These images could depict some of the main plot points of Chapters 5-10. While these moments are important, they are by no means the only significant points in these four chapters.
Thereza Dilwyn Llewelyn
11/10/2017 01:26:24 pm
"I stepped fearfully in: the apartment was empty; and my bedroom was also freed from its hideous guest. I could hardly believe that so great a good fortune could have befallen me; but when I became assured that my enemy had indeed fled, I clapped my hands for joy, and ran down to Clerval" (Shelley 54).
Thereza Dilwyn Llewwlyn
11/12/2017 01:39:38 pm
Word count is 283 words
Mary Treat
11/12/2017 02:26:50 pm
I actually would argue that the creature was born with moral sensibilities akin to that of any decent human being, showing that he wasn't a faceless monster when he was first created. It was Frankenstein who let things get out of hand, shunning the creature and thrusting it in a society with a hatred of the unfamiliar. In fact, one of the creature’s first actions as a being of life was to smile at his creator, which was responded with Frankenstein immediately abandoning him with no reason given whatsoever. The creature later says how he wished to be Frankenstein's Adam, but was instead treated like the devil (the fallen angel in this case). He blames his actions and current attitudes on his abandonment by Frankenstein, saying how it turned him from a benevolent being into one of misery and shame. In both cases, the creature shows that he obviously had a reason for doing the things he did, and highlights the role Frankenstein had in its portrayal as a monster.
Katherine Marray Lyell
11/12/2017 11:58:34 pm
I totally agree with your response, since Victor never actually analyzed what he was planning on doing. Now, we can see how he truly feels about this creature and how much regret he is now feeling. I think, now he can clearly observe all his flaws and be fully aware of his actions. Before, he was so determined to create a life, that he never thought of what could go wrong. Like you said, “This shows that his creature was never really pure like he hoped it would be. It is different from God because his creatures were innocent and then corrupted, but his creature was corrupted because of its creation and then the absence of its creator”, This creature was created by a “modern god”, someone who just wanted to make new discoveries about science, someone who wanted to know more about life and death, someone who never took into consideration that science isn’t always right.
Hannah Longshore
11/13/2017 06:30:12 am
I will first say that I find your argument or idea set interesting. However, I will disagree with you about the fact that the monster wasn’t innocent when first created because the novel showed him in a happy state when first made. But, as time continued to go on, Frankenstein up and left his creature, and with the absence of the creator, just as the absence of God, the creature, like people began to sin; although the creatures sin was murder. However, I do agree on the fact that Frankenstein is very happy to not see the creature, because he does fear it. This shows his regret for creating him in the first place.
Elizabeth Lomax
11/13/2017 08:42:26 am
I found your response to be very interesting. I agree with your statements of how Frankenstein finds relief in the absence of his monster, emphasizing how he failed to see any good in the creature. Frankenstein also did fail to play the role of God, as he was unable to bring life to a beautiful creature, and the corruption of the monster is definitely partially caused by the absence of his creator. I especially like how you mentioned that the psychological effects of being abandoned would have a significant impact on the creature, because one of the most basic concepts of psychology is that experiences we go through at a young age can shape the way we develop in the future.
Ella Church Strobell
11/13/2017 08:09:41 pm
I believe that Frankenstein creating the monster took a very big toll on him, resulting in him being ill for several months with Henry taking him into care. This caused him to be away from all of his loved ones, but even before the monster was created, I think that he lost touch with the reality because he is too focused on other things, like the creature.
Ella Church Strobell
11/13/2017 08:17:25 pm
To add onto my other short comment, I feel that because of his disconnect to the reality, he is not ashamed of what he made and now deeply regrets it which then causes him to ignore/shun out the creation.Though ignoring his OWN creation for two years also wasn't the best idea, he knew that it would not be able to do good, which also another reason I believe why he ignores his own responsibilities.
Elizabeth Lomax
11/10/2017 10:04:56 pm
“The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 51).
Thereza Dilwyn Llewelyn
11/12/2017 02:03:11 pm
I also find this quite interesting. I thought it was also interesting when he described how the creature had not been beautiful when it was dead, yet he believed that it would magically become beautiful once it was imbued with life. He is somewhat deluded considering that he always believes his dreams will become a reality like you said. I think it is very interesting that he is becoming very different from the god he believed he was. It is most important because it helps to show his hubris because he believed that when it came to creating life, he could do no wrong. I really like your idea of the conflict that will have to be addressed later is very interesting and likely correct especially because of the journey he took to find his creature later. It shows a big change because in the past he ran from the monster and then in the end he was looking for it.
Katherine Marray Lyell
11/13/2017 12:21:16 am
I think Victor’s expectations were too high from the beginning. Since God was able to create beautiful creatures, us, then maybe Victor thought he could do the same with the use of science. Obviously, it clearly didn’t work out because now he is trying to escape from his mistake. I think Victor isn’t the only one who has been in this situation; I think every human being has been in this similar situation where we tend to have such high expectations and we might not be satisfied with the outcome. Now, we just need to observe how this mistake shapes Victor’s personality and how he is emotionally affected.
Hannah Longshore
11/13/2017 08:49:36 am
I totally agree with what you said in this writing. It’s so funny to think that Frankenstein expected to create some creature and for it to be his greatest invention. Victor created the monster for about two years, and it came out ugly, which initiated his distance towards it. I also agree that Victor’s failure to produce his dream creature, shows his failed attempt in playing God. Unlike God, Victor runs away because of the appearance of his creature. If he truly was effective at “playing God” he would rule over his creation no matter the results, and he wouldn’t run away because of the hideousness.
Hannah Longshore
11/10/2017 10:22:07 pm
“While I watched the tempest, so beautiful yet terrific, I wandered on with a hasty step. This noble war in the sky elevated my spirits; I clasped my hands, and exclaimed aloud, "William, dear angel! this is thy funeral, this thy dirge!" As I said these words, I perceived in the gloom a figure which stole from behind a clump of trees near me; I stood fixed, gazing intently: I could not be mistaken. A flash of lightning illuminated the object, and discovered its shape plainly to me; its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect more hideous than belongs to humanity, instantly informed me that it was the wretch, the filthy daemon, to whom I had given life. What did he there? Could he be (I shuddered at the conception) the murderer of my brother?” (Shelley 68).
Mary Treat
11/12/2017 05:15:09 pm
I also agree that nature has a big part in the telling of Frankenstein's tale, as it acts as many things throughout it. There's the fact that Frankenstein loves spring and summer (which symbolize the birth and vibrancy of life), but has a terrible experience after shutting himself off from the outside world to work on building his creature, evident by his horror from seeing his project finished/ being sick for months for just thinking about his creation. This separation of nature and man could have prompted the creature’s label as a monster by Frankenstein and, most likely, the rest of society. It was created in an environment devoid of anything natural, in a manner consistent with the ravenous workings of a madman. Considering all this, it would make sense that the product of all this would be the creation of something antithetical to nature itself, hence its identity being tied to being an abomination.
Elizabeth Lomax
11/13/2017 08:30:39 am
I completely agree with your statements here. After creating the creature which he has been so obsessed with, Frankenstein becomes disgusted not only by its horrific appearance, but also by the reality of what he has just done. He has spent an incredible amount of time and effort on this project, only to find out that his efforts at creating a beautiful creature were in vain. I also find it interesting how you chose to speak on the weather and its possible symbolic role in the context of the quote. It definitely could be that Mary Shelley's intention of incorporating the lightning was to highlight the monster's wrongdoings, too.
Jantina Tammess
11/10/2017 11:44:11 pm
“How can I move thee? Will no entreaties cause thee to turn a favourable eye upon thy creature, who implores thy goodness and compassion? Believe me, Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity: but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures who owe me nothing?” (Shelley 89).
Jantina Tammes
11/12/2017 06:46:20 pm
Word Count=290
Jantina Tammes
11/12/2017 06:55:10 pm
I was also half asleep when I wrote this. Do not hold me accountable for what Jantina-A.M. did.
Olga Fedchenko
11/13/2017 08:59:41 pm
Well, regardless of how tired and sleep-deprived you may have been writing this, you made some pretty awesome points. I never thought about why the creature acted the way he did, though from the AP Psych perspective, it totally makes sense; of course he ended up messed up in the head, that's what happens to all wild children, I think it's very possible Victor realizes this at this point as well, as his guilt is evidently clear for being almost completely at fault.
Z'Sofia Torma
12/6/2017 11:36:51 am
You have made very valid points here regarding the beginning of the creature’s life. When he was first born he wasn’t “evil” or “dangerous”. He was just a young child trapped in a gigantic body. In the quote you used, he touches upon the fact that he looked at Victor as a parent, almost; and when Victor walked away from him, that was when his mental health began to deteriorate, just like any human being’s would if their parents left them with no one to take care of them. This makes me wonder how the book would have turned out if Victor had never abandoned the creature.
Mary Treat
11/10/2017 11:51:21 pm
“When happy, inanimate nature had the power of bestowing on me the most delightful sensations. A serene sky was indeed divine; the flowers of spring bloomed in the hedges, while those of summer were already in bud” (Shelley 63).
Mary Treat
11/11/2017 11:55:22 pm
Word Count=329
Thereza Dilwyn Llewelyn
11/12/2017 02:15:11 pm
I find your ideas on nature very interesting. I think it is very interesting that he would hide from the good weather to make the creature, which would be considered against the laws of nature. Then, like you said, we see the dying winter which is essentially the end of death. This could be foreshadowing how at the time he was essentially ending death, at least for his creation. It makes me wonder if it's possible that the seasons are almost mimicking life, of the creature or of the nature of Dr. Frankenstein's. Beyond this, I like the discussion of mood. There is a lot to be said of the tone and the reaction it elicits from the audience because of the good weather and the fact that it seems strange to be eluding it. At this moment though, there is this bright mood which helps to show Frankenstein's emotions because of how they were contrasting the seasons most of the time.
Jantina Tammes
11/12/2017 07:03:47 pm
I really like how you brought up how Nature might be a foreshadowing device. I never thought of the passage that way, and it intrigues me. I agree with how Nature might be showing Victor's future feelings on the creature, but I also feel like it showed the bigger event of the Creature going wrong.
Olga Fedchenko
11/13/2017 08:53:47 pm
This response blew my mind. The description of how therapeutic entering nature was to Victor through his own words on the season of life and color truly helped me to form a reader-to-character bond and better understand how badly he wanted to escape from his stresses. You're idea that nature could be foreshadowing Victor's feelings on the creature was surprising to me, as I had previously thought that he considered the monster his experiment on proving life from galvanism, rather than an affectionately built new life. But I liked it, now I can see many different faces of Victor and his motives, rather than a single-motive mind like myself.
Olga Fedchenko
11/11/2017 12:11:18 am
"I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. for this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart" (Shelley 51).
Jantina Tammes
11/12/2017 06:53:50 pm
This is a really interesting perspective on this passage, and I agree with what you've said. I do think that Victor took a huge gamble in playing God, and despite all the time and effort he put into the Creature, it came out completely different than he realized. I like how you took into account the tone of this passage, going from delight to disgust.
Ella Church Strobell
11/13/2017 08:31:31 pm
I agree on your explanation.I almost feel as if karma struck him very hard. All those years of his life that he took the majority on only focusing on scientific things that led up the moment he made his creation come to life, only to be disappointed because he was ashamed and terrified of the outcome.
Z'Sofia Torma
12/5/2017 09:05:45 am
I believe that your use of the term "false-reality" is a perfect way to describe what Victor has done in creating the creature. As you said, he had himself convinced that by creating the creature, he would be creating a new and perfect race, but from an outsiders perspective, we can see that there is no way that this could be true. The way that Victor has created the creature was so morbid and unethical, there is no way that people would look up to him as "God" or find this to be the "perfect race". But Victor has created this false-reality for himself that if he creates the creature, he will finally be recognized and looked up to like no one has ever been before.
Ynes Returns
12/6/2017 11:05:44 am
Word count: 126
Katherine Marray Lyell
11/12/2017 05:52:54 pm
"Like one who, on a lonely road,/ Doth walk in fear and dread,/ And, having once turned round, walks on,/ And turns no more his head:/ Because he knows a frightful fiend/ Doth close behind him tread." (Shelley 53).
Z'Sofia Torma
12/5/2017 08:59:22 am
“I saw plainly that he was surprised, but he never attempted to draw my secret from me; and although I loved him with a mixture of affection and reverence that knew no bounds, yet I could never persuade myself to confide in him that event which was so often present to my recollection, but which I feared the detail to another would only impress more deeply.” (6.12) Comments are closed.
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