One theme that i thought of in this book is alienation and what it can cause. Which is what happened with Victor, starting the entire project of creating the creature because he was lonely. Who ends up killing his brother William, his wife Elizabeth, the family servant Justin, and his friend Henry.
This theme of isolation isn't only shown through Victor but also through the creature. He is lonely and becomes declared an outcast by society so in turn he feels he has to take revenge on people
One theme I noticed and admired throughout the story was the recurrent allusions to Milton's Paradise Lost. I liked Shelley's use of his text to convey the relevance between Creature and Adam, Victor and Creator.
Shelley uses an excerpt from Milton's Paradise Lost as an introduction to the story: "Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay to mould me man, Did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me?" (Paradise Lost X, 743-745) - I can sense restrained anger in these words, alluding to the Creature's contempt toward his Creator for bringing him into the world and offering him no guidance.
Other Quotes I found interesting: -(pg. 98, Shelley) "Remember, that I am thy Creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather thy Fallen Angel, who thou drivest from joy for no misdeed" - the Creature esteems himself as Adam through his own eyes, but as Satan through the eyes of Victor -(pg. 131, Shelley) "...no Eve soothed my sorrows, nor shared my thoughts; I was alone" - the Creature points out Victor's error in creation; he forgot to provide his creation with one of his kind for consolation.
One theme I noticed through out the book was the cycle of life. Victor seemed to never be satisfied with the status quo and always was seeking something else. Through out his studies he was trying to figure out what he believed in, therefore, when he began to work on his own, he pushed the boundaries. This quote from chapter four explains Victor's ideology clearly; "Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world." -Victor
One of the themes I noticed was revenge. The monster begins its life content, but soon realizes Victor has abandoned him, and is rejected by the De Lacey family. So he seeks to get revenge against Victor and every other human. One reason the monster wants revenge is because he thinks it is Victor's fault that he is lonely and hated by mankind. Another reason the monster seeks revenge is because he showed compassion for the girl drowning, and he ended up getting shot for it. He knows because of his looks, he will never be accepted or treated like a human. "Cursed, Cursed Creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge." - Ch. 16 pg. 135 "I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils; destroying the objects that obstructed me" - Ch. 16 pg. 135
Revenge consumes Victor because the he feels like the monster destroyed his life. For example, the monster murders his family members.
Eyesore is an obvious theme in this novel. A monster that sits discarded by society is the obvious step in to monstrosity. Our society believes that a creature that sits at an unusual height and is peculiarly ugly is a monster. The problem is that throughout the book we have to apprehend that the look doesn’t formulate the monster. I conclude that the true honest monster is Victor. Victor’s determination, confidentiality and egocentricity take him away from what the norm is. Victor is the monster due to the creation he has made and the loathing that has built up for the creature he constructed. Thus one theme is eyesore in so far as the story is filled with a monstrosity mindset.
I believe that isolation is a huge theme in this novel. Victor was isolated in this book and that resulted in the creation of Victor's creature. Victors isolation was a self isolation in the novel, where on the other hand the creature's isolation was forced on him. Because Victor somewhat chose his isolation he had absolutely no ill feelings to the rest of humanity. The creature, however, had isolation forced on him from the moment he entered the world, and because of this the creature felt the need to take revenge on his creator and all of mankind. Because of this forced isolation on the creature killed all of Victors family and loved ones ended up dying as a result of this isolation.
I think that a recurring theme throughout the novel is that of taking responsibility of your own actions. Victor created the monster, and as the creator of even a hideous monster, he should have taken responsibility for this... before it was too late. Maybe if Victor had not run from his mistake, but rather faced it head on and taken care of his monstrosity than the monster would have been more humane and less likely to go on a murderous rampage. The monster killed William, which in turned killed Justine, he killed Clerval, he killed Elizabeth, which in turned killed his father; the monster ruined Victor's life, but it was Victor's own creation that became the monster.
I agree with Andrew that a reoccurring theme of the book is alienation. The monster is alienated because of his appearance and that alone. I think that this could be Shelley's commentary on how society treats those who are different. She talks about how the monster tried to talk to a human who was blind but when he began to have a conversation with this man, people saw him and chased him off. This alienation comes from the way he looks and not by what people actually know about him.
I agree with Andrew that a main theme is alienation but I do not agree that it is Victor's alienation that is the main concern. The creature, to me, is the main focus of alienation. He was forced to be alienated whereas Victor did it to himself. The creatures alienation gives the reader insight into one of the main themes of victorian society. Appearance and social status was everything at that time period. Sadly society hasn't changed that much. The fact that the creature was alienated because of his appearance shows societies distorted view of worth. Taylor Brown
One theme that is prevalent throughout the novel is how multiple individuals are misunderstood. The creature is viewed by society as a monster, a killer, when really all he wanted was what the people of the town had or sought after. He had normal feelings like the rest of the town but they only saw what there fear bound them too. Then we have Victor, he is the one who created the wrongfully named monster, it would be very easy to say that he is the reason people were killed, it would be even easier to label him as a crazy scientist bent on evil intents but that would be dead wrong. Victor wanted to create life, not for any evil reasons, he poured his own life into creating another.
The monster also misunderstands Victor's reasons for not making him a partner. The creature, who is already angry at humanity, only hears that Victor won't do it and is blinded by his anger and hate. Obviously Victor is afraid of what might happen if he was to create another creature, and possibly even more afraid of what the town may do to him if he had.
I find secrecy to be a theme that appears quite often in the book and shrouds many thoughts and actions Victor displays. Ever since his studies at Ingolstadt, he has cloaked every piece of knowledge. I strongly believe M. Krempe was his influence to retain so many secrets, for he was “an uncouth man, but deeply imbued in the secrets of his science.” Every bit of scientific knowledge he gained after that, he did not share with anyone.
Also at the trial for the murder of William, he retains information that could let an innocent soul walk. I believe he does this out of fear that the knowledge he could bring to the courts inadvertently makes him guilty or suspicious of the same crimes. He felt he wouldn't be believed so he didn't even attempt to help.
One of the themes that I noticed as I read the book is the same as Hope's. The theme of taking responsibilities for your actions was a theme that really stood out to me. Instead of caring for and loving his creation, Victor ran away from the work of his hand in horror, leaving it to endure the society's cruelty, and painful solitude. He had the choice of making his creation good-looking and charming, but instead, he decided to make it huge and ugly. If someone plans to make something that will have life, I would expect that the person would fashion something that he would be proud of to show to people, and something that would be easy on the eyes.
Another theme I thought of when reading the book was the whole concept of Nature vs. Nurture. We discussed this before starting the book and I now realize how it comes into effect for the novel. Have you ever left two children alone in a room by themselves and seen what happens? Do they interact appropriately to societal standards? No.. They don't share and they often quarrel. It takes the guidance of a responsible teacher to allow them to interact in a positive manner. We are born "evil", we learn to be "good". In the creature's case, he was born to live life all on his own. In nature, there is no wrong or right, there is only need. He is entirely influenced by the needs life has created for him. The lack of nurturing focuses his attention to be raised by what nature has to offer. Nature wins in this book and it provides the essential tools to allow the creature to live abundantly.
The theme that stood out to me was isolation and the effects of it. Also, this theme affirms the shallow society we live in. This reoccurring theme was shown, not only through the creature being cast out, but through Victor and his abandoning his creation upon looking at it. This also leads into the theme of superficiality shown throughout the book. We see this numerous times when the creature is seen by any human and by the reactions of the humans. But we also see it in the DeLacye family. They were cast out to live in poverty and their social class was destroyed.
One of the main themes in the book is alienation as Andrew said. The creature is felt isolated throughout the book and rejected by society. No matter how hard he tries to fit in, he's cast right back out to nature.
I think an evident theme that has not been mentioned is the effects of being alone. This sounds similar to the theme of isolation, but I am talking about the danger in being alone and the mind's power to become unstable through accumulating self doubt or becoming overpowered by your imagination. In the novel, both Victor and the creature, when alone, their minds overreact and their emotions are exaggerated. I think when you are alone, your mind has a greater capacity to accept immoral behavior or unrealistic behavior. Ex: When someone says something mean to you, and at the time you just can't find the right words to say...but when you are alone, you feel as if you can say the meanest thing possible without feeling guilty. In the novel, however, Victor and the creature have a tendency to act upon this build up of emotion and anger that is accumulated through their minds when they are alone too much.
a theme i seemed to notice in this book was knowledge or rather the dangerous side of knowledge. we see this with victor when he is searching for the meaning of life and he ends up creating the monster, then again we see this when the creature sees his reflection in the water and notices he is ugly and different (sorry that sounds so harsh ha). with out this the novel would be completely different. there would be no monster and Victor would have most likely lived a happy long life with Elizabeth. oh and we also see the quest for knowledge in the very beginning with Walton.
I agree with Molly on the theme of being alone and the effect it can have on ones mental stability. As you said you can become consumed with imagination and exaggerated emotions that normally only occur in your mind not in reality. This feeling of alone can also lead to depression which can lead to thought of suicide which is depicted after the monster reveals himself to the DeLacey family and asks himself, "Cursed, cursed Creator!' Why did I live?" The way Mary Shelley depicts this theme of being alone is seen and felt with sympathy towards the creature and found throughout the novel.
One theme that i thought of in this book is alienation and what it can cause. Which is what happened with Victor, starting the entire project of creating the creature because he was lonely. Who ends up killing his brother William, his wife Elizabeth, the family servant Justin, and his friend Henry.
ReplyDeleteThis theme of isolation isn't only shown through Victor but also through the creature. He is lonely and becomes declared an outcast by society so in turn he feels he has to take revenge on people
ReplyDeleteOne theme I noticed and admired throughout the story was the recurrent allusions to Milton's Paradise Lost. I liked Shelley's use of his text to convey the relevance between Creature and Adam, Victor and Creator.
ReplyDeleteShelley uses an excerpt from Milton's Paradise Lost as an introduction to the story: "Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay to mould me man, Did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me?" (Paradise Lost X, 743-745) - I can sense restrained anger in these words, alluding to the Creature's contempt toward his Creator for bringing him into the world and offering him no guidance.
Other Quotes I found interesting:
-(pg. 98, Shelley) "Remember, that I am thy Creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather thy Fallen Angel, who thou drivest from joy for no misdeed" - the Creature esteems himself as Adam through his own eyes, but as Satan through the eyes of Victor
-(pg. 131, Shelley) "...no Eve soothed my sorrows, nor shared my thoughts; I was alone" - the Creature points out Victor's error in creation; he forgot to provide his creation with one of his kind for consolation.
One theme I noticed through out the book was the cycle of life. Victor seemed to never be satisfied with the status quo and always was seeking something else. Through out his studies he was trying to figure out what he believed in, therefore, when he began to work on his own, he pushed the boundaries. This quote from chapter four explains Victor's ideology clearly; "Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world." -Victor
ReplyDeleteOne of the themes I noticed was revenge. The monster begins its life content, but soon realizes Victor has abandoned him, and is rejected by the De Lacey family. So he seeks to get revenge against Victor and every other human. One reason the monster wants revenge is because he thinks it is Victor's fault that he is lonely and hated by mankind. Another reason the monster seeks revenge is because he showed compassion for the girl drowning, and he ended up getting shot for it. He knows because of his looks, he will never be accepted or treated like a human.
ReplyDelete"Cursed, Cursed Creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge." - Ch. 16 pg. 135
"I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils; destroying the objects that obstructed me" - Ch. 16 pg. 135
Revenge consumes Victor because the he feels like the monster destroyed his life. For example, the monster murders his family members.
Eyesore is an obvious theme in this novel. A monster that sits discarded by society is the obvious step in to monstrosity. Our society believes that a creature that sits at an unusual height and is peculiarly ugly is a monster. The problem is that throughout the book we have to apprehend that the look doesn’t formulate the monster. I conclude that the true honest monster is Victor. Victor’s determination, confidentiality and egocentricity take him away from what the norm is. Victor is the monster due to the creation he has made and the loathing that has built up for the creature he constructed. Thus one theme is eyesore in so far as the story is filled with a monstrosity mindset.
ReplyDeleteI believe that isolation is a huge theme in this novel. Victor was isolated in this book and that resulted in the creation of Victor's creature. Victors isolation was a self isolation in the novel, where on the other hand the creature's isolation was forced on him. Because Victor somewhat chose his isolation he had absolutely no ill feelings to the rest of humanity. The creature, however, had isolation forced on him from the moment he entered the world, and because of this the creature felt the need to take revenge on his creator and all of mankind. Because of this forced isolation on the creature killed all of Victors family and loved ones ended up dying as a result of this isolation.
ReplyDeleteI think that a recurring theme throughout the novel is that of taking responsibility of your own actions. Victor created the monster, and as the creator of even a hideous monster, he should have taken responsibility for this... before it was too late. Maybe if Victor had not run from his mistake, but rather faced it head on and taken care of his monstrosity than the monster would have been more humane and less likely to go on a murderous rampage. The monster killed William, which in turned killed Justine, he killed Clerval, he killed Elizabeth, which in turned killed his father; the monster ruined Victor's life, but it was Victor's own creation that became the monster.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andrew that a reoccurring theme of the book is alienation. The monster is alienated because of his appearance and that alone. I think that this could be Shelley's commentary on how society treats those who are different. She talks about how the monster tried to talk to a human who was blind but when he began to have a conversation with this man, people saw him and chased him off. This alienation comes from the way he looks and not by what people actually know about him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andrew that a main theme is alienation but I do not agree that it is Victor's alienation that is the main concern. The creature, to me, is the main focus of alienation. He was forced to be alienated whereas Victor did it to himself. The creatures alienation gives the reader insight into one of the main themes of victorian society. Appearance and social status was everything at that time period. Sadly society hasn't changed that much. The fact that the creature was alienated because of his appearance shows societies distorted view of worth.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Brown
One theme that is prevalent throughout the novel is how multiple individuals are misunderstood. The creature is viewed by society as a monster, a killer, when really all he wanted was what the people of the town had or sought after. He had normal feelings like the rest of the town but they only saw what there fear bound them too. Then we have Victor, he is the one who created the wrongfully named monster, it would be very easy to say that he is the reason people were killed, it would be even easier to label him as a crazy scientist bent on evil intents but that would be dead wrong. Victor wanted to create life, not for any evil reasons, he poured his own life into creating another.
ReplyDeleteThe monster also misunderstands Victor's reasons for not making him a partner. The creature, who is already angry at humanity, only hears that Victor won't do it and is blinded by his anger and hate. Obviously Victor is afraid of what might happen if he was to create another creature, and possibly even more afraid of what the town may do to him if he had.
I find secrecy to be a theme that appears quite often in the book and shrouds many thoughts and actions Victor displays. Ever since his studies at Ingolstadt, he has cloaked every piece of knowledge. I strongly believe M. Krempe was his influence to retain so many secrets, for he was “an uncouth man, but deeply imbued in the secrets of his science.” Every bit of scientific knowledge he gained after that, he did not share with anyone.
ReplyDeleteAlso at the trial for the murder of William, he retains information that could let an innocent soul walk. I believe he does this out of fear that the knowledge he could bring to the courts inadvertently makes him guilty or suspicious of the same crimes. He felt he wouldn't be believed so he didn't even attempt to help.
One of the themes that I noticed as I read the book is the same as Hope's. The theme of taking responsibilities for your actions was a theme that really stood out to me. Instead of caring for and loving his creation, Victor ran away from the work of his hand in horror, leaving it to endure the society's cruelty, and painful solitude. He had the choice of making his creation good-looking and charming, but instead, he decided to make it huge and ugly. If someone plans to make something that will have life, I would expect that the person would fashion something that he would be proud of to show to people, and something that would be easy on the eyes.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme I thought of when reading the book was the whole concept of Nature vs. Nurture. We discussed this before starting the book and I now realize how it comes into effect for the novel. Have you ever left two children alone in a room by themselves and seen what happens? Do they interact appropriately to societal standards? No.. They don't share and they often quarrel. It takes the guidance of a responsible teacher to allow them to interact in a positive manner. We are born "evil", we learn to be "good". In the creature's case, he was born to live life all on his own. In nature, there is no wrong or right, there is only need. He is entirely influenced by the needs life has created for him. The lack of nurturing focuses his attention to be raised by what nature has to offer. Nature wins in this book and it provides the essential tools to allow the creature to live abundantly.
ReplyDeleteThe theme that stood out to me was isolation and the effects of it. Also, this theme affirms the shallow society we live in. This reoccurring theme was shown, not only through the creature being cast out, but through Victor and his abandoning his creation upon looking at it. This also leads into the theme of superficiality shown throughout the book. We see this numerous times when the creature is seen by any human and by the reactions of the humans. But we also see it in the DeLacye family. They were cast out to live in poverty and their social class was destroyed.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main themes in the book is alienation as Andrew said. The creature is felt isolated throughout the book and rejected by society. No matter how hard he tries to fit in, he's cast right back out to nature.
ReplyDeleteI think an evident theme that has not been mentioned is the effects of being alone. This sounds similar to the theme of isolation, but I am talking about the danger in being alone and the mind's power to become unstable through accumulating self doubt or becoming overpowered by your imagination. In the novel, both Victor and the creature, when alone, their minds overreact and their emotions are exaggerated. I think when you are alone, your mind has a greater capacity to accept immoral behavior or unrealistic behavior. Ex: When someone says something mean to you, and at the time you just can't find the right words to say...but when you are alone, you feel as if you can say the meanest thing possible without feeling guilty. In the novel, however, Victor and the creature have a tendency to act upon this build up of emotion and anger that is accumulated through their minds when they are alone too much.
ReplyDeletea theme i seemed to notice in this book was knowledge or rather the dangerous side of knowledge. we see this with victor when he is searching for the meaning of life and he ends up creating the monster, then again we see this when the creature sees his reflection in the water and notices he is ugly and different (sorry that sounds so harsh ha). with out this the novel would be completely different. there would be no monster and Victor would have most likely lived a happy long life with Elizabeth. oh and we also see the quest for knowledge in the very beginning with Walton.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Molly on the theme of being alone and the effect it can have on ones mental stability. As you said you can become consumed with imagination and exaggerated emotions that normally only occur in your mind not in reality. This feeling of alone can also lead to depression which can lead to thought of suicide which is depicted after the monster reveals himself to the DeLacey family and asks himself, "Cursed, cursed Creator!' Why did I live?" The way Mary Shelley depicts this theme of being alone is seen and felt with sympathy towards the creature and found throughout the novel.
ReplyDelete