This quote was especially important to me and my understanding of the text, as it was the first point in which I actually began to sympathize with Frankenstein and understand the true impact that the creation had on him. For the first half of the text, I really identified with the creature and just kept thinking, "Frankenstein turned him into a monster, he wasn't one to begin with," and while I still believe that to be true, I also now see the mental influence that this creature really had on its creator. The gradual decline to insanity reminded me of Taxi Driver and The Shining - I feel like it's a pretty classic trope that you see in a lot of films and novels (those are just the first ones I thought of at the moment).
My question is, what do you think is more provoking: Frankenstein turning the creature into a monster, or the creature's effect on Frankenstein's mental condition?
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| Crazy and Hairy Frankenstein - Taken from Gris Grimly's Blog |
I feel like Frankenstein's mental condition was more provoking. Frankenstein's story is heartbreaking. He was abandoned because of his appearance. I sort of wonder what Victor was expecting to create. Was he expecting to create a sort of human creation?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the monster causes Victor's deterioration, but every time Victor refuses or rejects the monster, he is refusing to face the consequences of his own creation. By refusing that, he sort of directly CAUSES the monster's behavior to escalate. Victor has the kind of power that the monster can't ever have, and so the monster exercises the kind of power that he can - violence. That seems like a fairly common pattern, and it creates a circumstance in which we could sit back and judge the perpetrators of violence without ever turning the blame to those in power who could change the circumstances to begin with.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kate. We can sympathize with Victor and understand that the monster is certainly antagonizing him, but he should still be held accountable. How many chances did Victor have to make things right? First he could have owned up to his creation after Justine was arrested. Then he had a chance to fix everything by creating a companion for the monster. Next he could certainly have saved Elizabeth; he knew for a fact that the monster would visit them on their wedding night. As much as Victor can point at the monster and call it an affront to nature, he himself should still be held accountable for the consequences of his creation.
ReplyDeletedo you mean "provoking" as in "aggravating" or as in "engaging"? I find Victor extremely aggravating - as Kate and Caleb have already mentioned, he seems unwilling to face up to the fact that the monster is his responsibility. I mean, I get where it comes from, and as readers we need him to do exactly this so that we can learn the lesson that he does not, but it burns me every time! What a waste - he's smart and has amazing potential but doesn't temper that with other important human qualities.
ReplyDeleteWhen I used the word "provoking" I meant "engaging," but I agree with you in that Victor is certainly aggravating. Kate, Caleb, and Dr. MB, I certainly share your opinions on Victor in that he had several opportunities to right the wrongs and be proactive so there weren't more victims, and yet his character prevented him from doing any of that. It's certainly a waste of talent and potential... if only his mentor taught him how to be a better person. But, as my great-grandmother always said whenever I got critical of something: "Then there wouldn't be a story!!"
DeleteKelsey- I read your post and almost didn't respond to it: reason being (as I have stated throughout reading this text) that Victor has been beyond frustrating to me. But, I realized it would be too easy to simply keep going through our blog and not consider Victor's perspective. Interesting, I just responded to Sadie's post asking us why Victor created the creature in the first place and something I realized while writing that comment applies here, as well. I think it's easy to forget how young Victor is and as a result naive to the world. While this isn't an excuse for his actions and behavior, it certainly complicates the issue. I'm left wondering if Victor did not know his own strength when he created the creature. Perhaps Victor was too smart for his own good at a young age; and when thought of from this perspective I think Victors progression into madness becomes more fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI think you definitely make a pretty compelling argument here, and I also seemed to have forgotten just how young Victor was when he decided to create the creature in the beginning. I'm definitely an advocate for taking responsibility for your own morally incorrect actions, but I do think we need to take Victor's youth into account here. I'm not sure if I agree that he was naive to the world, as he did travel often and left his family home to get an education, which I don't think a naive/immature person would do. We also have to consider the arrangement with Elizabeth, which isn't necessarily an immature thing. However, he was young and pretty reckless when he made the creature, and I don't think he really thought things through before getting into it. His rashness ended up being far more detrimental than I think he could have imagined anyway, but I do think he is to blame for all of the death and destruction.
DeleteAll in all, what is most provoking in the novel is definitely the relationship between creator and creature. Because, in the absence of either of the options you presented, the story is just dull. I don't find Victor's mental descension particularly surprising because it makes sense to me that someone would fall that far after living in a constant state of fear, guilt, and grief. But it is interesting to follow, and it is necessary because his motivation for responding to his creature in the way he does at least makes sense. His choices can be frustrating, and we disagree with what he does, but we can understand his perspective. And for all the reasons others have articulated, Victor's treatment of his creature is very engaging as well. It is the kind of progression readers find themselves still thinking about months after finishing the novel.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, I agree that Victor's is certainly a form of character progression that readers will not be able to shake for a while. As I mentioned in my reply to Dr. MB, I always think about my great-grandmother saying, "then there wouldn't be a story!" if you took all of the aggravating parts away. I think the connection between the creation and Victor is so compelling because it is so human in nature, despite the fact that the creature is not human at all. Watching his self-conscious state turn into one of pure rage and revenge is just as compelling as watching Victor's mental state rapidly deteriorate. However, we know that these changes are mutually dependent on one another, and that is what makes the story, and their connection to one another, so interesting to read.
DeleteI think both are equally important honestly. Like i stated in a previous comment, we have a fear of the unknown (Victor's fear of the monster), but also a fear of being misunderstood ourselves (the monster's struggle for humanity). This novel illustrates the fear of both of these characters in a way that intertwine and teach us a little about ourselves, in terms of open-mindedness and responsibility.
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