Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley
In the novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley paints an image of a man who, driven by the desire to attain knowledge, creates a veritable monster. This man is Victor Frankenstein and is far from the flat characters of many modern-day novels; in fact, he shows many aspects of a deep personality, making him a very realistic character in that, like most human beings, he is neither wholly good nor wholly evil but has good intentions which, because of his flaws, result in his undoing. Throughout the main sections of the story - his initial family life, his time at Ingolstadt, and the time of and period after the creation of the Creature - Frankenstein's faceted personality is revealed to the reader as he describes his reactions to different events. During his blissful childhood and early teenage years, five base characteristics of Frankenstein's personality are revealed which provide a foundation for his actions later on in the story. The first of these which we see is his optimism toward his family. Most only children, when faced with the possibility of losing the full attention of their parents, become envious of that which takes the attention away from them. This is not the case with Victor: When Elizabeth is
His desire to create the monster is spurred mainly by arrogance. He lies in bed for months after the creation of the monster, delusional and feverish. He states that there were times when his temper was violent and his "passions vehement. When innocent Justine Moritz is executed for William's death, Frankenstein says nothing; he continues his silence even after his beloved Clerval is murdered, still fearing being labeled insane. Despite his love and geniality for his family, Frankenstein shows an aversion to socializing with those outside of his household. One other characteristic revealed by Frankenstein's time at Ingolstadt is his indefatigable thirst for knowledge. He refuses to believe his father's low opinion of Agrippa because the older man did not appear to be "acquainted with [the book's] contents. He admits this introversion himself early on in his narrative, speaking of himself as a young child: "It was my temper to avoid a crowd, and attach myself fervently to a few. " He quenches his thirst for knowledge in the only manner that is accessible to him: Reading outdated texts on natural philosophy by long-dead scientists, namely Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnus. After meeting Clerval in town and returning to his apartment, Frankenstein is relieved that the monster seems to have disappeared. Krempe, a professor of natural philosophy, whom he sees as conceited because Krempe so ardently refutes the work of Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Magnus. He also speaks of how miserable he is during the time which Justine is on trial and waiting to be executed, as he knows of her innocence but is too afraid to speak of it. He has an extremely multi-faceted personality which, while he tries to do good things for himself and his family, eventually leads to the doom of them all. Waldman when he describes modern scientists as powerful miracle workers, it can be inferred that Frankenstein prefers grandeur to reality. " Frankenstein goes on: "No word, no expression could body forth the kind of relation in which she stood to me - my more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only.
Common topics in this essay:
Justine Clerval,
Frankenstein's Ingolstadt,
Geneva Ingolstadt,
Paracelsus Magnus,
Victor Frankenstein,
Creature Creature,
Albertus Magnus,
Caroline Frankenstein,
Creature Frankenstein's,
Ingolstadt Despite,
natural philosophy,
agrippa paracelsus,
agrippa paracelsus magnus,
kill creature,
paracelsus magnus,
thirst knowledge,
victor frankenstein,
william's death,
personality revealed,
creation creature,
desire learn,
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Acceptance Essays
