Cole 1 Frankenstein Literary Analysis Victor Victor Frankenstein, Shelley’s fictitious, science-loving character in her novel Frankenstein, Frankenstein, presses “how angerous is the ac!uire"ent of knowlege an how "uch happier that a "an is who #elieves his h is native town to #e the worl, than he who aspires to #eco"e greater than his nature will allow$ %Shelley &'() *uring Sh elley’s ti"e, when evolution was "aking its e#ut an science was #eginning to take preceence over religion, Shelley’s novel personifie all of the people’s fears, hopes, an rea"s through the creation of Victor Victor Frankenstein’s creature) +n Frankenstein +n Frankenstein,, #y ary Shelley, the author co"pares an contrasts Victor Victor Frankenstein an his creation with the Judeo-Christian the Judeo-Christian Bible’s Bible’s l .esta"ent story of /o an Aa" using the creation story, the creations’ re#ellion, an the repercussions that followe to illustrate how the esire to know all ulti"ately leas to eath) ne way that Shelley co"pares co "pares an contrasts Victor Victor Frankenstein an his creature with the l .esta"ent story of /o an Aa" is through the creation story) 0ach creator an creation has their own story to tell, as seen through Shelley’s use of concentric layers) Victor’s Victor’s story starts with a love for science an a passion to learn) +t is this un#rile passion that leas hi" to create) “2e3 thought that if he3 coul co ul #estow ani"ation upon lifeless "atter, he3 "ight in process of ti"e renew life where eath ha apparently evote the #oy # oy to corruption$ %Shelley &4() 2is passion to learn an e5pe ri"ent in "atters concerning life "ight have #een provoke #y efforts to #ring his ea "other #ack, an uring a ti"e of great scientific e5ploration it see"e as if anything were possi#le) p ossi#le) +n the sa"e way wa y Victor’s Victor’s esires guie his actions, ary Shelley "ight also have #een #e en e5pressing her esires for the renewe life of h er ea son through the creation of this novel, which gave hope hop e to the reality of renewe life uring a ti"e of scientific avance"ent) Little i Victor know that #y creating this creature he was
Cole 6 unleashing a hellish "onster, spawne out of his own hunger for kn owlege, that woul lea own a estructive path an ulti"ately to eath) Si"ilarly, Si"ilarly, /o create a "an as well) Although #oth creators, /o an Victor, use unusual "aterials to construct their creations, the reasoning #ehin their creations were very ifferent) As As state earlier, Victor Victor create his creature as a sort of science e5peri"ent that he hope woul provie insight to "atters concerning life) Contrarily, after creating Aa", Aa", “the Lor /o took the "an, an put hi" into the garen of 0en to ress it an to keep it King %King James Version Version,, /en) 6)17() /o create "an, Aa", to #e in relationship with 2i"self an to rule over all of creation) .his huge responsi#ility given to Aa" shows that /o ha a purpose for his life an truste an love Aa" very "uch) Although Victor’s Victor’s creature an Aa" see" e5ceeingly ifferent at this point, Aa" is far fro" perfect an will turn fro" /o in iso#eience) 2is costly "istake, "ae #y the esire for wiso", will lea to the perpetual eath of all of hu"anity) hu "anity) A secon way that Shelley co"pares an contrasts Victor an his creature with the l .esta"ent .esta"ent story of /o an Aa" is through the creations’ re#ellion) After After spening hours upon hours in his la#oratory, Victor, Victor, upon first sight of what he has create i""eiately re8ects his creation an flees) .he creature he has create then sets out on a 8ourney to fin his own ientity) 9hen an atte"pt to 8oin the *e Lacey fa"ily fails, he respons with a heart he art of revenge an sets out to fin his creator Victor Victor Frankenstein) 9hile searching for Victor Victor he co"es into contact an kills Victor’s Victor’s younger #rother 9illia", an sets up :ustine to #e #la"e an hange for the cri"e) Frankenstein’s creature has thus starte his killing spree to, in a sense, get #ack at Victor Victor for creating an re8ecting hi") Later in the novel Victor Victor is overco"e #y guilt) “2e3 calls3 hi"self3 the "urerer of 9illia", 9illia", of :ustine, an of Clerval$ %Shelley 1;1(, an soon he will
Cole & call hi"self the "urerer of 0li
y one #ite, Aa", oo"e the worl to eath through the creation of original sin, that woul plague generations genera tions to co"e) 9as it the enial of one entity that Aa" felt was essential to his ientity that le hi" to #ehave in such a "anor? >loo" see"s to think that the enial of one entity, a relationship with his creator, is what le Frankenstein’s creature to wreak havo c on those close to Victor) Victor) >loo" writes that it is this initial re8ection an avoiance that le “the "onster, create #y artificial "eans in the la#oratory an a#anone in the hour of his #irth at the sight of his frightening aspect, to #eco"e3 a #eing co ne"ne to loneliness an re8ection fro" all who look upon hi"$ %>loo" &() Again, the #la"e is #eing cast onto Victor Victor for his esire to gain knowlege, an isinterest in the creatures e"otional well-#eing) +n the sa"e way, it was also Aa"’s esire esire for wiso" that le hi" to eat fro" the for#ien tree in the garen, resulting in the creation of original sin, which is eternal separation fro" /o, an ulti"ately eath) A thir way that Shelley co"pares an contrasts Victor an his creation with /o an Aa" is through the repercussions that followe the creations’ actions) actions) After Frankenstein’s creature has co"plete his killing spree with the taking of 0li
Cole "isery, until he or + shall perish in "ortal conflict ) ) )$$ %Shelley 1';() After Victor speaks these wors, he ensues on a 8ourney to en what he starte) Victor’s Victor’s heart, now full of a new passion, revenge, will soon take a toll on hi", an eventual lea to his own eath) Aa"’s ening, however, is very ifferent when co"pare to Victor’s Victor’s an his creature) .he efinitive ening for #oth Frankenstein an his creature is eath) 2owever, the ening for Aa" an all of hu"anity is life, if one on e so chooses it) Although the entire worl is oo"e to eath #ecause of Aa"’s Aa"’s sin, /o steps in an sens 2is son to #ear the worl’s sins sins on the cross, an to pay the e#t owe) “For /o so love the worl that he gave his only #egotten Son, that whosoever #elieveth in hi" shoul not no t perish, #ut have everlasting life)$ % King King James Version, Version, :ohn &)1;() .his feat shown #y # y /o is a father’s love in action) >rackett states that Shelley’s novel “at its si"plest ) ) ) is a re#uke of fathers who refuse to take responsi#ility for their chilren$ %>rackett 6() .his #eing sai, it is clear to see that Frankenstein’s o#vious re8ection of his creation an hatre towars his creation possi#ly coul have #een the cause for the way the story ene) +n the en, it’s easier easier to #elieve that Victor Victor Frankenstein has "ore in co""on with Aa", than with /o, who" he trie to play) >oth Frankenstein an Aa" Aa" were searching for knowlege when they foun eath) Aa" was searching for knowlege fro" “the tree of the knowlege of goo an evil$ when he foun eath ea th in the sin that was cast onto all a ll of hu"anity) Likewise, Victor Victor Frankenstein foun eath in his passion to know all in the "atters concerning life, ulti"ately ruining not only his life, #ut his love ones as well) any people say that the >i#le is 8ust a #ook fille with stories, #ut even if were 8ust a #ook, the lessons it teaches ring with truth on how to hanle pro#le"s that hu"anity faces toay) >y using the :ueo-Christian >i#le to co"pare an contrast the l .esta"ent .esta"ent story of /o aan n Aa" to Victor Victor Frankenstein
Cole 7 an his creature, Shelley incorporate a ti"eless piece of history that has stoo as a re"iner to all that the en result in the pursuit of o"niscience is eath)
Cole ; 9orks Cite >loo", 2arol, e) “>ackgroun to Frankenstein to Frankenstein)$ )$ Frankenstein Frankenstein,, >loo"’s /uies) Bew orkD Chelsea 2ouse Eu#lishing, 6=) Bloom’ 6=) Bloom’ss Literature Literature)) Facts n File, +nc) 9e#) 6 ar) 617) httpDGGwww)fofwe#)co"Gactivelink6)asp? +te"+*H90&IS+*HIiEinH>/Fr&ISingleJecorH.rue)) +te"+*H90&IS+*HIiEinH>/Fr&ISingleJecorH.rue >rackett, Virginia) Virginia) “ Frankenstein)$ Frankenstein)$ Facts Facts On File Companion to the British Novel Beginnings through the !"th Centur#, Centur#, vol) 1) Bew orkD orkD Facts n File, +nc), 6;) 6 ;) Bloom’ Bloom’ss Literature) Literature) Facts n File, +nc) 9e#) 6 ar) 617) httpDGGwww)fofwe#)co"Gactivelink6)asp? +te"+*H90&IS+*HIiEinHC>B+166ISingleJecorH.rue)) +te"+*H90&IS+*HIiEinHC>B+166ISingleJecorH.rue King James Version Version)) >i#le /ateway) B)p), n)) 9e#) 6 ar) 617) httpsDGGwww)#i#legateway)co"G)) httpsDGGwww)#i#legateway)co"G Shelley, ary) Frankenstein ary) Frankenstein)) A >anta" Classic 0) e) Bew orkD orkD >anta", 14'1) 14' 1) Erint)