This is your first blog post homework assignment. Please comment on this prompt:
Who is the monster in this book--the creature, Frankenstein, or both? Comment on why you think this is true.
Your comment to this post is due on Tuesday, August 19th by 9 p.m. Be sure to write your name in your post so that I can give you credit.
People who try to play the hand of God are scum, people who resort to violence are monsters, people who don't care about other people's feelings are even worse. Monsters are born by violence, unless if people can put aside all that hatred and show a loving and caring heart for a person in need. Although, Frankenstein rejected the creature giving it hate, thus leading to Frankenstein's hate, and unless if they can put all that hate aside, all there will be is violence between them, making them monsters. -Aaron Alferez
ReplyDeleteI believe that the monster in this novel is Frankenstein. While it can be argued that the creature murdered many people (many of those being Frankenstein's loved ones), I do not think this makes him a "monster" as he was pushed to the absolute brink of emotional distraught. Whether the murders that the creature committed are justified or not is highly controversial, and even I am impartial to the justification of the murders. What I do know, however, is that Frankenstein clearly neglected the creature after his creation and abandoned him. This rendered the creature miserable and helpless, which aided to his destructive tendencies.
ReplyDeleteIt was wrong for Frankenstein to give life to another being and then neglect it. This truly makes him a monster. The negative emotions that he put the creature through simply because he found the creature "hideous" and "a monster" is absolutely inexcusable. Many of the events that caused the creature to be violent had roots in Frankenstein, and therefore, I believe Frankenstein is the monster for bringing life to something intelligent and sentient, yet refusing to look after him because of the way he looked externally.
Normally, we would like to imagine the ugly and scary looking creature to be the true monster, when in reality the monster can be interpreted to be both the creature and Victor Frankenstein. When Victor first created his "monster" he was inside for months and seemed to be constantly on the verge of insanity. He neglected his friends, his family, and his own personal well being. His goal was to push science to the limit, and at this period in time, people were very afraid of the outcome. Not many could fathom the idea of bending the laws of nature or "God's will". And when he finally did finish his creation, his sanity came back to him. Subsequently, he abandoned his creation and left him to an uncertain fate, which turned out to be a world of pure hatred. He had no second thoughts or remorse on what he had done, not until much later at least. In the creature's first few months in the open world, he was very docile and possessed none of the attributes of a monster, besides his appearance. However the hatred that humanity directed toward him turned him into a monster. But he had a choice. He could have chosen to retreat into the forest where no man would dare venture, and live a life of solitude. But instead he chose to have revenge on humanity by resorting to violence. In that sense he can also be seen as be seen as a monster, because he chose to incorporate violence into his new way of life.
ReplyDelete- Nathan Hodge
I think the monster is both Victor and the creature. I believe Victor is the monster because of the way he took care of the monster. He abused him. From not letting him have a female companion to not giving him a name. This shows that he is the monster because of how he strike anger into the monster. If he took care of the creature, he would have not feel the monster inside him but feel pride in what he created can benefit the society.
ReplyDeleteThe creature is a monster because of how he performs horrible acts of murder due to the depression he feels from how Victor treats him. At the same time he should not be really consider the creature the monster because of how he sometimes help people out. This shows that he can be a really nice guy. So in conclusion the monster is both a good guy but also the evil monster of the story.
In conclusion, I think that both Victor and the creature can be considered the monster because of how they acted.
The monster in the novel, can be referred to as both Frankenstein and the creature. Both play a hand at notorious actions, some more then others as referred to by Thomas Foster, its almost as if a "Doctor Jekyll and Mr.Hyde theory" can be determined. My notion towards this, is basically both carry the hatred of emotions inside, although one always existed continuously progressing throughout the plot, while the other developed from geography growing in fatigue and loneliness only wanting to be accepted by the world. In this sense, the world can make monsters or monsters can make the world. -Joseluis Vidal
ReplyDeleteI would promote fact that the monster is neither. Rather, they are both reflections of the era's society. Victor was moved by the age of enlightenment in search of greater knowledge. His ego and the geniuses of his age acted as a catalyst toward his insanity, or in other words, his destruction. On this matter, the creature is under similar pressures. As a child is, the creature was birthed with innocence. It was not until he later discovered the prejudices of man that his innocence had been tainted. Both figures possessed qualities similar to that which a monster would have; however, their intentions were never to become the monster. Although this had not been an option, I would subject my answer to many of the inferences which can be made toward a single point of literature.
ReplyDelete-Kieran Dela Virgen
Essentially, both Frankenstein and his creation are monsters. However, his creation only became a monster because he had no one to love and no one to love him back. Frankenstein was asked to create a companion for his first creation, but he declined this request which led to his creation murdering Victor's loved ones. Victor also undervalued his creation, and basically tried to isolate himself from him, which made the situation worsen. Still, Victor's actions not only made himself become a monster, but his actions also made his creation develop into one too. Nonetheless, they both committed hateful acts towards one another and one act led to another. This retaliation towards each other never really ended until Victor's death at the end and afterwards, his creation felt guilty about what he has done. As a result, Victor and his creation are both monsters in the book and their actions not only affected themselves, but it also made the surrounding people suffer along with them.
ReplyDeleteI'd say that Frankenstein and his creation are both monsters. Although one could say that the creation's actions are justified, he still felt some sort of joy when he killed others. For example, after he killed William, he felt a sense of happiness surge within him. His happiness also came from the fact that his creator, Frankenstein would feel hurt. No matter what reason one kills, someone who can murder, is a monster.
ReplyDeleteFrankenstein is a monster because he is the cause of all the destruction that had occured. His desire to become powerful sparked the deaths and misfortunes for himself and the people around him. In addition, because of his selfishness, other people suffered. Frankenstein is a monster due to his ignorance and irresponsibility.
Juelian Ortiz
ReplyDeleteI think that Victor is the monster in this book. All the time he spent locked away from others and the society, he lost himself. He read all the science books, and all these readings on life. Until the one day when he actually created a monster out of dead flesh, he actually realized what he was doing. He was trying to be like God, whether he knew it or not. I think when he created the monster, he became a monster
I think that both Victor and his creation are the monsters in the book. Victor, as the creator of the monster, turned down his own creation and destroyed any hopes that the monster had to fit in with society. Victor abused his creation and didn't offer any guidance and instead let his creation burden the weight of trying to survive in a new world on his own.
ReplyDeleteVictor's creation on the other hand can be seen as a monster due to the crimes he had committed. When rejected and sought out as an outcast, the monster ultimately looked towards murdering the family of Victor.
-Champman Lam
Monster: an inhumanly cruel or wicked person. This definition is one of many for the term "monster", but what it underscores is the fact that Victor, the father to his creation, turned away from his own creature, and pushed it as far away from himself as possible. This action shows the wickedness that Victor conveyed when he choose to disown his own creation and thus cause distress for both himself, and the creature. By doing all of this, Victor made it so that he becomes the monster; as a result of the inhumane actions that he took against his creation. Another example that shows Frankenstein's wickedness would be how his creation tormented innocent people, and this is a cause and effect because Victor created the creature and the creature wrecked havoc among innocent people; therefore, the creation could be determined as the 'monster' at first glance, but if one looks outside of the box, they too can realize that Frankenstein is the true monster because he was the creator to the creature that caused so much chaos, and by method of association, Frankenstein, too, can be classified as a monster.
ReplyDelete-Tyler Ma
I believe that in this novel Victor and his creation are both monsters. Most are lead to believe that a monster is an ugly creature that is out for blood ,but this is not always the case. Many people thought of Hitler as a monster even though he wasn't physically an abomination. According to this context a monster can also be defined as someone with blind ambition that ends up hurting others. As Frankenstein delved deeper and deeper into his thirst for knowledge he became blind. His thoughtless actions lead to him creating a monster which hurt those closest to him. Similarly his creation was blinded by hate. This lead him to believe that murdering Victor and his family was his only option.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Victor is the actual monster in this book. Although the creature took the lives of Victor's family members, the creature was not created for violence. He was merely molded by his encounters with the outside world because of his appearance. Every human he met has hurt him both mentally and physically, even his own creator, Victor. Victor played a major role in the progression of the monster's cruelty. Although Victor legally did not commit any crimes, he neglected his creation which caused the monster to murder his family. Victor always sacrificed his own well-being in creating the creature. He was also on the verge of insanity. This eventually affected his choices throughout his journey which could have ultimately saved his family.
ReplyDelete-Kieth Frias
Victor’s actions prove to be less justifiable than his nemesis, the monster. For example, Frankenstein’s drive for knowledge and glory made him discard an artificial, yet actual life that he created. The brainchild’s agony and torment was mainly because of his deviser’s own negligence and ignorance towards its quality of life. The monster was essentially a child. His mind was in the early stages of development after the abandonment and Victor just allowed him to live a life of a feral animal. Victor had many chances that could have made his life different, but he let his pride and own vexation get in the way, which led to the deaths of many people. He never confessed to anyone, or even told his family that they may be targeted, because god forbid he go down for his own actions. In the end, Victor’s lack of responsibility and ownership is a catalyst to his own decline of mental state.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the story, we see Victor completely lose his mind and set off to destroy the individual that destroyed the tranquility of his own life. Keep in mind that not every single person in Victor's family is dead, we still have Ernest among others who are also grieving. But Victor chooses isolation and hatred over strengthening his relations with his immediate family, which is a red flag. During a family tragedy, sticking close with your family is probably the right thing to do in most cases, but Victor goes out, thinking that he can destroy the source of the calamities. In fact, there were many instances where we see Victor attempt, or at least think about striking the monster. The creature is 8 feet tall and extremely fast, strong and intelligent, yet Victor, the weaker, believes he can actually destroy him. Victor seems to show a bit of a god complex, by bringing an individual to life, yet toying with their vulnerabilities, refusal to accept and publicly recognize error and having a misconception of his mortality.
Throughout the novel, the monster takes a very violent approach. The reason for that, Victor, his creator (basically his own father) turned away from him. Looking at it from a much further perspective, the monster was never truly loved. If Victor was a compassionate loving father/creator, he would have allowed the creation to have a nice lifestyle (mainly inside). This would have changed everything for the creation. If you think about it, true love and acceptance is what the creation ever wanted, he wanted a protector, like a father (hence Victor). The job of a father is to teach and commit unlimited love and care towards their son (or daughter), the creation was never offered that. Yes, the creation did murder people in revenge but what sparked the revenge that the creation yearned? Victors pathetic and hypocrite outlook on the creation. The only reason why the creation acted so violently and "monstrous" throughout the novel was because of Victors actions. You may think, "But Victor had no other choice but to run away", that is untrue, he had all the choices in the world but his selfishness got the best of him. Also, his selfish acts allowed the deaths of Justine and William to come about. He avoided all contact with nature and even his family to be a "God". Nonetheless, the creation was put into an environment in which love could never be obtained, reason for that, Victor, Victor in my opinion is the true monster.
ReplyDelete- Kunsang Sharzur
Although Victor’s creation in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been referred to as the monster, the reader is constantly subjected to his compassion for others, even after being rejected from society. Victor, on the other hand, has proven that he cares more about his image than the lives of innocent people. He intentionally withheld important information that could have saved Justine from execution, which shows that he is selfish and willing to ignore his morality. Frankenstein’s intense ego ties into his obsession with being God. His fixation of creating life ultimately leads to the creation of something that is beyond his mental capability. Additionally, he doesn’t take in account the consequences of his serious actions. His initial response to his creation is to run away, which led to his own hardships as well as the killings of his friends and family. Victor had the choice to love and nurture the creature, but instead he chose to disregard his own creation. He formed a negative opinion of it before it could even form its own opinion of itself, which shaped the creature’s future. From the very beginning, Victor was too immature and inexperienced to embark on creating the “monster” which inevitably resulted in the demise of his mental stability. Frankenstein’s own deliberate decisions label him as a monster by nature, whereas the “monster” was forced by society to seek revenge.
ReplyDeleteA monster is defined as an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening and/or to criticize or reprimand severely.When comparing these definitions to the characters in Frankenstein it is apparent that the creation and Victor each for into a separate definition of the word monster. Victors creation when described (in summary) is a large, ugly, and frightening creature. It is not just that though that makes him a monster, but the decisions he made when reacting to all of the hate and violence from others. The creation chose "to fight fire with fire" and in other words, he became violent and harmed others to an extent where others died.
ReplyDeleteWhen comparing Victor to a monster, he honestly believed that his creation would be the best thing humanity had ever seen. Victor decided to play the role of "God", and when he didn't like the results, Victor abandoned his creation and ran away. He didn't take responsibility for his actions and he let an innocent (at the time) and uneducated "thing" into the world with no education or speech skills, etc. When looking back at the definition of a monster, Frankenstein criticized his creation and didn't think twice about running out the door. In the end it comes down to if Victor had stayed and not ran away, the story would've resulted in less violence and certainly less deaths.
-Sydney Nedelman
DeleteI suppose you could argue that both Victor and his creation are a monster in their own right.
ReplyDeleteVictor’s creation (I’ll call him Bob in this post) evidently possesses monster-like qualities being unnaturally tall & seemingly grotesque etc. etc; assets we’d associate with monsters. Beyond this, Bob does develop a monster-like approach to his life after being neglected and ostracized; he commits murder(s), lime-lighting his internal monster.
In Victor’s case, the monstrosity in him is more concealed one can dispute. In the beginning, Victor develops an obsessive attitude neglecting himself for his creation, spending countless nights focused on gratifying his goal of creating a ‘human’. Subsequently whence he fulfils his task, he develops a loathing and hateful outlook towards his creation, Bob, eventually abandoning ‘it’ out of disgust towards the horrendousness of his creation.
In short, Bob is responsible for the murders he’s committed but Victor is responsible for creating the monster in Bob.
-Alia Dweik
DeleteWhen I was reading the book, I essentially thought that the true monster was always the creature, but when I read some analysis on Victor's character, I started to realize how much he changed. At first, he was so eager to learn new things and he had pure intentions. It all went downhill when he got greedy for knowledge, leading him to his destruction. Victor's emotions and intentions both took a total turn for the worst, and towards the end of of the book you get to really see how much of a monster he really becomes. Although at the same time, the creature is also undoubtedly a monster. There are many instances where the creature and Victor are monsters, some instances being more clear than others. In a way, the creature and Victor are alike because they first have no actual goal of any kind, but throughout their progression in the story, their intentions turn to those of a monster.I think that overall, they are both monsters because of how blind they got when both were trying to reach their goal.
ReplyDeleteFrom where I see it, both Frankenstein and his creation are monsters in this novel. First of all, Victor is an indefinite monster due to his unreasonable and thoughtless actions of not taking responsibility for the life he created, and instead became the cause of both their despair. As a result of his selfish behavior in becoming "God", he blames the creation of his misery and in reality, it was his own fault.The creation, on the other hand, was ushered into loneliness, pain, and agony the moment he opened his eyes and lived his life in the most isolated environment. This may be reasoning to why finding him not a monster is somewhat true. But in fact I can't let go of the murders he committed with his own hand. They may have reasoning behind them, but I distinctly remember reading how his "heart swelled with exultation (victory) and hellish triumph"(Shelley 127). So indeed the creation too was a monster for committing the crimes of murdering Victors closest friend even considering the fact that there was a story behind it. Murdering is not okay even as an act of revenge, it doesn't give him the right to take life away for his own emotions. In my POV, both Frankenstein and his creation are alike. Frankenstein was unknowledgeable of the creations feelings and did as he wanted (runaway), same with the creation that murdered Frankensteins dearest friends, it didn't take into consideration their lives who he ended.
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ReplyDeleteI believe that Victor Frankenstein is the true monster in the novel. While his original intentions were quite appropriate for the time period of new ideas and discoveries, his reaction to his creation was anything but appropriate. To create such a powerful thing like life comes with an incredible amount of responsibility. The weight of Victor's creation may not have been present to him beforehand does not excuse his behavior afterwards. Victor's recklessness made him the real monster of this novel through complete abandonment and the complete disregard for the dangers of his actions.
ReplyDeleteWhile the monster is the character who is physically killing in the book, most, if not all of it is due to his creator's abandonment. The monster never learned how to deal with emotions such as anger because he had to learn everything on his own, through experiences with others (which never went well) or by being on his own. He was born with little to no morality which made it hard for his decision making. Victor truly is the real monster, not only for abandoning what he created, but he is also responsible for the monster's actions due to that abandonment.
-Thane Fernandes
I believe that both Victor and his creation have their own unique traits that, when combined, create a monster. When one thinks of a monster, people often picture grotesque creatures that go bump in the night. This is where the beast fits in. However, it is rare for people to delve into what makes those monsters act in such a way that keeps us up at night. Examine the average ghost. Normally, the reason why ghosts spend eternity haunting the land of mortals is that they died a traumatizing death at the hands of another mortal. Victor fits into this role. I have always viewed Frankenstein and his creation as one combined organism. The creature is a direct detachment of Victor’s self. I see it as Victor being the brains and the monster being the muscle.
ReplyDeleteVictor himself is a monster, but not in a beastly way. He is a monster that causes havoc on himself and his loved ones with his narcissistic ways. In addition, he is also the reason why the beast kills. His own ego does not allow him to seek help from anyone else and makes him choose not to take responsibility for the deaths of his family. His self-centered behavior leads him to believe that up until his death, he has done nothing but make the best out his situation. Frankenstein has the same kind of confidence that Hitler had when practicing euthanasia in Europe or the type that Kim Jong-un has while he throws his citizens into brutal concentration camps. Not to say Victor did not feel guilt, but he could have done a lot more considering what was at stake.
On the more physical side, you have the beast. He, in the “average” sense of the term, embodies a monster in every way possible. In addition, he kills in a beastly fashion. Therefore, he completes the physical attributes typically seen in a monster. What he does not fulfil is the mentality of a monster. Depending on how you view him, the beast is either a very simple creature or a very complex character. Whichever way one perceives it, he is good at heart until Victor shuns him. Note Victor is at fault for the beast’s turn to violence. In summation, both victor and his creation have attributes of a monster that, when put together, create a true beastly animal.
-Nathan Tran
PS: To whoever may read this.. Hi..
Deletelol nathan
DeleteBoth Victor and the Creation are the monsters. These lost souls have constantly tortured other characters—who are nowhere near perfect as well, I must add—throughout Shelley’s tragedy, but they are corrupted because of different reasons.
ReplyDeleteThe Creation’s destruction of innocence was inevitable. Some may disagree, but one crucial fact stands: he brutally killed William, Henry, and Elizabeth. We absolutely cannot ignore the deaths caused by his hand. Murder is unforgivable. In fact, despite his original naïvety, he was aware of his sins but still continued to pursue violence. However, even though his physical abilities surpassed that of a regular human being, his mindset, greatly affected by both Victor and the humans he encountered, was weak. He became a true monster because of emotional turmoil, distress, and lack of guidance.
Of course, this problem can easily be traced back to one person: Victor. The madman grew obsessed with rivaling God, but once his Adam released its first breath, he fled in fear simply because it was not beautiful, clearly displaying his lack of respect and responsibility. He was not ready to handle this situation, even though he should have been, and neglected his creation. Because of his actions, he indirectly murdered those dear to him, but refused to change his ways. Victor was a monster controlled by pride, insensitivity, and immaturity.
-Christine Abella
Elizabeth Rimmer AP Lit August 19, 2014 20:40
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to recognise the monster as The Creature, but this is vastly untrue. Both Victor and The Creature share traits that characterises them both as monsters. By definition a monster is a misshapen birth, or a person of inhuman cruelty or wickedness. By this definition can we determine only one as the monster? Certainly The Creature is a malformed and horrid heathen who possessed inhuman cruelty that is shown through his murder of Victors loved ones. He could have approached his creator peacefully in an attempt to befriend him, but rather than do so he wreaks havoc on the helpless humans to gain revenge. The other monster, Frankensteing begins his own tale of woe by creating a monster. A monster can be a prodigy who obsesses over his own success and knowledge. And who could fit closer to this description than Victor Frankenstein himself? In this sense Frankenstein is a warning of others to be wary in achieving glory and fame, when in reality they will achieve infamy. Both of our miserable protagonists force the label of “monster” onto themselves.
Victor Frankenstein and his creation are both monsters. They lack responsibility and the strength of character to attempt to fix their horrific actions. Although Victor's making of the monster might be excusable, as he was at least partly motivated by scientific discovery, his actions afterwards are not. Abandoning the monster, allowing Justine to take the fall for him, and being so egotistical to think the monster would only be interested in killing him, not Elizabeth, on his wedding night are ways he has hurt those around him. His "guilt" feels more like self pity, and he fails to help anyone but himself. Victor only attempts to stop the monster after the death of his family and best friend, and even this is self motivated because he believes that a violent death, like one in a fight with the monster, is a noble one.
ReplyDeleteThe monster could have been a kind, upright person, if not for his unfortunate circumstances. After all, he has been abandoned and unloved for all of his short life. However, that doesn't excuse the murder of three innocent people, murders motivated by jealousy and revenge. We understand why he does what he does, but the monster could have chosen to rise above his unhappiness, and he does not. He is a sympathetic monster, but a monster all the same.