Victor Frankenstein is the man responsible for the tragic events that occurred. All of the murders could have been avoided if Victor would have never created the Wretch or, upon creation, treated it with the same kindness that he was treated with as a child.
“No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence. We felt that they were not the tyrants to rule our lot according to their caprice, but the agents and creators of all the many delights we enjoyed.”
It is hard to understand how a man that was raised under so much kindness has nothing but hatred and disgust towards his creation. Had Victor forwarded the love that he received in his childhood towards the Wretch, it wouldn’t have gone on a killing spree looking for vengeance.
Some may say that the Wretch’s evil actions were a result of the hatred that the world showed him. However, the Wretch wasn’t looking for the entire world to love him. He really only needed the acceptance and kindness from his creator, Victor Frankenstein. But when the Wretch smiled and reached towards his benevolent master that brought him into existence, he found nothing but despair. Victor left the Wretch no other choice than to be angry and bloodthirsty. How would you feel if your parents abandoned you?
And even when the Wretch offers an alternate option so that he could gain happiness without having to be a part of Victor’s life, by creating him a companion, he is denied. Victor refuses to recognize the Wretch as a living being that has feelings. Plus, to excite the Wretch’s rage, Victor destroys his work in progress that would become a companion to his creation in the presence of the Wretch.
“The Wretch saw me destroy the creature on whose future existence he depended for happiness, and, with a howl of devilish despair and revenge, withdrew.”
Victor knew his actions would upset the already furious Wretch, and yet he proceeded with them. This only sent him to further his reign of terror. He ends everything in Victor’s life that he was denied to in his own. The Wretch was trying to cut off all venues for Victor’s happiness, which would then leave Victor to focus only his “hideous progeny”.
Frankenstein brought the terror of the Wretch upon himself and everything he loved.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Its All Your Fault Victor
Victor Frankenstein is the man responsible for the tragic events that occurred. All of the murders could have been avoided if Victor would have never created the Wretch or, upon creation, treated it with the same kindness that he was treated with as a child.
“No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence. We felt that they were not the tyrants to rule our lot according to their caprice, but the agents and creators of all the many delights we enjoyed.”
It is hard to understand how a man that was raised under so much kindness has nothing but hatred and disgust towards his creation. Had Victor forwarded the love that he received in his childhood towards the Wretch, it wouldn’t have gone on a killing spree looking for vengeance.
Some may say that the Wretch’s evil actions were a result of the hatred that the world showed him. However, the Wretch wasn’t looking for the entire world to love him. He really only needed the acceptance and kindness from his creator, Victor Frankenstein. But when the Wretch smiled and reached towards his benevolent master that brought him into existence, he found nothing but despair. Victor left the Wretch no other choice than to be angry and bloodthirsty. How would you feel if your parents abandoned you?
And even when the Wretch offers an alternate option so that he could gain happiness without having to be a part of Victor’s life, by creating him a companion, he is denied. Victor refuses to recognize the Wretch as a living being that has feelings. Plus, to excite the Wretch’s rage, Victor destroys his work in progress that would become a companion to his creation in the presence of the Wretch.
“The Wretch saw me destroy the creature on whose future existence he depended for happiness, and, with a howl of devilish despair and revenge, withdrew.”
Victor knew his actions would upset the already furious Wretch, and yet he proceeded with them. This only sent him to further his reign of terror. He ends everything in Victor’s life that he was denied to in his own. The Wretch was trying to cut off all venues for Victor’s happiness, which would then leave Victor to focus only his “hideous progeny”.
Frankenstein brought the terror of the Wretch upon himself and everything he loved.
“No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence. We felt that they were not the tyrants to rule our lot according to their caprice, but the agents and creators of all the many delights we enjoyed.”
It is hard to understand how a man that was raised under so much kindness has nothing but hatred and disgust towards his creation. Had Victor forwarded the love that he received in his childhood towards the Wretch, it wouldn’t have gone on a killing spree looking for vengeance.
Some may say that the Wretch’s evil actions were a result of the hatred that the world showed him. However, the Wretch wasn’t looking for the entire world to love him. He really only needed the acceptance and kindness from his creator, Victor Frankenstein. But when the Wretch smiled and reached towards his benevolent master that brought him into existence, he found nothing but despair. Victor left the Wretch no other choice than to be angry and bloodthirsty. How would you feel if your parents abandoned you?
And even when the Wretch offers an alternate option so that he could gain happiness without having to be a part of Victor’s life, by creating him a companion, he is denied. Victor refuses to recognize the Wretch as a living being that has feelings. Plus, to excite the Wretch’s rage, Victor destroys his work in progress that would become a companion to his creation in the presence of the Wretch.
“The Wretch saw me destroy the creature on whose future existence he depended for happiness, and, with a howl of devilish despair and revenge, withdrew.”
Victor knew his actions would upset the already furious Wretch, and yet he proceeded with them. This only sent him to further his reign of terror. He ends everything in Victor’s life that he was denied to in his own. The Wretch was trying to cut off all venues for Victor’s happiness, which would then leave Victor to focus only his “hideous progeny”.
Frankenstein brought the terror of the Wretch upon himself and everything he loved.
I Blame Victor
Upon the tragic end of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, the reader is left with a number of dead bodies and an obvious suspect. Though one can certainly blame the wretch for killing these people, it is Victor who is ultimately responsible for these deaths.
Following the death of William in the beginning of the novel, to the death of Victor's beloved, Elizabeth, towards the end, causes much grief upon Victor. He, however, has no one else to blame but himself for his misfortune. Victor proceeded to creating life, that is a human-like monster. Upon creating a new being comes many responsibilities, that Victor obviously didn't fulfill, which eventually began to ruin his life. Victor and his creature relationship resembles one of a mother and her new born. You would not plan to have a child unless you were ready to take on all the responsibilities that come with raising a baby. Therefore, Victor is responsible for the wretch's wrongdoing and indirectly participated in the killing of his loved ones. If Victor proceeded with the monster's request about creating a new female creature, or merely taken care of his creature, he could have prevented the deaths of his family and friends.
It is in the last few pages on the novel that the reader is provided with both Victor and the creature's view on who's to blame. I believe Victor is extremely selfish and only created the wretch to benefit him. Victor clearly states "...I have longed for a friend; I have sought on who would sympathize with and me. Behold, on these desert seas I have found such on; but I fear, I have gained him only to know his value, and lose him". Thus, though he longs for a friend, as does the wretch; when he discovers that the creature is too much to handle he abandoned it. The wretch's solitude comes solely as a direct result of being the only creature of his kind. He simply longs for love and companionship, that Victor is hesitant to provide him with. As he is neglected by his creator, Victor Frankenstein, he is forced to adapt to society on his own. Thus, i sympathize for the wretch for wanting to get revenge upon Victor. The wretch provides a valid point when he states “...when I discovered that he, the author at once of my existence and of its unspeakable torments, dared to hope for happiness; that while he accumulated wretchedness and despair upon me, he sought his own enjoyment in feelings and passions...of which I was forever barred”. While Victor caused much suffering upon the wretch, he selflessly found happiness with his own companion, Elizabeth, and was thinking about getting married. These feelings of love, care, and companionship that the wretch was inevitably denied filled him with a “..thirst for vengeance” towards Victor. As a result, I believe that Victor caused the “evil” monstrous creature that the wretch becomes in the end of the story. Therefore, he is undoubtedly the one to blame for the story's tragic ending because he created a monster he could not control.
Jesse Young - Frankenstein Post
First and foremost, please allow me to apologize for posting this blog entry so late--I certainly would have been more punctual, but just as I sat down and “had a little something going in the type writer,” in the word of Billy Collins, I was summoned to the Samoan village Lotofaga to defend the natives from a swarm of killer wasps. After coming home, eating dinner, and flexing my muscles for 20 minutes, I only had enough time to write the Government Essay and finish the Wiki article. Now that I have this block of time on the train on the way to Washington D.C.,I will get to the point and attempt to compensate my tardiness with terseness, because my name doesn’t happen to be Ebere ‘Chwukuebuka’ Clifford Anokute.
The question at hand of “Who is responsible for all the of the death and misery in the novel?” implores us not only to analyze Shelley’s carefully constructed characterization of Victor and the Wretch, but also to take a step back, and broaden our focus from one on the abstract themes and hidden motives of the characters to one on the objective facts: What caused the deaths of Henry Clerval, William, Justine, and Elizabeth? What was the root of Victor’s misery? Of the Wretch’s? Who had more and deeper reasons for misery, Victor or the Wretch? These are all questions that must be addressed in any attempt to ascribe definitive “guilt” to one character over the other.
With this being said, and risk of earning the scorn and disapproval of the entire class accepted, it is my [not so] humble opinion that the Wretch, not Victor, is directly responsible for every death and modicum of suffering inflicted throughout the novel. Before you balk to accept this pronunciation and deem me heartless or insincere, take a minute to recall the events of the novel for what they really are.
Aside from Victor’s initial disgust over the Wretch’s ugliness, and the horror Victor experiences upon realizing that he has accomplished the seemingly impossible task of bestowing life upon inanimate matter, all of the suffering and murder does not occur until after the Wretch runs away from Victor and as a result experiences countless rejections from an unforgiving, judgmental society. As Volume II reveals, people are so fixated on the Wretch’s verdigris, that even when he attempts to befriend the DeLaceys, stroll casually through town, and even rescue a drowning girl, he is met with resentment and violence. This failure to find acceptance in society leaves the Wretch with an extremely jaundiced view of mankind, and thrusts him to such a level of unparalleled isolation and misery that he is consumed by the idea of exacting revenge on his creator. The Wretch’s motive, therefore, in committing the myriad of atrocities, is to make Victor understand his abject solitude and misery.
Only once these basic facts are understood could we attempt to ascribe responsibility for the murders and suffering to one character. In doing so, many Wretch supporters attempt to argue that the suffering was Victor’s fault because he abandoned the Wretch, and therefore left him susceptible to the evil, judgmental of society. Wretch supports attempt to argue that Victor’s guardian role makes him responsible for every action the Wretch commits. I, however, challenge that assertion with all the vehemence my heart can muster--since when were parents directly responsible for the negative decisions their kids make? If, tomorrow, I were to break into an old woman’s home, murder her in cold blood, then purloin her jewelry, how many of you would reflect upon my actions thinking “What were Jesse’s parents thinking?! Jesse’s mother is definitely responsible for that old woman’s death, Jesse didn’t know any better.” I’ll venture to guess that no one in the room would think that--rather, most people would say that I am demented and evil, that I deserve to be incarcerated and that I must be held accountable. If my group of friends rejected my company week after week, failing to invite me to their social gatherings and thus making me feel miserable and alone, who here would assert that I would be justified in retaliating--exacting just revenge in the same manner the Wretch did--by, let’s say, taking a key to the side of one of their cars? I use these examples to illustrate two simple facts: though parents are expected to teach social graces, they can and should not be held directly responsible for their kids’ actions--all progeny, including the Wretch, have the free mind and spirit to make decisions on their own. The wretch made the choice to exact revenge Victor by murdering all of his closest loved ones, just as each and every one of us choose the behaviors we participate in everyday. We as human beings cannot dodge responsibility simply by blaming our behaviors on our parents or any influential loved ones--the same social axiom can be applied to the Wretch.
The Wretch’s direct responsibility in causing the murders and suffering throughout the novel is also made evident once we contemplate the true purpose of Shelley’s novel: to reveal aspects of human nature. When discussing Frankenstein, many people throw the phrase “Reveal human nature,” around as one of the most readily discernible themes of Frankenstein, but this discussion of responsibility tests, in my opinion, whether one really understands it or not. Through the triumphs and travails of the Wretch, Shelley is putting forth the argument that it is human nature to seek companionship and acceptance of society: “Shall each man…find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone” the Wretch utters in Chapter III. With this quote, Shelley is asserting that all of us, no matter what color, size, or creed, long to be in the company of others, long to be accepted by a group, that all of us long for an intimate companion with whom we could exchange hugs, kisses, and stories, and that all of us desire--or should I say require---an intellectual companion with whom we could share all of our feelings, fantasies, whims, feedback, and emotions. All of us desire, in short, to be a part of something larger than ourselves, which for the Wretch, of course, is nearly impossible due to his ghastly disfigurement. By saying that it is human nature to have all these desires, however, Shelley is implying that no matter what circumstances the Wretch was forced to endure and regardless of whether Victor stood by his side or not, the Wretch would have experienced all the same exact longings and desires, for they are merely inherent parts of his human nature. Thus, even if Victor fulfilled all of his responsibilities as a parent and stood by the Wretch’s side, the Wretch still would have sought desperately to be accepted by society, still would have longed for an intellectual and romantic companion. Thus, the Wretch would have still ventured out into society in search of acceptance, would have still longed to observe the virtues and vices of men and women, and, most importantly, would have still been spurned and met with opposition with every attempt. Thus, we can deduce that even if Victor did stay by the Wretch’s side, the Wretch’s desires would have been the same-to be accepted by society-his actions would have been the same-to seek that acceptance-and the results would have been the same-rejection and a very, very unhappy wretch. Thus, Victor is fully removed from the realm of responsibility for the Wretch’s actions, for nothing he could have done would have prevented the Wretch’s misery and ensuing violence.
One final point I would like to make, and I promise this is a very quick one, is the tone that Shelley establishes in the closing pages of the novel. When The Wretch discovers Victor’s dead body aboard Walton’s ship, he offers the following apology: “That is also my victim!…Oh Frankenstein! Generous and self-devoted being! What does it avail that I now ask thee to pardon me?” This final point shows that in the closing scenes, the Wretch does claim responsibility for his actions, as he begs Victor, the man he once scorned for being the cause of his misery, for forgiveness.
The question at hand of “Who is responsible for all the of the death and misery in the novel?” implores us not only to analyze Shelley’s carefully constructed characterization of Victor and the Wretch, but also to take a step back, and broaden our focus from one on the abstract themes and hidden motives of the characters to one on the objective facts: What caused the deaths of Henry Clerval, William, Justine, and Elizabeth? What was the root of Victor’s misery? Of the Wretch’s? Who had more and deeper reasons for misery, Victor or the Wretch? These are all questions that must be addressed in any attempt to ascribe definitive “guilt” to one character over the other.
With this being said, and risk of earning the scorn and disapproval of the entire class accepted, it is my [not so] humble opinion that the Wretch, not Victor, is directly responsible for every death and modicum of suffering inflicted throughout the novel. Before you balk to accept this pronunciation and deem me heartless or insincere, take a minute to recall the events of the novel for what they really are.
Aside from Victor’s initial disgust over the Wretch’s ugliness, and the horror Victor experiences upon realizing that he has accomplished the seemingly impossible task of bestowing life upon inanimate matter, all of the suffering and murder does not occur until after the Wretch runs away from Victor and as a result experiences countless rejections from an unforgiving, judgmental society. As Volume II reveals, people are so fixated on the Wretch’s verdigris, that even when he attempts to befriend the DeLaceys, stroll casually through town, and even rescue a drowning girl, he is met with resentment and violence. This failure to find acceptance in society leaves the Wretch with an extremely jaundiced view of mankind, and thrusts him to such a level of unparalleled isolation and misery that he is consumed by the idea of exacting revenge on his creator. The Wretch’s motive, therefore, in committing the myriad of atrocities, is to make Victor understand his abject solitude and misery.
Only once these basic facts are understood could we attempt to ascribe responsibility for the murders and suffering to one character. In doing so, many Wretch supporters attempt to argue that the suffering was Victor’s fault because he abandoned the Wretch, and therefore left him susceptible to the evil, judgmental of society. Wretch supports attempt to argue that Victor’s guardian role makes him responsible for every action the Wretch commits. I, however, challenge that assertion with all the vehemence my heart can muster--since when were parents directly responsible for the negative decisions their kids make? If, tomorrow, I were to break into an old woman’s home, murder her in cold blood, then purloin her jewelry, how many of you would reflect upon my actions thinking “What were Jesse’s parents thinking?! Jesse’s mother is definitely responsible for that old woman’s death, Jesse didn’t know any better.” I’ll venture to guess that no one in the room would think that--rather, most people would say that I am demented and evil, that I deserve to be incarcerated and that I must be held accountable. If my group of friends rejected my company week after week, failing to invite me to their social gatherings and thus making me feel miserable and alone, who here would assert that I would be justified in retaliating--exacting just revenge in the same manner the Wretch did--by, let’s say, taking a key to the side of one of their cars? I use these examples to illustrate two simple facts: though parents are expected to teach social graces, they can and should not be held directly responsible for their kids’ actions--all progeny, including the Wretch, have the free mind and spirit to make decisions on their own. The wretch made the choice to exact revenge Victor by murdering all of his closest loved ones, just as each and every one of us choose the behaviors we participate in everyday. We as human beings cannot dodge responsibility simply by blaming our behaviors on our parents or any influential loved ones--the same social axiom can be applied to the Wretch.
The Wretch’s direct responsibility in causing the murders and suffering throughout the novel is also made evident once we contemplate the true purpose of Shelley’s novel: to reveal aspects of human nature. When discussing Frankenstein, many people throw the phrase “Reveal human nature,” around as one of the most readily discernible themes of Frankenstein, but this discussion of responsibility tests, in my opinion, whether one really understands it or not. Through the triumphs and travails of the Wretch, Shelley is putting forth the argument that it is human nature to seek companionship and acceptance of society: “Shall each man…find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone” the Wretch utters in Chapter III. With this quote, Shelley is asserting that all of us, no matter what color, size, or creed, long to be in the company of others, long to be accepted by a group, that all of us long for an intimate companion with whom we could exchange hugs, kisses, and stories, and that all of us desire--or should I say require---an intellectual companion with whom we could share all of our feelings, fantasies, whims, feedback, and emotions. All of us desire, in short, to be a part of something larger than ourselves, which for the Wretch, of course, is nearly impossible due to his ghastly disfigurement. By saying that it is human nature to have all these desires, however, Shelley is implying that no matter what circumstances the Wretch was forced to endure and regardless of whether Victor stood by his side or not, the Wretch would have experienced all the same exact longings and desires, for they are merely inherent parts of his human nature. Thus, even if Victor fulfilled all of his responsibilities as a parent and stood by the Wretch’s side, the Wretch still would have sought desperately to be accepted by society, still would have longed for an intellectual and romantic companion. Thus, the Wretch would have still ventured out into society in search of acceptance, would have still longed to observe the virtues and vices of men and women, and, most importantly, would have still been spurned and met with opposition with every attempt. Thus, we can deduce that even if Victor did stay by the Wretch’s side, the Wretch’s desires would have been the same-to be accepted by society-his actions would have been the same-to seek that acceptance-and the results would have been the same-rejection and a very, very unhappy wretch. Thus, Victor is fully removed from the realm of responsibility for the Wretch’s actions, for nothing he could have done would have prevented the Wretch’s misery and ensuing violence.
One final point I would like to make, and I promise this is a very quick one, is the tone that Shelley establishes in the closing pages of the novel. When The Wretch discovers Victor’s dead body aboard Walton’s ship, he offers the following apology: “That is also my victim!…Oh Frankenstein! Generous and self-devoted being! What does it avail that I now ask thee to pardon me?” This final point shows that in the closing scenes, the Wretch does claim responsibility for his actions, as he begs Victor, the man he once scorned for being the cause of his misery, for forgiveness.
Victor is to Blame
Victor failed to take responsibility of the Wretch as a creator. He is the one to be held responsible for the death and
misery in the novel. Victor was to take care of the Wretch as a father would take care of his own son. Instead he feared and
disregarded the Wretch, sometimes even forgetting his existence.
When the Wretch first saw light he sought to grasp Victor "one hand stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped
and rushed downstairs." Victor was frightened by the Wretch although he reached out for Victors love and affection just
like a baby does when first born. Victor did not teach the Wretch the ways of life, he rather left him to figure the world
out himself. The Wretch attempted to communicate with people but they were terrified by his appearance. He observed
a family that lived in a cottage and learned feelings and "conjectured" the words of the family learning how to better
his communication.
Overtime he grew lonely and miserable realizing that the family had a father and spoke about what a mother was which
he never recalled having. He envied his creator for not caring for him. He also envied the fact that Victor was surrounded
by people whom shared love for one another. As a result, the Wretch acted out in rage murdering those dearest to Victor.
Victor claimed "duties towards the beings of my own species had greater claims to my attention." For example he
had promised his parents to care for Elizabeth "to protect love and cherish." He complied with his promise but did not
comply with his responsibility of caring for the Wretch.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Who is to blame? Mr. Heartless Victor or the Wretch?
“But even if I were condemned to suffer on the scaffold for the same crimes, I would not change places with such a wretch…I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer”(96)
I think Victor is the true murder and he even admits it, yet he still blames the wretch. It is reasonable to think that Victor cannot be blamed for the actions of the wretch, for it committed these crimes on its on. Also, it was clearly conscious of the crimes it committed,"“I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph; clapping my hands, I exclaimed,...and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him”(Kathleen's quote)(144)." It knew exactly what it was doing but because of its rage and anger against Victor it committed these crimes. I completely agree that the Wretch committed these crimes and I can understand why people would take a stand against it. However, think about, would the wretch have committed the crimes it committed if Victor treated it with some respect and love. From the beginning itself Victor ignored the existence of the wretch when he ran away after creating it,"escaped, and rushed down stairs. I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited;." Victor chose to run away and hide from the mess he just created. As intelligent as he says he is, he couldn't even think about going back and fixing it. Instead he leaves and meets up with Henry Clerval. I believe if he had returned to the monster and fixed things, then he wouldn't have had to endure so much pain. Then again, if I came across a monstrous creature, I would have a ran away and pretended like it never happened. However, that is still no excuse for how he treated the wretch after it decided to come back to him to repent its sins and tell its story. After everything that had happened, the wretch still chose to come back but Victor, as arrogant has he is, didn't respect it,""Devil," I exclaimed, "do you dare approach me?... Begone, vile insect!..." This is his exact words when the wretch returned. The tone here is filled with disrespect, arrogance, disgust and hatred. I almost felt sympathy for the wretch because Victor treated it with so much hatred and it realized that this would be Victor's reaction just has everyone else's reaction,"I expected this reception," said the daemon. "All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things!." Here is a guy who gave birth to a hideous creature and runs away from it merely because he didn't like its appearance, and then when the creature decided to come back pleading for love, he treats it with hatred and disgust. This shows the cold heart Victor possesses. This is exactly the opposite of what the biblical parable of the Prodigal's Son depicts. In the parable, we see a son returning to his father after committing sins and the father accepting the son with open hands. However, in this novel, the son-like figure returns but is denied acceptance and he casted out hatefully. No wonder why the wretch goes on a rampage murdering innocent victims, because everywhere he goes, he is rejected hatefully. He tried to approach the blind man but is shunned out by the man's children. He tried to help a young girl but is shot by her father. Finally, he tries to go back to the only person he hopes might love him, his creator, but he too rejects him. Think about it, he has no one in the world to be with or share companionship with,""Shall each man," cried he, "find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone?."The fact that he cried while saying this should have evoked sympathy in Victor's heart, but the heartless man still refused to accept him or even respect him. Now who do you think should be blamed? Yes, the monster convicted sins but he came back to the only person he had trusted and pleaded for forgiveness. If your child killed someone but came to you crying and begging for your forgiveness, asking you to help him escape the mess he is in. Would you cast him out? or Would you with teary eyes and a forgiving heart comfort the child and help him get out of the mess he is in. Even if a stranger came to me telling his story and crying for forgiveness and asking me for my help, I would try my best to help the person. It is natural for humans to feel obliged in helping others. However, Victor didn't feel the same way and even in his death bed he cursed the wretch,"Let the cursed and hellish monster drink deep of agony; let him feel the despair that now torments me." Overall, I think Victor is responsible for the crimes the wretch committed and Victor should have felt responsible. If he had treated the wretch with respect, most of the miseries he suffered could have been avoided.
“But even if I were condemned to suffer on the scaffold for the same crimes, I would not change places with such a wretch…I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer”(96)
I think Victor is the true murder and he even admits it, yet he still blames the wretch. It is reasonable to think that Victor cannot be blamed for the actions of the wretch, for it committed these crimes on its on. Also, it was clearly conscious of the crimes it committed,"“I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph; clapping my hands, I exclaimed,...and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him”(Kathleen's quote)(144)." It knew exactly what it was doing but because of its rage and anger against Victor it committed these crimes. I completely agree that the Wretch committed these crimes and I can understand why people would take a stand against it. However, think about, would the wretch have committed the crimes it committed if Victor treated it with some respect and love. From the beginning itself Victor ignored the existence of the wretch when he ran away after creating it,"escaped, and rushed down stairs. I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited;." Victor chose to run away and hide from the mess he just created. As intelligent as he says he is, he couldn't even think about going back and fixing it. Instead he leaves and meets up with Henry Clerval. I believe if he had returned to the monster and fixed things, then he wouldn't have had to endure so much pain. Then again, if I came across a monstrous creature, I would have a ran away and pretended like it never happened. However, that is still no excuse for how he treated the wretch after it decided to come back to him to repent its sins and tell its story. After everything that had happened, the wretch still chose to come back but Victor, as arrogant has he is, didn't respect it,""Devil," I exclaimed, "do you dare approach me?... Begone, vile insect!..." This is his exact words when the wretch returned. The tone here is filled with disrespect, arrogance, disgust and hatred. I almost felt sympathy for the wretch because Victor treated it with so much hatred and it realized that this would be Victor's reaction just has everyone else's reaction,"I expected this reception," said the daemon. "All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things!." Here is a guy who gave birth to a hideous creature and runs away from it merely because he didn't like its appearance, and then when the creature decided to come back pleading for love, he treats it with hatred and disgust. This shows the cold heart Victor possesses. This is exactly the opposite of what the biblical parable of the Prodigal's Son depicts. In the parable, we see a son returning to his father after committing sins and the father accepting the son with open hands. However, in this novel, the son-like figure returns but is denied acceptance and he casted out hatefully. No wonder why the wretch goes on a rampage murdering innocent victims, because everywhere he goes, he is rejected hatefully. He tried to approach the blind man but is shunned out by the man's children. He tried to help a young girl but is shot by her father. Finally, he tries to go back to the only person he hopes might love him, his creator, but he too rejects him. Think about it, he has no one in the world to be with or share companionship with,""Shall each man," cried he, "find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone?."The fact that he cried while saying this should have evoked sympathy in Victor's heart, but the heartless man still refused to accept him or even respect him. Now who do you think should be blamed? Yes, the monster convicted sins but he came back to the only person he had trusted and pleaded for forgiveness. If your child killed someone but came to you crying and begging for your forgiveness, asking you to help him escape the mess he is in. Would you cast him out? or Would you with teary eyes and a forgiving heart comfort the child and help him get out of the mess he is in. Even if a stranger came to me telling his story and crying for forgiveness and asking me for my help, I would try my best to help the person. It is natural for humans to feel obliged in helping others. However, Victor didn't feel the same way and even in his death bed he cursed the wretch,"Let the cursed and hellish monster drink deep of agony; let him feel the despair that now torments me." Overall, I think Victor is responsible for the crimes the wretch committed and Victor should have felt responsible. If he had treated the wretch with respect, most of the miseries he suffered could have been avoided.
You Made The Wretch, Now Care For It!
Both characters can be faulted for different things. The Wretch is responsible for killing multiple people, but Victor is the person ultimately responsible for the Wretch. With this being said I sympathetically support the Wretch and blame Victor for the murders.
The typical argument is that Victor is responsible because he should have cared for the Wretch as a child and then the Wretch would be loving and not capable of murder. I completely agree with argument and I also think that if Victor would’ve never created the Wretch in the first place, than this would’ve all been entirely avoided.
The Wretch explains to Victor that he does feel guilty and somewhat responsible by saying: “I had begun life with benevolent intentions… Now all was blasted: …I was seized by remorse and the sense of guilt, which hurried me away to a hell of intense tortures.” This shows that the Wretch actually has a conscience and isn’t such a terrible creature. This is one of the many things that separate him from his creator, Victor is selfish and it takes a lot for Victor to finally feel guilt or take any sort of responsibility. These murders are all Victors fault, which the Wretch tells Victor when arguing. He explains that he most likely wouldn’t have committed these crimes, if only he was loved and cared for by his creator or at least had some feeling of companionship with him.
Lastly, the Wretch only killed these people in order to take revenge on Victor. If Victor wouldn’t have abandoned him, there would be no reason for any revenge. Victor is clearly responsible for all the deaths of his loved ones, including Justine’s death by default.
Stop Whining Victor and take responsibility!
In my honest opinion, Victor and the Wretch are both to blame. Victor had no intentions on owning up to his "mistake" and taking care of him. On the other hand, the wretch should not have taken revenge on Victor at the expense of innocent people. However, with this all in mind, the wretch is still justified in his feelings towards Victor 100%. Victor should have been there for the wretch to begin with, if he had, then most likely this book would be a lot less depressing.
At the beginning of the story, I sympathized for Victor when he spoke about how he longed for a compainion. However, all of my sympathy left once he created the wreetch and abandoned him to die. I began to hate him once he began searching for pity with simple lines like "the tortures of the accused did not equal mine." He was going insane and he was looking justification. How do I know he's going insane, you ask? Well here's a quote that clearly indicates his descent into insanity: "I slept, indeed, but I was disturbed by the wildest dreams. I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in the streets of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her, but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death; her features appeared to change, and I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms" ...I think that's indication enough. It's obvious that his take of the story will be biased, but I don't pity him. He should have taken care of the wretch, ugly or not.
The wretch has every right to feel betrayed and angry towards Victor. It's like a child who was brought into this world and then immediately rejected by its parents. It's not fair to the child just like it isn't fair to the wretch. He has every right to want to take revenge on Victor though I don't support the ways in which he did it. in the end he only wanted a companion. "My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change, without torture such as you cannot imagine." He's not a bad person at heart, he wanted to be happpy just like any normal human being, but the selfish, cowardly acts of Victor made him into an ugly, evil giant who's filled with hatred.
Like the great Justin Beiber once said: He just needs somebody to love.
At the beginning of the story, I sympathized for Victor when he spoke about how he longed for a compainion. However, all of my sympathy left once he created the wreetch and abandoned him to die. I began to hate him once he began searching for pity with simple lines like "the tortures of the accused did not equal mine." He was going insane and he was looking justification. How do I know he's going insane, you ask? Well here's a quote that clearly indicates his descent into insanity: "I slept, indeed, but I was disturbed by the wildest dreams. I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in the streets of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her, but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death; her features appeared to change, and I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms" ...I think that's indication enough. It's obvious that his take of the story will be biased, but I don't pity him. He should have taken care of the wretch, ugly or not.
The wretch has every right to feel betrayed and angry towards Victor. It's like a child who was brought into this world and then immediately rejected by its parents. It's not fair to the child just like it isn't fair to the wretch. He has every right to want to take revenge on Victor though I don't support the ways in which he did it. in the end he only wanted a companion. "My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change, without torture such as you cannot imagine." He's not a bad person at heart, he wanted to be happpy just like any normal human being, but the selfish, cowardly acts of Victor made him into an ugly, evil giant who's filled with hatred.
Like the great Justin Beiber once said: He just needs somebody to love.
It was definitely William's fault for tempting the wretch!
In your humble opinion, who is responsible for all of the death and misery in the novel? Is it Victor? Is it the Wretch? Is it little William?
In my own humble opinion, i believe that Victor Frankenstein can be held responsible for all of the death and misery that presented itself in this novel. I'm not taking the Wretch's side out of pity and sympathy, i truly feel that Victor could have prevented all of the tragic events that occurred. He made the final decision on creating the Wretch, and once it had "awoken", he realized the mess that he had created. From that point on, Victor neglected the wretch, pretending that his experiment never happened. This decision was even worse than the prior. This negligence created an animosity between both the creator and the creation. The wretch was like Victor's baby, meaning he needed to be taken care of. Instead, he was left to die, and once the wretch realized that this was his intention, he wanted nothing more than to take revenge.
Victor was not justified in his reaction to his own creation. He had created the monster, of course hoping for positive data during the experiment, so why didn't he realize that his experiment may actually work, and that the body may indeed be filled with life again? He had no reason to fear the wretch. During his awakening, Shelley used imagery to illustrate that the wretch was not initially evil. She wrote,"His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me"(59). This quote is important to the story because it not only proves that the Wretch was not inherently evil but was actually born with great admiration for his creator. So in reality, Victor had no reason to disown him. The Wretch showed Victor his appreciation for the gift of life by doing the kindness thing he knew how to do, which was smile. On the other hand, Victor showed the Wretch quite the opposite. He was ashamed of his creation and made it a point to let the daemon know. He showed the Wretch that he was not worthy of any affection in return, altering the creature's mindset completely.
Although the Wretch performed all of the wretched acts seen in the novel, they were provoked by Victor and the cruel towns people whom he was rarely in contact with. "My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change, without torture such as you cannot even imagine"(224). The downfall of the Wretch's morality is similar to the training of vicious fighting dogs. You must beat them and hurt them until the only thing left in their minds is hatred. This is similar to the Wretch's situation. Negative event after negative event trained him to feel nothing more than hatred and resentment. So in the end, everything that happened was due to Victor's carelessness. He created the beast and refused to assume responsibility for him, leaving him to fend for himself in the harsh world. Victor tried to cover up his mistakes, but in the end was faced with the harsh reality of what he had done. All of his misery and grief could have easily been prevented, but instead of facing his problens, he ran away like a coward (literally). The devastation caused by the Wretch was ultimately due to Victor's fear and carelessness, relaying the blame from the Wretch back to Victor.
In my own humble opinion, i believe that Victor Frankenstein can be held responsible for all of the death and misery that presented itself in this novel. I'm not taking the Wretch's side out of pity and sympathy, i truly feel that Victor could have prevented all of the tragic events that occurred. He made the final decision on creating the Wretch, and once it had "awoken", he realized the mess that he had created. From that point on, Victor neglected the wretch, pretending that his experiment never happened. This decision was even worse than the prior. This negligence created an animosity between both the creator and the creation. The wretch was like Victor's baby, meaning he needed to be taken care of. Instead, he was left to die, and once the wretch realized that this was his intention, he wanted nothing more than to take revenge.
Victor was not justified in his reaction to his own creation. He had created the monster, of course hoping for positive data during the experiment, so why didn't he realize that his experiment may actually work, and that the body may indeed be filled with life again? He had no reason to fear the wretch. During his awakening, Shelley used imagery to illustrate that the wretch was not initially evil. She wrote,"His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me"(59). This quote is important to the story because it not only proves that the Wretch was not inherently evil but was actually born with great admiration for his creator. So in reality, Victor had no reason to disown him. The Wretch showed Victor his appreciation for the gift of life by doing the kindness thing he knew how to do, which was smile. On the other hand, Victor showed the Wretch quite the opposite. He was ashamed of his creation and made it a point to let the daemon know. He showed the Wretch that he was not worthy of any affection in return, altering the creature's mindset completely.
Although the Wretch performed all of the wretched acts seen in the novel, they were provoked by Victor and the cruel towns people whom he was rarely in contact with. "My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change, without torture such as you cannot even imagine"(224). The downfall of the Wretch's morality is similar to the training of vicious fighting dogs. You must beat them and hurt them until the only thing left in their minds is hatred. This is similar to the Wretch's situation. Negative event after negative event trained him to feel nothing more than hatred and resentment. So in the end, everything that happened was due to Victor's carelessness. He created the beast and refused to assume responsibility for him, leaving him to fend for himself in the harsh world. Victor tried to cover up his mistakes, but in the end was faced with the harsh reality of what he had done. All of his misery and grief could have easily been prevented, but instead of facing his problens, he ran away like a coward (literally). The devastation caused by the Wretch was ultimately due to Victor's fear and carelessness, relaying the blame from the Wretch back to Victor.
Victor or The Wretch?
I would have to say that I am fully on the Wretch's side. Considering the actions taken by the Wretch during this course of the novel, its no surprise as to why many people may be pro-Victor. However, I believe that the Wretch was completely justified in every action he took towards Victor.
Victor failed the Wretch as a parent/creator. Among the first things that a parent should do for their child, is to take care of them, Victor on the other hand left the Wretch immediately after his creation. "One hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped, and rushed downstairs." In this scene, we are able to see the Wretch stretching out his hand towards Victor during the first moments of his life, we commonly see children doing this with their parents. Instead of taking responsibly for his creation, Victor fears it and flees the lab. Victor leaves the Wretch, thus forcing it to learn about the cruel world himself. As the story progresses, we come to find out that the Wretch's life was filled with nothing but "loathing despair" and hatred. Alone, angry, and full of despair, the Wretch learns of Victor's life and envies the fact that he has people to love and people to show compassion towards. This enrages him, forcing him to swear vengeance upon his creator. “I have devoted to my creator, the select specimen of all that is worthy of love and admirations among men, to misery.” The Wretch kills off Victor's loved ones in attempt to make Victor’s life just as wretched as his. The Wretch even admits to having feelings of “agony” and “remorse” after murdering his creator’s companions off, one by one. He had slaughtered the “helpless”, the “lovely”, and the “innocent” because of Victor.
Now, all of this murdering sounds pretty cruel, however, I believe that Victor had this coming. If he had only taken responsibility for his actions, none of this would have ever happened. Victor receives a second chance to make everything better, but it would require him to create a second wretch, for the original one. He accepts this requirement and starts his work, however, as time passes onwards; he begins to grow fearful of his creation and the horror of it all. As a result, he destroys the body of the second wretch and the Wretch strikes back in anger. With this, the Wretch tells Victor, “I shall be with you on your wedding-night.” After destroying the only possible companion the Wretch could have had, he goes on to have his own wedding. This absolutely enrages the Wretch, so he finally kills off Elizabeth, Victor’s wife. Even after the Wretch threatened him, he still continued to have his wedding foolishly.
Victor absolutely asks for everything that happens to him during the course of the novel. If he had only taken care of the monster he created, his life could have been normal, however, he feared the works of his own hands and ran away from it. As a result, the fiend he created became filled with hate, vice, and malice, thus killing everyone Victor had come to love.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Surprise!
Although many argue Victor, the creator, is at fault for all the deaths of his family members, it seems that a lot of people seem to overlook the fact that the wretch was the one who murdered these innocent people. Yes, Victor is his creator and if he had only given the love and care to this once naive being, he would be different, but one cannot place all the blame on this one person. It is like saying a parent is responsible for all the actions of her son. Are his parents truly at fault for everything he does? No, not everything because the son has a mind of his own; he has a choice to make in every situation he is in.
The wretch is guilty of the murder of Victor’s youngest brother. The monster kills this pristine child who is not at fault for anything that has happened to him. Many believe that he slaughtered the boy by accident, however, the creature says, “I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph; clapping my hands, I exclaimed, ‘I too can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable ; this death will carry despair to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him” (144). He clapped his hands, indicating his happiness and triumph. He killed this little boy not out of ignorance, but intent of pain. He knew what he was doing. The wretch had a choice to kill William.
At the end of this novel, the wretch gives a speech to Walton telling him how he murdered Victor’s friend. He says, “Think you that the groans of Clerval were music to my ears? My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wretched by misery to vice and hatred it did not endure the violence of the change, without torture such as you cannot even imagine” (222). The monster murdered Henry and yet he is saying he could barely stand to do so. If he did not want to commit the act, then why did he do it? It is just so hard to imagine that he had murder someone. No one told this beast to go on killing sprees. Is this really the innocent being that everyone sees him to have been? It seems the blood on his hands beg the differ. In fact he could have just looked for a life of loneliness or solitude, but he chose this life of carnage.
There is not only a responsibility of a parent to care for his child, which Victor fails to do, but there responsibility of an individual. The wretch is a creature of the world, even though he was not brought out naturally and was not treated right; he did not have to murder anyone. No one was forcing him to kill Elizabeth, Henry, or William. He chose this path in life. Victor could have possibly made a difference in this creature’s life, but what’s done is done. Victor could not change his role in the wretch’s life, it was too late. However, the wretch could have selected a different way of carrying out his revenge. He is to blame for all the deaths in this gothic novel.
-Kathleen :)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Gimme a W!
As you can all clearly see, the word "wretch" starts with a W. So does the word Winner. As does Winnipeg, Canada. The point is - I am 2000% TeamWretch. Not Team Edward, or Team Bella... Team Wretch. I am now going to explain why in as succinct a manner as I possibly can because my name does not happen to be Jesse Reed Young. Leggo.
So to recapitulate everything that the wretch did, of course we have to talk about all the murders. The wretch seemed to make it his mission to kill every person that Victor held near and dear, including, but no limited to, Elizabeth and Clerval for example. Although he would never kill Victor, he wanted to make him as miserable, and wretched as he was. Undoubtedly he succeeded in doing so, and filled Victor's life with despair, seeing as he was now completely alone.
Ok - the question is, whose fault is it that all those murders occurred? Obviously the blame automatically goes to the wretch (for whom I wish I had a name, because saying "the wretch" is getting annoying) since he's the one who committed the crimes. Right. Ok. BUT. If we take a deeper look at all of this, (and use examples from the text to corroborate our argument ;] ) we can see that in fact, it was VICTOR'S fault that all of these things occurred. Everything that happened stems from the idea that no one FORCED Victor to create the wretch. He did it out of his own passion and curiosity, and I will always stand by the idea that you must (political views coming soon) care for and protect anything you create. It was Victor's choice to create the wretch, and had he acted like a father figure to the monster, it would not have been so violent. The wretch says himself, on page 222, "My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change, without torture such as you cannot even imagine." He himself admits that when he was first created, he had a caring, sympathetic nature. But when his attempts to be kind were shunned by society, undoubtedly due to the way he looked, he became angry and wretched.
Because Victor was never there for him, to provide him with a companion, the wretch wasn't able to discern what the right thing to do was in most situations, and his anger caused him to react violently. He says on page 172, "Shall each man find a wife for his bosom, and each best have his mate, and I be alone?" All he's ever wanted was companionship, something he's never had. All his life, beginning with his initial creation when "one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me" (59), he's been scorned for trying to show affection. So rather than continue to get his feelings hurt, he took the low road and started strangling everybody & their mother. (Figure of speech)
To bring this brief post to an end, the murders all happened as a result of el wretch-o's unrequited feelings of affection. Had Victor not attempted to spurn his advances, he would have been taught right from wrong, and he wouldn't have had such bottled up feelings that exploded from him uncontrollably.
So i really tried to be terse. Whatever. Intro...
Deuces.
So to recapitulate everything that the wretch did, of course we have to talk about all the murders. The wretch seemed to make it his mission to kill every person that Victor held near and dear, including, but no limited to, Elizabeth and Clerval for example. Although he would never kill Victor, he wanted to make him as miserable, and wretched as he was. Undoubtedly he succeeded in doing so, and filled Victor's life with despair, seeing as he was now completely alone.
Ok - the question is, whose fault is it that all those murders occurred? Obviously the blame automatically goes to the wretch (for whom I wish I had a name, because saying "the wretch" is getting annoying) since he's the one who committed the crimes. Right. Ok. BUT. If we take a deeper look at all of this, (and use examples from the text to corroborate our argument ;] ) we can see that in fact, it was VICTOR'S fault that all of these things occurred. Everything that happened stems from the idea that no one FORCED Victor to create the wretch. He did it out of his own passion and curiosity, and I will always stand by the idea that you must (political views coming soon) care for and protect anything you create. It was Victor's choice to create the wretch, and had he acted like a father figure to the monster, it would not have been so violent. The wretch says himself, on page 222, "My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change, without torture such as you cannot even imagine." He himself admits that when he was first created, he had a caring, sympathetic nature. But when his attempts to be kind were shunned by society, undoubtedly due to the way he looked, he became angry and wretched.
Because Victor was never there for him, to provide him with a companion, the wretch wasn't able to discern what the right thing to do was in most situations, and his anger caused him to react violently. He says on page 172, "Shall each man find a wife for his bosom, and each best have his mate, and I be alone?" All he's ever wanted was companionship, something he's never had. All his life, beginning with his initial creation when "one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me" (59), he's been scorned for trying to show affection. So rather than continue to get his feelings hurt, he took the low road and started strangling everybody & their mother. (Figure of speech)
To bring this brief post to an end, the murders all happened as a result of el wretch-o's unrequited feelings of affection. Had Victor not attempted to spurn his advances, he would have been taught right from wrong, and he wouldn't have had such bottled up feelings that exploded from him uncontrollably.
So i really tried to be terse. Whatever. Intro...
Deuces.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Who Made This Mess? Due Wednesday 11/17 @ Midnight
Upon completion of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, there is always much debate over who bears the responsibility for the tragic events of the novel. And now, it is your turn to lend your voice to this timeless debate. In your humble opinion, who is responsible for all of the death and misery in the novel? Is it Victor? Is it the Wretch? Is it little William?
Pick a side and support your view with a MINIMUM of TWO CONCRETE examples from the novel. Be sure that your argument is convincing and contains the dreaded "textual evidence" as support!
The "most convincing" argument will earn and extra bonus (5 points) on the exam. Best of luck, my little wretches....
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