Masculinity In Frankenstein

“The names we’ll give to the canals and mountains and cities will fall like so much water on the back of a mallard. No matter how we touch Mars, we’ll never touch it. And then we’ll rip it up, rip the skin off, and change it to fit ourselves.” What makes a villain a villain? Is it their complete insanity, or inexplicable behavior? Or do these attributes make them the victim? The victim, who may be seen as a madman, is quite neurotic in their actions, similarly to prey when it is being hunted. And like the prey’s behavior while it keeps watch for the anticipated predator, the behavior of the victim can seem temperamental. Regardless of what makes a character good or evil, if a reader is attracted to that character’s nature, then that character …show more content…
Spender was a rouge victim to the majority when he made the choice to show civility for Mars rather than show disrespect like his crew did. In this chapter when him and his crew arrived the men threw a party and got drunk. One of the men started to drop his empty bottles into a canal. This caused Spender to lose his temper and punch the man. Captain Wilder laters asks Spender why he did this. Spender responds by saying “I don’t know. I was ashamed. Of Biggs and us and the noise. Christ, what a spectacle.’ ‘It’s been a long trip. They’ve got to have their fling.’‘Where’s their respect, sir? Where’s their sense of the right thing?” Next, Spender fell victim to his mind when he gave into his thoughts of revenge on the crew, rather than weighing his decision first with his heart. In this same chapter Spender eventually realizes that he is in the wrong, when after killing the men he begins to get shaken up. “Now Spender swayed. He put his hand to his sweating face. He glanced at the rocket and suddenly began to shake all over. He almost fell, the physical reaction was so overwhelming. His face held an expression of one awakening from hypnosis, from a dream. He sat down for a moment and told the shaking to go away.” And finally, he was a victim, because he fought for what he believed in, that is the …show more content…
Spendor not only showed courtesy to the culture on Mars, by choosing not to pollute the planet, but he showed an abundance of adoration for their way of life when he took time to understand the culture. Spender read their books, looked at their artforms, read the old writings, and translated the Martian language when he stayed in a valley on Mars. Instead of being like the Earth men who would not take the time to learn the proper names of places, like Spender mentions to Wilder in the book. Rather they would make Mars into a place that is comfortable and familiar, they will never grasp the wonders that Mars has to offer. Spender makes the perfect assertion to this, when he says “The names we’ll give to the canals and mountains and cities will fall like so much water on the back of a mallard. No matter how we touch Mars, we’ll never touch it. And then we’ll rip it up, rip the skin off, and change it to fit ourselves.” Spender took the time to see what Mars had to offer. For example when he took Captain Wilder to one of the small villages he showed him how the martian culture was able to merge religion, and science together, so that they reinforce one another. Unlike Earth, where these two things tend to go against one another. Spender is a venerable, because he valued individuality over conformity. In chapter seven Spender was able to make a big impression