The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a masterpiece that explores the fascination of creating human life from nothing. Since this book was published in 1818, there have been many different recreations of the story throughout these past centuries. The movie Victor Frankenstein directed by Paul McGuigan is one recreation made in 2015 that has an interesting take on the characters in Shelley’s story. Although the film and novel share the same general plot, the movie loosely follows the novel's characters, creating many similarities and differences between the two. Dr. Victor Frankenstein is one character that has many different qualities in the film and novel. In the novel, Frankenstein wants to create life because he is infatuated
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Both Frankenstein's are brilliant in the field of science, and show a great deal of dedication to their experiments of creating life. They also think very highly of themselves for attempting the improbable. Shelley’s Victor fantasises about the glory he would receive: “Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and poor a torrent of light in our dark world. A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me” (55). He fancies the thought of being seen as a God to a new species. McGuigan's Victor implies the same idea at the end of the movie when he says, “There’s no Satan. No God. Only humanity. Only me!” He challenges that there are no supernatural beings that will reward or punish a person after death. Throughout the movie, he preaches that life is temporary, so death can be, too. He implies that he has a power greater than any other fictional …show more content…
The novel not only tells Victor’s side of the story, but the monsters as well. If the reader only read Victor’s side of the story, they would understand that he is just a man who has experienced many tragedies in his life, including the deaths of his loved ones. From this one perspective, the creation is seen as a danger to society. In volume two, Shelley enlightens the readers with the creations perspective. After being brought into this world, he is forced to learn how to survive on his own. The monster was not born evil, he was made evil overtime because of society's inability to accept the different. Humanity is what sent him on his path for revenge. In McGuigan’s version, both the creations did not stay alive for a long period of time, and they were not as intelligent nor as kind as the monster in the novel. This rendition of the story is not successful in gaining the viewers sympathy for the monster because it portrays the creation as a violent being. Another interesting difference was at the end of the movie when Victor is writing a letter to Igor saying that he knows where he went wrong and he may one day summon him which entails that Victor is still fixed on creating life, whereas in the novel, Victor hates what he created and ends up
Both Frankenstein's are brilliant in the field of science, and show a great deal of dedication to their experiments of creating life. They also think very highly of themselves for attempting the improbable. Shelley’s Victor fantasises about the glory he would receive: “Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and poor a torrent of light in our dark world. A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me” (55). He fancies the thought of being seen as a God to a new species. McGuigan's Victor implies the same idea at the end of the movie when he says, “There’s no Satan. No God. Only humanity. Only me!” He challenges that there are no supernatural beings that will reward or punish a person after death. Throughout the movie, he preaches that life is temporary, so death can be, too. He implies that he has a power greater than any other fictional …show more content…
The novel not only tells Victor’s side of the story, but the monsters as well. If the reader only read Victor’s side of the story, they would understand that he is just a man who has experienced many tragedies in his life, including the deaths of his loved ones. From this one perspective, the creation is seen as a danger to society. In volume two, Shelley enlightens the readers with the creations perspective. After being brought into this world, he is forced to learn how to survive on his own. The monster was not born evil, he was made evil overtime because of society's inability to accept the different. Humanity is what sent him on his path for revenge. In McGuigan’s version, both the creations did not stay alive for a long period of time, and they were not as intelligent nor as kind as the monster in the novel. This rendition of the story is not successful in gaining the viewers sympathy for the monster because it portrays the creation as a violent being. Another interesting difference was at the end of the movie when Victor is writing a letter to Igor saying that he knows where he went wrong and he may one day summon him which entails that Victor is still fixed on creating life, whereas in the novel, Victor hates what he created and ends up