ENG 121-C27 Rebecca R. Schwarz Unit 4 - Literary Analysis - Frankenstein
Arrogance to Irresponsibility
Human dreams of achievement, recognition, wealth and the pursuit of happiness often bring misery, rejection, irresponsibility, unethical choices and sometimes death. Attempting to fulfill those dreams can bring arrogance that blinds our vision to reality and the choices made eliminate right and wrong from our hearts or minds. In Frankenstein, the monster learns to be human by reading, The Sorrows of Young Werther, written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. "Must it ever be thus, -- that the source of our happiness must also be the fountain of our misery?" (von Goethe, Book I, August 18). Frankenstein went beyond the boundaries of science when he believed he had the power to replace God as the creator.
Frankenstein's monster, as if a baby reaching out to his mother for the first time, reaches out to Victor as he is transformed from a lifeless body to a breathing human.
Steel engraving (993 x 71mm) for frontispiece to t...
Promotional photo of Boris Karloff from The Bride ...
http://www.exophagy.com Frankenstein (1910 film)Imagine being sewn together from patchwork body parts and brought into this world because a brilliant man's arrogance to achieve beyond what any other scientist or doctor had, then rejected by that creator. "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. 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." (Frankenstein, p. 74). Victor, horrified by the creature's revolting appearance, attempts to save his reputation by abandoning the monster. Victor thought to himself, "I had gazed on him unfinished, he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints...