This quotation shocks me because of the language the "daemon" uses. When Victor first sees his monster standing, he hears him mumble something unintelligible. I did not think that the creation was so intricate and that he could learn. Despite being brought into the world with no knowledge or guidance, the "daemon" shows surprising wisdom. He used words like "spurn" "dissoluble" and "annihilation". He also asks the question that Victor later struggles with for the remainder of his life: how could he play with life and death without considering its consequences? This passage makes me see Frankenstein (the creation) as more human because of the emotion he portrays and the questions he poses.
"Learn from me... how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world" (31)
This is just one of many times that we see Victor denounce the human need and desire for information as a dangerous path. He warns us of this constantly, and even warned Walton when the captain shows interest in Victor's story. Because of Victor's dramatic failings in his pursuit of knowledge, he has completely abandoned it, but this beckons the question of Henry Clervis's role in the book? He, like Victor, is on a quest for knowledge, and at the end many parallels are made between them, but Henry does not follow the same harmful path as Victor? Henry shows us that Victor's case is only an extreme, and one should moderate how much one exerts oneself in this pursuit
"Of what strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind, when it has once seized on it, like a lichen on the rock. I wished sometimes to shake off all thought and feeling; but I learned that there was but one means to overcome the sensation of pain, and that was death-a state which I feared yet did not understand"(85)
In the monster's case, ignorance is truly bliss. Frankenstein's monster yearns to have more knowledge, but with more knowledge comes more pain. The more he understands the more he hates himself. He observes the love amongst the cottagers, and becomes angrier at himself. He believes he can never have what they have because he is a horrific monster. The more he studies humankind the more differences he sees between himself and them. Also, his lack of understanding the concept of death reveals how innoncent and naive he really is.
"'But is it not a duty to the survivors that we should refrain from augmenting their unhappiness by an appearance of immoderate grief? It is also a duty owed to yourself; for excessive sorrow prevents improvement or enjoyment...'" (Pg 61)
This advice, given to Victor by his father, is pretty ironic. After the death of his mother (pg. 24), Victor says basically the same thing, but when Justine is executed, "this advice, although good was totally inapplicable to [his] case" (61). I think this illustrates the shift in Victor's character pretty well. He begins the novel a young enthusiastic boy, yet after the creation of the monster, and with the guilt of two deaths (at this point,) he becomes entirely pessimistic about, and disillusioned with, life.
“The sun might shine, or the clouds might lour; but nothing could appear to me as it had done the day before. A fiend had snatched from me every hope of future happiness: no creature had ever been so miserable as I was,” (146).
Shelley, through her couplet at the beginning of this quotation creates an extremely forlorn mood. The rhyme “lour” with “before” is extremely dreary in itself, but this mood is accentuated by the monotonous anaphora at the beginning of the quotation. Also, the alliteration “done” and “day” is very harsh and augments Frankenstein’s cold narration. Further, Shelley’s use of the image of the poor subhuman “creature” Frankenstein makes himself out to be emphasizes his excessive self pity, and thus, Shelley is almost mocking Frankenstein. Finally, Shelley demonstrates her pitying tone toward Frankenstein through Frankenstein’s completely insensitive narration. He calls the creature of his own creation a “fiend” and refuses to take responsibility and neglector as its creator. Overall, Shelley depicts Frankenstein as a miserable human being.
#@Lindsey I totally agree with you about the disillusionment aspect. I also thinks that this demonstrates Frankenstein's selfishness. As soon as he puts himself into the grief equation, he loses me as a sympathizer. I feel like the quote you picked is one of the turning points when we as the readers begin to despise Frankenstein.
"It was echoed from the Saleve, the Juras, and the Alps of Savoy; vivid flashes of lightning dazzled my eyes, illuminating the lake, making it appear like a vast sheet of fire; then for an instant every thing seemed of a pitchy darkness, until the eye recovered itself from the preceding flash." page 50
I liked this quotation because of the images it created for me. Much of the story, I felt, was simply told to me. Like, 'this happened and then this and i felt this way.' So I had a difficult time reading the story at times because I had no movie to watch in my head. Moments like this were important to me because they presented clear pictures in my mind that helped me tie events together.
@Cecilia
I definitely agree that Victor is weak in action, but I'm not entirely convinced that he is firm in opinion. It almost seems like he just doesn't care enough to be strong in either aspect, which goes back to the selfishness everyone is talking about. As you said, passiveness and nonchalance dominate the introduction to Victor's story - which I find incredibly frustrating.
@aafreenrajani
I definitely agree with your comment that knowledge brought the monster grief, but at the same time, without knowledge of compassion and humility, he never would have realized the error of his ways, which he does in the end. Also, without any knowledge, he never would have been able to communicate with or understand anyone.
@natasza
I agree with you. For a creature created by the hands of man and shunned throughout his entire existence, the monster shows a surprising capacity for knowledge and coherent thought. Coming from this viewpoint, it's definitely arguable that Frankenstein is the more flawed of the two because he can't understand that the thing he created is perhaps less vile and abhorrent than he believes. A being that can teach himself French solely by listening to people speak it, and who understands murder isn't acceptable and uses it only as a threat or last resort, is surely deserving of at least some respect and admiration, however ugly he may be.
@Nataszagawlick
I was also very suprised by how eloquently Frankenstein's monster spoke. He really took an interest in learning the language and the ways of human beings. Victor, however, took no pride in his monster's knowledge rather wanted to take away the life he created. At that point, I felt like the monster seemed more human than Victor.
"Soon a gentle light stole over the heavens, and gave me a sensation of pleasure. I started up and beheld a radiant form rise from among the trees. I gazed with a kind of wonder. It moved slowly, but it enlightened my path, and I again went out in search of berries" (71).
Frankenstein's monster is an extremely unnatural being, but he ironically, only finds comfort in nature. Also, nature seems to connect Frankenstein and his monster. Both find happiness and peace in nature when the human world has caused them grief. Nature is also connected to both characters. The nature imagery often reflects the emotions of the characters. In this quotation, the imagery describing the moon creates a sense of awe and wonder, reflecting the emotions of Frankenstein's monster. Perhaps the monster's connection with nature suggests that he is not as unnatural as his creator believes him to be.
@kathysun
I agree that there seems to be a connection between the monster and nature. Frankstein's escape was into nature so that he could be surrounded by it's grandeur and attempt to be at peace, forgetting his problems. It is at these moments, however, that the monster appears. The terrifying stature of Frankenstein's creation can compete with even the grandeur of the Alps, which he easily scales. Only in nature are there forces as overwhelming as the monster.
"Such were the professor's words--rather let me say such the words of the fate, enounced to destroy me. As he went on, I felt as if my soul were grappling with a palpable enemy; one by one the various keys were touched which formed the mechanism of my being: chord after chord was sounded, and soon my mind was filled with one thought, one conception, one purpose. So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein,--more, far more, will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation" (28).
Here Frankenstein blames one of his antagonists, M. Krempe, for the idea of creating a monster. Shelley uses the word fate to show that Frankenstein's decision is beyond his control, yet she also defends his virtue by saying he is "grappling with a palpable enemy." Shelley proves he is truly "grappling," by using the metaphor of a piano to describe Frankenstein's soul. Each word Krempe utters enrages Frankenstein, thus striking "chord after chord" within him, until he is determined to prove Krempe wrong. This passage foreshadows the thought process of the future monster; he too struggles to stay rational, yet insults and judgments drive him to one purpose. The only difference is in the purposes themselves; Frankenstein resolves to create life, while the monster resolves to destroy it.
--Annie
"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!--Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour a the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips." (35)
The reaction that Victor has to his creation is not something that we would expect while reading up to this point. He has been intrigued by creating life from a lifeless being, yet does not seem to take pride or any joy from what he has created. Is it that Victor is afraid of his creation because he now sees that he has brought a lifeless thing back to life and has created a "monster" or is Victor excited that he has created new life, but that since it is not perfect it won't be accepted by anyone else?
"Nothing is more painful to the human mind than, after the feelings have been worked up by a quick succession of events, the dead calmness of inaction and certainty which follows and deprives the soul both of hope and fear" (Page 61).
The book Frankenstein explores many different types of pain, both physical and mental. While there are many deaths in the book, including that of Frankenstein himself, it is often the mental pain that is more painful and lasting. Frankenstein spends much of his life in this state of inaction, having to cope with the unintentional, yet brutal consequences of his invention.
@ Lauren
I agree that Frankenstein has "blind selfishness" when he makes his discovery. If he so easily "unlocked the mysteries of creation," then perhaps Shelley is hinting that other naïve scientists may have done the same before him. Are other monsters similar to Frankenstein's wandering the world? If there aren't, how did everyone but Frankenstein manage to get the memo not to mess with creation?
@Lauren
I completely agree in the fact that Frankenstein uses the knew scientific knowledge he obtained in order to try and surpass and even, perhaps, create a bigger impact than his earlier masters had. He,as you said, "aggressively proceeds with the creation of the creature that he would come to dread," and from this he seems to be confused as to how to react after creating life. After aggressively setting out to create his creature and thus succeeding, he goes into a state of shock in which he did not foresee because of his spur of the moment antics.
@Annie
I agree with your claim that the piano acts as a metaphor. I think Shelley uses this to set the tone of the passage as well. Her use of parallelism and semi colons create a forced beat, giving it a rhythmic tone. Also, for all the punctuation she uses in the passage, she barely uses any periods, giving the passage a running, on going beat, like music.
"When I run over the frightful catalogue of my sins, I cannot believe that I am the same creature whose thoughts were once filled with sublime and transcendent visions of the beauty and the majesty of goodness. But it is even so; the fallen angel becomes a malignant devil. Yet even that enemy of God and man had friends and associates in his desolation; I am alone."
In this passage, the monster compares his situation to that of an angel and devil. Born with an innocent mind, and entranced by the visions and sounds of the world, the monster eventually turned to evil, becoming the devil, as he discovered the harshness of man. Yet the monster exemplifies his unfortunate situation further by pointing out that even the devil has friends, while the monster must live alone without companion. In this way, the monster is truly alone, a species unlike any other.
*ksgagen is Tricia Ho (I'm on someone else's account)
@Robin
I feel like the monster's mental pain is especially apparent, but also unique to him. He suffers from this hatred toward his creator, but he also feels some sympathy towards him, as he similarly suffers from pain, though the monster is the cause of it. Yet he also has this hatred because Frankestein is to thank for most of his pain.
Quotation: "I was at first touched by the expressions of his misery; yet, when I called to mind what Frankenstein had said of his powers of eloquence and persuasion, and when I again cast my eyes on the lifeless form of my friend, indignation was rekindled within me."
Here, the narrator displays the fine line that makes the monster distinct from human beings. He assumes that the monster does not actually feel these bad feelings, solely based on the evidence of his creator. He quickly jumps to conclusion, condemning the monster because he believes his words come from "eloquence" rather than true emotions. Thus, I think Shellley conveys how human beings themselves do not have some supreme moral compass entirely better than the monster's.
"Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect...I was wretched, helpless, and alone. Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me" (92).
This quotation really gets at the core of the monster's character and the dilemma with which it is associated. Since the novel is woven together by so many different narrators, each having his own motives and biases, it is impossible to directly get an objective view on any character. The monster, in particular, floats between these two identities, which he discovered by reading "Paradise Lost." It's hard to say; is the monster Adam, Frankenstein's helpless creation, not to be blamed for his actions? Or is he Satan, an abandoned, vengeful demon hell-bent on destruction? I'm sure the answers lies somewhere between.
@Mary-
I think you were dead on when you wrote that. As the novel goes on, Victor's internal contradictions become more and more convoluted. At the beginning, perhaps he cares more about his own honor than the benefit of mankind, and when he realizes the horror of his creation, the feelings are reversed. It is no longer honor and glory he seeks, but culpability and hatred for his failure that he avoids. He feels unbearably guilty for letting Justine die because of his cowardice and reluctance to reveal the monster, but he is too self-involved to tell the truth.
@ Joseph Julius / Daniel Bender Stern
Walton’s assumption is not so much that the monster can’t feel those emotions (though it is entirely possible that he believes that, too), but that he doesn’t, and that he’s speaking so as to represent himself as pathetic and remorseful when he really is not. Thus, some sort of “eloquence” is not spouting out these words, but the monster is, in Walton’s mind, using his eloquence as a tool to mislead.
This is really more of a fear than a certainty. Walton is afraid that the monster is lying to him, and doesn’t want to let his dead friend down by listening to and believing the monster when Frankenstein explicitly told him not to. He initially feels “compassion” for the monster, but remembers Frankenstein’s warning and stops to “gather resolution” to reproach him. Thus, Walton’s anger towards the monster is not natural, but forced. He takes pains to create it as a duty towards his dead friend
@clara
thanks girl!
"'As the night advanced, a fierce wind arose from the woods and quickly dispersed the clouds that had loitered in the heavens; the blast tore along like a mighty avalanche and produced a kind of insanity in my spirits that burst all bounds of reason and reflection. I lighted the dry branch of a tree and danced with fury around the devoted cottage, my eyes still fixed on the western horizon, the edge of which the moon nearly touched. As part of its orb was at length hid, I waved my brand; it sank, and with a loud scream I fired the straw, the heath, and bushes, which I had collected.'"
Maddened with rage and self loathing, the monster begins his descent into criminality with an act of arson. He wants to purge away all reminder of the cottagers who, he feels, betrayed him. He still won't harm people, but this open fury signifies a turning point in the monster's life. The moon may represent the hope he once held in his dark, secret existence, but now he knows it is gone.
“Even if they were to leave Europe, and inhabit the deserts of the new world, yet one of the first results of those sympathies for which the demon thirsted would be children, and a race of devils would be propagated upon the earth, who might make the very existence of the species of man a condition precarious and full of terror. Had I a right, for my own benefit, to inflict this curse upon everlasting generations? I had before been moved by the sophisms of the being I had created; I had been struck senseless by his fiendish threats: but now, for the first time, the wickedness of my promise burst upon me; I shuddered to think that future ages might curse me as their pest, whose selfishness had not hesitated to buy its own peace at the price, perhaps, of the existence of the whole human race.” (121)
Frankenstein’s reasoning here confirms that he is, in fact, a more or less selfless man. He created his monster, he leads us to believe, largely for the benefit of others, and he now refuses him a bride for the benefit of humanity. Though it ends up costing him his relatives, he thinks it will cost him his life. He thinks, therefore, that he is sacrificing his life for the good of humanity. Though there are elements of selfishness in all of these motives (ambition in the monster’s creation, fear of humanity’s hatred of him in his destruction of the female monster, and desire for redemption in his pursuit of the monster to the Arctic), there are elements of selfishness in everything anyone has ever done, and his actions seem to have very little of it. Therefore, his mistakes are the result of carelessness and stupidity, not anything self-serving.
"Oh, Frankenstein, be not equitable to every other and trample upon me alone, to whom thy justice, and even thy clemency and affection is most due. Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thy drivest from joy for no misdeed." (69)
Frankenstein's monster is no simple scientific creation. He wants to be like Adam, with Frankenstein as his ruler and protector. Going even further, the monster desires Frankenstein's human affection. In return, he offers complete loyalty. The monster feels that he and Frankenstein are bound to one another- creator and creation.
The monster's emotional desires, along with his anger at his master for trying to escape their bond, make him seem distinctly human.
@robinberk
The story of Frankenstein is largely based around the psychological impacts of the initial events. Both Frankenstein and his monster do what they do because of Frankenstein's earlier decisions. If the monster had not found itself alone in the beginning of its life, the plot would have been entirely different.
"Of what a strange nature is knowledge!It clings to the mind, when it has once seized on it, like a lichen on the rock." p. 85
This is when Frankenstein first realizes that he is a "wretched" creature, doomed to be despised and alone in the world. Once he makes this realization, he cannot forget it. I think this is a great reflection on the sometimes awefulness of truth. Maybe the thought is not even true, but it is interesting how a certain idea can stick to the mind like lichen, no matter how much the mind wishes to believe the opposite of the idea.
@LaurenA
Not only does the monster believe that Frankenstein owes his creation clemency and freindship, but also that Frankenstein owes him a companion. This further extends the parallel with his desire to be Adam, for whose company God created Eve, instead of the fallen angel who is despised and deprived from all Joy.
I think my response to another's comment didn't go through, so here it goes again:
@Hannah Weller
I definitely agree that the monster's genuine character is never concretely established throughout the novel. We are constantly seeing both sides of the matter: the monster insisting that he's innately good, and Frankenstein insisting that he simply uses his eloquence to ingratiate himself. At points, the monster's actions do lead to questions though: why is he so passionate about his life, yet curse his creator? Naturally he is lonely, but like you said Hannah, loneliness usually doesn't result in such radical action. Maybe his mercurial nature can be attributed to his age--he is only a couple years old, and therefore has very little knowledge of how he should act.
This is embarrassingly late but:
"Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator; he was allowed to converse with and acquire knowledge from beings of a superior nature: but I was wretched, helpless, and alone."
This passage shows why the creature turned murderous. Without Frankenstein, his creator, he doesn't understand how to survive in the world. While Adam was civilized by God and the angels in Paradise Lost, he has to hide in the shadows and watch the De Laceys to understand human culture. As a Creator, Frankenstein had an obligation to his creature. By turning his back on that obligation he is responsible for all the deaths that follow, including his own.
@ Dylan
But isn't it selfish of him to assume that Frankenstein will come after him? Does he really have the right to sacrifice his friends' lives without their consent? I suppose it could tie into stupidity, but it seems selfish of him not to give Clerval and Elizabeth a heads up.
@Hannah
I completely agree with you saying that your quote definetly defines why the Monster acts as he does. Also I think that Shelley is clearly trying to show that the Monster isn't actually evil, and that Frankenstein is getting his because he didn't play the proper father/ God role to the Monster as he should have.
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