Soumitra Sarkar ENGL 220 Section 62 Instructor: Mikael Awake Frankenstein Research Proposal 04/22/2015 Frankenstein Research Proposal - Human Nature Branching off of the third topic of the research prompt, I’m making a proposal to work on how Shelly has portrayed human nature in Frankenstein. In the novel, Dr. Frankenstein makes a monster from the best body parts and yet others reject that monster along with it’s own creator. The status quo is that humans are naturally accepting and good people. However, in every single instance, the monster in the novel is rejected. Initially the monster seeks to somehow befriend others.
In the book, Victor is a radical thinking and determined young man who had experienced love from his parents and Elizabeth; and friendship; and cared for him. Victors has always longed to be with them. On the other hand, the monster only had observed the love and friendship from the cottagers, De Lacey family, whom him had tried be friend with; but, only be shunned away. The Monster also resorted into kidnapping a boy, whom turned out to be Victor Frankenstein’s brother, and thought to keep him as a companion; but ending up killing the boy, William Frankenstein, because of William’s relationship to his creator. This is especially evident when the Monster demanded Victor Frankenstein to create another female whom is just like him by threatening to never leave him alone.
A monster is a person who excites horror by wickedness, cruel or inhumcenperson (dictionary.com). Dr. Frankenstein is the real monster. It is clear that his obsession with creating life is what is more important to him for better or for worse. He was willing to sacrifice his family for the result of his creation. In addition, he did nothing to stop the monster of striking again because he didn’t want to destroy what he had created.
It keeps posing questions such as, “What does it mean to be a monster” or “What does it mean to be human?”. The irony in Blade Runner is the blade runners (supposedly humans) act in an inhumane manner, “retiring” replicants due to their developments of human characteristics. Where as Roy (a replicant) performs a great act of mercy, sparing Deckard’s life. Roy appears “…more human than human…” (Tyrell Corporations motto) in his empathy and compassion. While in Frankenstein the creature’s fate is chosen with his appearance and societies prejudice.
Frankenstein had designed his creature, he had made it strong, fast, and overall perfectly molded to what he considered perfection. But upon animating the flesh, and the creature awoke, Frankenstein was baffled by the sheer hideousness of his creation, he could not stand to bear what he had done, messing with the very fabric of life itself. In turn, creating life outside of what he knew. And what he had created went against such views on the borderline of life. What he saw was black and white, and the issue stayed the same even after he altered the very fabric of his reality.
The monster also always runs away from him leaving some traces for Frankenstein. The reason why the monster leaves some marks would be that he didn’t want to break the relationship with Frankenstein because he was the only person who knew and proved the existence of the creature himself in the world. And also the creature thought Frankenstein as a God or father even though he really cursed the Frankenstein who made him to live in the harsh world without any help. We can see this with the tears and ejaculation of creature at the moment of death of Frankenstein. I think this is the most sorrowful part in the whole story.
Chapter four of Shelly’s Frankenstein focuses on Victor Frankenstein’s disease of obsession. He absorbs himself in the study of anatomy, death and decomposing. He masters the concepts and ideas that his professors have put forth in these fields. His devotion to the topic of life broadens when he yearns to uncover the “secret of life” and the ultimate “eternal light.” Locked away in his private studio apartment his visualizes and generates an animate creature known as the monster. Frankenstein’s vision encompasses forming a new species of life form.
Victor could be looked at as the real monster in the novel because of his heartlessness. He spent two years creating this creature that he ends up not liking or loving. Even his devotion is deceiving because, he worked so hard on this creation; reading the novel one would think that he would take care of him like a son”….the beauty of the dream vanished and breathless horror and disgust filled my heat-Victor”( pg42Ch5). Is it possible to reject and call your own son, family or friend disgusting? That was the heatless & monstrous heart of Victor.
This was the result of the love he never felt and in the end the Monster living with the burden of this remorse. Remorse is a complex feeling that both Frankenstein and his Monster felt throughout the novel, however their desire for knowledge can also be seen as a mirror of the two
Mary Shelley’s work of literature, Frankenstein, conveys her negative attitudes towards scientific issues of her time. With the use of Victor Frankenstein and the monster, Shelley is able to depict that the curiosity of science leads to negative impacts in society. Frankenstein is portrayed as a man full of interest in natural philosophy. Although his eager learning and experimenting for science is unlimited, he builds a monster that causes low credibility, betrayal and conviction for Frankenstein and those surrounding him. Fame being one of Frankenstein’s prime motive for creating a superhuman portrays that he does not realize his motive will cause low credibility.