Essay, Research Paper: Frankenstein

Frankenstein
The character named Victor in the book Frankenstein written by Mary Shelly, is a likable figure. His demeanor on the whole was very pleasant as he grew from a boy into an adult. Victor’s passion for the sciences is very strong, and had stayed studious in his youth. Victor’s mother died when he was age 17, and that is when he decides that he will discover a way to rid the world of sickness and death, so people could stay with each other forever. Victor went on to medical school, and after many intense years of research and study Victor gathers enough parts from cadavers to begin creating life which he believes will be much better than our existence.
Victor is a likable character because his intentions are good, all he wanted to do was conquer death and illnesses. This idea by it self comes from a man that is caring and doesn’t want anybody to go through what he went through and also to keep himself from going through the same ordeal again.
Victor finally creates life in the form of a man, with many parts sewn together it has made his creation hideous. Victor, not believing he had done this deed became frightened and ran away from the “monster”. The monster is automatically shunned by his maker who made judgment by relating ugliness with evil. Later on Victors brother William is found strangled and the accused is a girl who had grown up with Victor. Victor knows immediately that she didn’t do this, but Victor was not able to help her because she is immediately lynched and hanged by the people. Victor decides he would prefer to live in the solitude of nature where he meets with the monster that he thinks has been dead for the last two years. The monster has learned how to speak, read, and write, The monster had learned of his creation from a diary Victor had kept and the monster had found it in an old coat. He told Victor that he had lived in a shack and observed the family and that is how he learned spee!
ch, reading, and writing. He also told Victor that he killed Victor’s brother. Victor has almost fully realized the consequences of his creation it was not the monster who had killed his brother, or the people who had killed the girl, but it was his own doing through his actions. At this point the monster is not a very likable character, the author has already made the monster ugly and a killer. The monster kills every one close to Victor, even his bride. It seems what started out in innocence is now very corrupt and evil.
The likable characters in this book didn’t have any deformities, or flaws, they were made caring and good. Society expects anything that is beautiful to be good. In this novel the requirements for being likable is to have money, friendship, and beauty. The monster is already unlikable for the fact that he doesn’t have any of these attributes, and with the killing added to the lack of good attributes makes him that much more unlikable. I think that in today’s society that we are much more caring and sensitive to the needs of the crippled and deformed, but there are still hesitant feelings towards them by some people, but not to the extent of the monster.
Society respects the handicapped and accepts them in today’s world. I’m sure the story would have been different if Victor had been the monster’s mentor from the very beginning.


Word Count: 598