Role Of Human Emotion In Frankenstein

Improved Essays
Human emotion. Scientists have been studing it for centuries, exploring the vast areas if the human brain. People have tried to understand how human emotional responses work. They've tried to mimic them as well, but have failed to do so. In Mary Shellys fictional sci-fi novel, Frankenstein, a bright but obsessvive scientist named Victor Frankentsein breaks the bounds of nature. He creates a unappealing human-like monster that he immediately despises. When Victor first sees his creation, the monster, he flees from him.This caused pain for the monster, and forced him to discover his true nature, or what being a human means. This abandonment and rejection forced the monster to discover his own nature. Unfortunately, because the monster was forced into this state, he couldn't understand how he should function. …show more content…
This can be seen in several areas within the book. We see evidence of nature on the monster when he commits murder, unknowingly, learns on his own, and runs about trying to hurt Victor without actually killing him. The monster develops horrid feelings and is quite unaware of how to control them. Based on these events, it is clear that nature over nurture leads to revenge, loneliness, and rejection from

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Despite having society abandon him, the creature helps the De Lacey's through poverty. “[The creature] had been accustomed... to steal a part of [the De Lacey's] store for [his] consumption, but when [he] found that in doing this [the creature] inflicted pain on the cottagers, [he] abstained and satisfied [himself] with berries, nuts, and roots... [he] gathered from the neighboring wood” (Shelley 109). Although the creature has been abused by society, he finds in himself to help others. Even though the creature knows what the De Lacey's reaction at his appearance would most likely be.…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While Victor feels unmitigated hatred for his creation the monster shows that he is not a purely evil being. He assists a group of poor peasants and saves a girl from drowning, but because of his outward appearance he is rewarded only with beatings and disgust. Torn between vengefulness and compassion the monster ends up lonely and tormented by remorse. Even the death of his creator-turned-would-be-destroyer offers only bittersweet relief joy because Victor has caused him so much suffering, sadness because Victor is the only person with whom he has had any sort of…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Creature of Frankenstein The novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley is about a scientist that discovers the secret to create life from the dead. After the creature is brought to life, Victor, the scientist, instantly regrets his decision. Mortified by his creation, he abandons the creature to fend for himself. Although the monster is hideous, his life begins with as much innocence as any regular child’s. When meeting other people, the creature is greeting by horror, disgust, and anger.…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Nature vs. Nurture via Frankenstein One’s true nature versus nurture upbringing has been a question long pondered before Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. A person is defined by nature and nurture. One does not outweigh the other. Many variables exist in the nature vs nurture debate. Human beings are not born evil any more than they can be bred to perform evil.…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He should have been proud of his creation but instead he was ashamed of it. The monster had no friends, no family. He was frustrated for being very lonely and everyone ran away from him including his creator, Victor which is why the monster turned himself into an evil but he was innocent when he was born. A monster is usually an evil creature everywhere.…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Curiosity Killed The Cat! (Close Reading for Frankenstein) Mary Shelly’s gothic novel explicates how the thirst of excessive knowledge and curiosity combined can lead to the demise of the person, not only the person, but the whole society can be put in danger as well. The attainment of a limited amount of knowledge is not considered to be perilous; however if the limits are crossed anything can happen. According to Frankenstein, Victor’s curiosity of perceiving excessive knowledge results in the demise of his entire family, including him and his ostensible son, the monster.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The theme that’s portrayed in Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, is the lack of humanity that the monster portrays, which is still a problem that is present in today’s society. The society we live in has brought many tragic events in the life we live. Many lives of innocent individuals have been lost due to recent incidents, such as terrorism attacks. As in our society, the novel Frankenstein has a connection of how many lives have been lost due to inhumane choices. In relation to today’s society and in the novel are examples of how humanity has been lost to one another.…

    • 1820 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Victor begins to feel and understand what his creation felt in his isolation as he speaks with Walton, “ 'To you first entering on life... how can you understand what I have felt, and still feel?... I was cursed by some devil, and carried about with me my eternal hell...” (225). The Monster (now master) is rebelling against his Creator (now servant), and nothing will satisfy him until he defeats him as he was defeated by humanity. Yet Victor rebels against this role reversal, “ 'Yet at the idea that the fiend should live and be triumphant, my rage and vengeance returned... overwhelmed every other feeling '” (228).…

    • 1268 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Victor and the creature inflicted suffering onto each other in an endless cycle; never discovering compassion until it is too late. Acts of cruelty form parallels between the creator and the creature including their transformation into monsters, descent into madness and mutual self-destruction. A true monster is not merely one with an appearance that evokes fear; rather, one that lacks humanity. A monster reverts the natural order of nature; this is clearly displayed with the obsession Victor had to create life for his own selfish gains.…

    • 1996 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley explores the topic of identity through the lens of nature versus nurture. Shelley argues that neither of these things makes the man, but rather that the decisions they make effect themselves and those around them. Victor Frankenstein claims to have been raised in a very healthy and nurturing environment. Frankenstein’s monster wasn’t raised in the home of a wealthy family, and instead woke suddenly in the lab of his creator, scared and mostly alone. These two very different situations should have made Frankenstein and his creation very different beings.…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After his mother’s death, he got out control and became obsessed over recreating lives from the deaths. Victor started creates the monster, once it came alive and he rejected the monster. The monster took Victor’s journal and left Victor’s room. Monster’s anger built up after he learned his creator is building him without progress and rejected him. Monster revenged by killed all Victor’s loved ones to show how he feels.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Psychoanalytic Theory is the theory of personality organization and the dynamics of personality development that guides psychoanalysis, which was first laid out by Sigmund Freud in the late 19th century. Applying this theory to literary text often gives one a more detailed examination of the minds of the text’s characters. “Frankenstein” is often read through a psychoanalytic lens, as there have been many articles, books, and dissertations written on the subject. The relationship between Frankenstein and his monster is troubled, and Freud’s theories regarding the Oedipus complex and the components of the human psyche help to understand why the characters are so troubled. Frankenstein created his monster with the Id and Oedipus Complex as his…

    • 1435 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Perception is defined as intuitive understanding and insight. In simpler terms it means, how a person’s mind interprets and breaks down the views of whatever is the topic of discussion. Humans look at life one of two ways: the glass is either half empty (negative) or half full (positive). Our perception, whether it has a negative or positive bias in it will dictate how we handle the problems we face. In Frankenstein, perception plays a key a role in not only the main ‘monster’ character but also every other character with how they view him.…

    • 2063 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Frankenstein, written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, follows Victor Frankenstein’s journey as he attains the necessary education and understanding of the human anatomy to be able to breath life back to an empty vessel. Inevitably creating the Frankenstein monster, an absolutely atrocious and terrifying abomination. Gradually Frankenstein learns of his peculiar inception and understands why his life is full of mistrust and misunderstanding, eventually leading him to seek revenge against Victor’s family. Through the use of the nature imagery, the natural order, and natures presence as a solace Shelly relates nature to the mood, health and life of Victor Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein has experienced grave tragedies and numerous deaths within…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Alienation and loneliness existed since the beginning of humankind. Throughout time man has been isolated physically and emotionally. Individuals often feel isolated because of their views on a certain topic, social status, or appearance. People view others who deviate from the world of social normality as a cause of corruption in society and a threat to their welfare. The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley explores this theme of alienation and loneliness.…

    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays