Frankenstein

[skwon789]

In class, we talked about the birth motif and about if there was any similiarities between Frankenstein & the monster. If Victor technically gave "birth" to the monster, shouldn't the monster have some of Victor's qualities? Victor had spent two years trying to create the monster to only disabandon it and have it kill the ones he loved. But Frankenstein and the monster shows a connection through the monster's actions. The monster killed Justine & William, two people whom Victor loved very much. What are the chances that the monster knew who Victor's family was? On page 64, Victor says, "... my own spirit let loose from the grave and forced to destroy all that was dear to me." This shows that Victor believes that the monster is the evil side of him. This goes back to the idea that Victor and the monster may be foils/duals.(just like Jeckly and Hyde) So there may be more connections between the monster and Victor than it looks like... Because of course, they do not share any similiar physical qualities, but we should look more deeper.

[wantextracredit]

We also had this discussion in class over whether the birth motif was on that even existed. Some argued that creating is different than actually giving of birth. However I see the connection. It also fits in with Shelley's devastating background of family that the birth motif would be present in the novel. She had babies that died which is equivalent to births going wrong. This is parallel to Frankenstein's creation turning out wrong (a monster). Whether or not birth is a motif of the entire book will depend on if it is relevant to any other parts.

[JCamilo]

It is not a double, like Jekyll and Hyde, it is a son that was not properly raised. The Shelleys are influenced by Rousseau and all the new stuff about pedagogy and together with the before mentioned lost baby of Mary, you have a story about the horror of not giving proper education to your kid.

[Coco]

I don't see the creature as being born--it is created. If Victor wanted to be a father, he would marry Elizabeth and conceive a child by human means. But he does not want to be a father. He wants to be a creator. He wants a new species to bless him for giving it life. In other words, he wants to play God.

I also see the similarities between the creator and his creature. They become more and more similar as the novel progresses. Since the creature has been denied a family and friends, he systematically denies Victor of all his family and friends. He does know who William is, because when he encounters him, William threatens to tell his father--M. Frankenstein. The creature recognizes this name and this is why he kills William. Anyway, by the end of the novel, Victor and his creature are just alike: alone, away from society, living only for revenge, . After Victor dies, the creature has no reason to live on; he resolves to build a pyre and die.