Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a horror story revolving around Victor Frankenstein’s obsession for success and science. Born out of great scientific knowledge and months of ardent dedication, the Creature should have been the pride of his creator, Frankenstein. However, Frankenstein is blinded by a scientific education; his ignorance of moral implications allows him to create life carelessly and pursue a god-like figure. Unable to face the consequences of his actions, Frankenstein rushes away, horrified by his “wretched monster” (Shelley 59), thus depriving the Creature of any paternal guidance and happiness in life. As a stark contrast from Frankenstein’s egoistic tendencies produced by his scientific education, Creature develops a desire
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Adhering to scientific protocol, Frankenstein describes the Creature as a failed experiment incapable of any thoughts or emotion. Similar to how Charles Percy Snow, a Cambridge physicist, claims, “material wealth is a benchmark of success” (qtd. in McAllister 12), Frankenstein does not consider his experiments progress unless they produce “beautiful,” “proportional” products, so he imposes high superficial expectations for the Creature. When his effort is not an apparent success, Frankenstein shifts his tone, from self-entitlement for his pursuit of the “study and desire of the wisest men” (Shelley 53) to self-pity for his “infinite pains and cares” (Shelley 58). He attempts to direct the audience’s sympathy towards himself while creating an aura of disgust towards the Creature. Rather than focusing on the humanity of the Creature, Frankenstein portrays only physical discrepancies between his theoretically beautiful experiment and his monster. As a result, readers are shocked at the Creature’s eloquence and intelligence when he begins his narration. He alludes to Paradise Lost, The Sorrows of Young Werther, and Plutarch’s Lives, which were carefully chosen by Shelley to magnify how the Creature’s identity intertwines with his literature and contrasts with the depiction in Frankenstein’s narration. Plutarch’s Life taught him about society and its moral pillars while The Sorrows of Young Werther prompts him to question his identity and destiny. In Paradise Lost, he learned that his isolation is a result of exile, similar to Satan (Shelley 131). The Creature cultivates a unique perspective of society and redefines Frankenstein’s progress as “critical analysis of precisely these developments” (McAllister 12). Using his education, the Creature begins to understand the moral implications of Frankenstein’s
Adhering to scientific protocol, Frankenstein describes the Creature as a failed experiment incapable of any thoughts or emotion. Similar to how Charles Percy Snow, a Cambridge physicist, claims, “material wealth is a benchmark of success” (qtd. in McAllister 12), Frankenstein does not consider his experiments progress unless they produce “beautiful,” “proportional” products, so he imposes high superficial expectations for the Creature. When his effort is not an apparent success, Frankenstein shifts his tone, from self-entitlement for his pursuit of the “study and desire of the wisest men” (Shelley 53) to self-pity for his “infinite pains and cares” (Shelley 58). He attempts to direct the audience’s sympathy towards himself while creating an aura of disgust towards the Creature. Rather than focusing on the humanity of the Creature, Frankenstein portrays only physical discrepancies between his theoretically beautiful experiment and his monster. As a result, readers are shocked at the Creature’s eloquence and intelligence when he begins his narration. He alludes to Paradise Lost, The Sorrows of Young Werther, and Plutarch’s Lives, which were carefully chosen by Shelley to magnify how the Creature’s identity intertwines with his literature and contrasts with the depiction in Frankenstein’s narration. Plutarch’s Life taught him about society and its moral pillars while The Sorrows of Young Werther prompts him to question his identity and destiny. In Paradise Lost, he learned that his isolation is a result of exile, similar to Satan (Shelley 131). The Creature cultivates a unique perspective of society and redefines Frankenstein’s progress as “critical analysis of precisely these developments” (McAllister 12). Using his education, the Creature begins to understand the moral implications of Frankenstein’s