Emily Wang
McGoorty
Block 3/4
February 17, 2017
Killing with Kindness
Villains of harrowing tales of love and destruction, embodiments of hatred and greed, are often the characters chosen to be the destructive end of the protagonist. Yet when a gentle, caring, and selfless mother is illustrated as the source of terrible devastation, it makes readers question their own prejudice. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses the characterization of Caroline Frankenstein in order to establish the essential root of Victor’s ambitious actions, highlighting that the most selfless prove to be the figures that inflict the most damage.
Shelley uses indirect characterization to reveal Caroline’s selfless nature, describing the source of Victor’s obsession with life and the beginning his undoing. Victor recounts his first tragedy to when Elizabeth fell sick, and his mother, despite numerous warnings, upon hearing “that the life of her favorite was menaced […] attended her sickbed; her watchful attentions triumphed over the malignity of the distemper” (28). Shelley indirectly characterizes Caroline as a …show more content…
Victor then describes her passing, explaining that “she [had] died calmly, and her countenance expressed affection even in death. I need not describe the feelings of those whose dearest ties are rent by that most irreparable evil, the void that presents itself to the soul” (29). Shelley continues to reveals Caroline’s character by using words such as “calmly” and “affection” to depict her gentle nature; she follows this description with words such as “evil” and “void” to describe Victor’s feelings. This significant contrast illustrates the detrimental effects of Caroline’s angelic and selfless nature on Victor. When Caroline dies, she leaves a void in Victor—this void is what eventually manifests into his obsession with life, ultimately leading to the growth of his dangerous
McGoorty
Block 3/4
February 17, 2017
Killing with Kindness
Villains of harrowing tales of love and destruction, embodiments of hatred and greed, are often the characters chosen to be the destructive end of the protagonist. Yet when a gentle, caring, and selfless mother is illustrated as the source of terrible devastation, it makes readers question their own prejudice. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses the characterization of Caroline Frankenstein in order to establish the essential root of Victor’s ambitious actions, highlighting that the most selfless prove to be the figures that inflict the most damage.
Shelley uses indirect characterization to reveal Caroline’s selfless nature, describing the source of Victor’s obsession with life and the beginning his undoing. Victor recounts his first tragedy to when Elizabeth fell sick, and his mother, despite numerous warnings, upon hearing “that the life of her favorite was menaced […] attended her sickbed; her watchful attentions triumphed over the malignity of the distemper” (28). Shelley indirectly characterizes Caroline as a …show more content…
Victor then describes her passing, explaining that “she [had] died calmly, and her countenance expressed affection even in death. I need not describe the feelings of those whose dearest ties are rent by that most irreparable evil, the void that presents itself to the soul” (29). Shelley continues to reveals Caroline’s character by using words such as “calmly” and “affection” to depict her gentle nature; she follows this description with words such as “evil” and “void” to describe Victor’s feelings. This significant contrast illustrates the detrimental effects of Caroline’s angelic and selfless nature on Victor. When Caroline dies, she leaves a void in Victor—this void is what eventually manifests into his obsession with life, ultimately leading to the growth of his dangerous