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frankenstein 'alien self' (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter mandalay
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glycerine
so don't even ask me
well, the monster is alienated from society because of his appearance, whereas walton is alienated because he cannot relate to other men and seeks comfort in the unknown. (are you sure they said walton and not victor?)
i did the alien self unit and I'm trying to remember where my essays went...we were never asked about walton though cos he's not a major character...only the monster and victor....ehhh i must have thrown out my prelims ext 1 stuff somewhere..aha! wait! found it...lolOriginally posted by mandalay
was anyone here ever asked to write an essay about the 'alien self' represented through the monster and also Walton (in Frankenstein)?
if so, i'd love some advice or direction
ok here are a few dot points..my essay was saved onto ta disc but i cant find the disc so this will have to do
- a parody of its creator "my form is a filthy type of your horrid in the very resemblence"
- he is those things we know but cannot control/name, which leads to violence because this unknown is divorced form society/nature
- he is all things society refuses to accept and name, thus alienating him from the world he yearns to join/understand
- in the rejection of the heroic overreaching he becomes more human than his creator
- In Frankenstein, science (represented by Victor) ultimately criticises the human model as faulty because it is subject to decay and death, popting to unleash a creature which becomes the projection of his inner and alienated self
- rejection of the human model leads to corruption of mankind, further straying from the laws of nature and will of God
i have a tonne of stuff on Walton and his relation to the unit and the structure of the novel..shame i dont have a scanner..sorry
okey dokey..im in a bad mood about the strikes buuut il be nice
- walton is an observer
- the idealist who pursues his ideal, the search for a myth
- obsessed with his own wishes, his search for the Pole
- cuts himself off from his sister (the female) < you can discuss the issues over the female psychological stuff here if u like....he turns into himself. self concsious, self centered and by becoming himself, he becomes the monster ( i dont undertsand this point either actually, if you do then I'd be interested to know actually)
- the novel is a maze of stroy telling, frame by frame, bit by bit, it is a series of human confessions yet the monster is the CENTER of the story
- the frame narrative removes us from the characters, so their survival is not essential
- all the narratos are exiled and isolated. all have embarked on a quest for knowledge beyond thir control and beyond ordinary human experience
- the book is a critique of the hero and the knowledge he is seeking to uncover
some of these points can be easily tied into the alien self unit but its also good not to forget the gothic genre movement and talk about that abit too (dont gey carried away though!! its good to just add a bit of it to display knowledge)
- walton is an observer
- the idealist who pursues his ideal, the search for a myth
- obsessed with his own wishes, his search for the Pole
- cuts himself off from his sister (the female) < you can discuss the issues over the female psychological stuff here if u like....he turns into himself. self concsious, self centered and by becoming himself, he becomes the monster ( i dont undertsand this point either actually, if you do then I'd be interested to know actually)
- the novel is a maze of stroy telling, frame by frame, bit by bit, it is a series of human confessions yet the monster is the CENTER of the story
- the frame narrative removes us from the characters, so their survival is not essential
- all the narratos are exiled and isolated. all have embarked on a quest for knowledge beyond thir control and beyond ordinary human experience
- the book is a critique of the hero and the knowledge he is seeking to uncover
some of these points can be easily tied into the alien self unit but its also good not to forget the gothic genre movement and talk about that abit too (dont gey carried away though!! its good to just add a bit of it to display knowledge)
glycerine
so don't even ask me
honestly i think victor would be *easier* because you could talk about how he transcended the boundaries of science,alienating himself etc
and in regards to the second question, victor yes, but also the landscape, ie the north pole, he's an explorer at hear t if i remember correctly
mandalay
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in regards to Walton, i thought it would be pretty straight forward.
he's 'alien' because he's all alone (emotionally) as he can't relate to the other crew members. they are no match for him intellectually or behavouristically. and then there's the fact that the other members of the crew apparently aren't meant to mingle with the captain :S
he's 'alien' because he's all alone (emotionally) as he can't relate to the other crew members. they are no match for him intellectually or behavouristically. and then there's the fact that the other members of the crew apparently aren't meant to mingle with the captain :S
glycerine
so don't even ask me
hmm, well, in that sense yeah he's fairly straight forward.
victor would be easy in the sense that you can talk about how his thirst for knowledge isolates him, firstly for like 2 years or whatever when hes building the monster, secondly when the monster kills everyone he loves
heres some stuff i did last year on the representations of the monster/scientist, it might have some relevant stuff:
How is the monster represented in the novel?
Before he is born or infused with the “spark of life”, the monster is presented as Frankenstein’s creation of genius. He loses himself in its construction and becomes obsessed. “I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation, but for this one pursuit.” (p39), yet rejects the monster the instant it comes to life. “I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open. . . I had selected his features as beautiful. . . I had worked hard for nearly two years. . . but now that I had finished the beauty of my dream banished. . . unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room”.
The monster is, for a period after his creation, distanced from the story in terms of his humanity and presented only as a murderous fiend (namely in the murder of William and indirectly, Justine). At this point, he serves only to draw Frankenstein deeper into his own fear, regret and despair. Until he approaches Frankenstein directly, he is nothing more than a shadowy, monstrous figure.
However, in his first approach towards Frankenstein, the line between human and monster is blurred. He meets Frankenstein atop a rock overlooking a sea of ice, bounding “over crevices which I had walked with caution; his stature also seemed to exceed that of man.” Although Victor’s description continues to represent him as a monster, it is at this point (chapter 10) that the differences between his actions, words and appearance raise the question of whether he is a human or a monster. As he conveys the story of his life, his situation and human qualities become apparent. Like so many abused children, he has become prone to abusing those who wrong him. Yet he is mostly benevolent towards humans – he is capable of feeling love, and wants only love in return. “Believe me Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity, but am I not alone, miserably alone?” (p84). He is prone to commit evil acts, but approaches Frankenstein for his help in preventing this. “On you it rests, whether I quit forever the neighbourhood of man. . . or become the scourge of your people and the author of your own speedy ruin.”
Frankenstein continuously perceives the monster as just that – a monster. This notion occurs despite his witness to the monster’s best qualities. He is in constant fear of his own creation – “I feared the vengeance of the disappointed fiend, yet I was unable to overcome my own repugnance”. (p135). This inability to look past the monster’s exterior leads to both his and the creature’s downfall. For the period in which Frankenstein constructs the creature’s companion, the monster is not present, yet his shadow lingers in Victor’s thoughts. These are the periods in which the monster is at his most menacing – the times where he is a “fiend” with the potential to spoil Victor’s happiness. His potential mate is a creation of “evil” which sickens Frankenstein. “Even if they were to leave Europe. . .one of the first sympathies for which the demon thirsted would be children. . .a race of demons would be propagated upon the earth.” He questions his own ability to threaten humanity with such a “curse”. This is yet another example of his inability to comprehend the monster’s human qualities, and instead judge merely on the exterior.
The monster’s anger is well apparent at Frankenstein’s destruction of his companion, and the threats which ensue serve to reinforce the portrayal of him as a monstrous being. “I may die, but first you, my tyrant and tormentor, shall curse the sun which gazes upon your misery”. (p153).
The monster then proceeds to murder Clerval, and send Frankenstein into a two month long fit of madness and despair. His monstrous qualities are most ardently displayed in this period, and the one in which he murders Elizabeth. In this time, his ability for empathy and remorse is diminished, and his portrayal is even more blatantly negative.
In the end, the creature has been worn down, and without the love he desires and vengeance towards his maker to drive him, he becomes suicidal. “You hate me, but your abhorrence cannot equal with which I regard myself”. (p204). His self-hatred makes him the novel’s most tragic figure.
How is the scientist represented in the novel?
Victor Frankenstein is a victim of his own genius. His first appearance in the novel is upon Walton’s vessel, where he seems disillusioned and sick. He appears to have suffered intensely, and pleads with Walton to not be caught up in the thirst for knowledge. “Do you share my madness? Have you drunk also of the intoxicating draught?” (p13).
His autobiographical recount initially reveals someone entirely different. He describes himself as he was before suffering changed him, and drove him into solitude. In his childhood and early adulthood, he was inspired by knowledge, and displayed obvious signs of intelligence. He goes to university only to find that his life’s work is irrelevant. Yet, he adjusts to this and proceeds to become the university’s finest student.
Frankenstein eventually declines from the budding genius, to one with no real capacity for ethics and empathy. His disgust towards his creation shows his superficiality, and his inability to later appreciate the creature’s humanity is indicative of his ultimate lack of real empathy. These characteristics are represented in a number of ways. The most blatant representations of his true character occur in the way he perceives and treats his creation. In a way, the monster is a metaphor for the ugliness that resides inside him, as he rejects it as strongly as we all reject our own negative potential.
Eventually, Victor has been worn down by loss and regret. He is exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and dies warning Walton not to follow in his footsteps and be consumed by the thirst for knowledge. Throughout the novel, his self-development in strongly represented. At first he claims “benevolent intentions… [thirsting] for the moment in which I could put them into practise”. However, the conclusion of his story, leaves him dying knowing of the dangers of playing God. Essentially, his arrogance has been atrophied by his experience with loss, namely the deaths of those he loves.
victor would be easy in the sense that you can talk about how his thirst for knowledge isolates him, firstly for like 2 years or whatever when hes building the monster, secondly when the monster kills everyone he loves
heres some stuff i did last year on the representations of the monster/scientist, it might have some relevant stuff:
How is the monster represented in the novel?
Before he is born or infused with the “spark of life”, the monster is presented as Frankenstein’s creation of genius. He loses himself in its construction and becomes obsessed. “I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation, but for this one pursuit.” (p39), yet rejects the monster the instant it comes to life. “I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open. . . I had selected his features as beautiful. . . I had worked hard for nearly two years. . . but now that I had finished the beauty of my dream banished. . . unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room”.
The monster is, for a period after his creation, distanced from the story in terms of his humanity and presented only as a murderous fiend (namely in the murder of William and indirectly, Justine). At this point, he serves only to draw Frankenstein deeper into his own fear, regret and despair. Until he approaches Frankenstein directly, he is nothing more than a shadowy, monstrous figure.
However, in his first approach towards Frankenstein, the line between human and monster is blurred. He meets Frankenstein atop a rock overlooking a sea of ice, bounding “over crevices which I had walked with caution; his stature also seemed to exceed that of man.” Although Victor’s description continues to represent him as a monster, it is at this point (chapter 10) that the differences between his actions, words and appearance raise the question of whether he is a human or a monster. As he conveys the story of his life, his situation and human qualities become apparent. Like so many abused children, he has become prone to abusing those who wrong him. Yet he is mostly benevolent towards humans – he is capable of feeling love, and wants only love in return. “Believe me Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity, but am I not alone, miserably alone?” (p84). He is prone to commit evil acts, but approaches Frankenstein for his help in preventing this. “On you it rests, whether I quit forever the neighbourhood of man. . . or become the scourge of your people and the author of your own speedy ruin.”
Frankenstein continuously perceives the monster as just that – a monster. This notion occurs despite his witness to the monster’s best qualities. He is in constant fear of his own creation – “I feared the vengeance of the disappointed fiend, yet I was unable to overcome my own repugnance”. (p135). This inability to look past the monster’s exterior leads to both his and the creature’s downfall. For the period in which Frankenstein constructs the creature’s companion, the monster is not present, yet his shadow lingers in Victor’s thoughts. These are the periods in which the monster is at his most menacing – the times where he is a “fiend” with the potential to spoil Victor’s happiness. His potential mate is a creation of “evil” which sickens Frankenstein. “Even if they were to leave Europe. . .one of the first sympathies for which the demon thirsted would be children. . .a race of demons would be propagated upon the earth.” He questions his own ability to threaten humanity with such a “curse”. This is yet another example of his inability to comprehend the monster’s human qualities, and instead judge merely on the exterior.
The monster’s anger is well apparent at Frankenstein’s destruction of his companion, and the threats which ensue serve to reinforce the portrayal of him as a monstrous being. “I may die, but first you, my tyrant and tormentor, shall curse the sun which gazes upon your misery”. (p153).
The monster then proceeds to murder Clerval, and send Frankenstein into a two month long fit of madness and despair. His monstrous qualities are most ardently displayed in this period, and the one in which he murders Elizabeth. In this time, his ability for empathy and remorse is diminished, and his portrayal is even more blatantly negative.
In the end, the creature has been worn down, and without the love he desires and vengeance towards his maker to drive him, he becomes suicidal. “You hate me, but your abhorrence cannot equal with which I regard myself”. (p204). His self-hatred makes him the novel’s most tragic figure.
How is the scientist represented in the novel?
Victor Frankenstein is a victim of his own genius. His first appearance in the novel is upon Walton’s vessel, where he seems disillusioned and sick. He appears to have suffered intensely, and pleads with Walton to not be caught up in the thirst for knowledge. “Do you share my madness? Have you drunk also of the intoxicating draught?” (p13).
His autobiographical recount initially reveals someone entirely different. He describes himself as he was before suffering changed him, and drove him into solitude. In his childhood and early adulthood, he was inspired by knowledge, and displayed obvious signs of intelligence. He goes to university only to find that his life’s work is irrelevant. Yet, he adjusts to this and proceeds to become the university’s finest student.
Frankenstein eventually declines from the budding genius, to one with no real capacity for ethics and empathy. His disgust towards his creation shows his superficiality, and his inability to later appreciate the creature’s humanity is indicative of his ultimate lack of real empathy. These characteristics are represented in a number of ways. The most blatant representations of his true character occur in the way he perceives and treats his creation. In a way, the monster is a metaphor for the ugliness that resides inside him, as he rejects it as strongly as we all reject our own negative potential.
Eventually, Victor has been worn down by loss and regret. He is exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and dies warning Walton not to follow in his footsteps and be consumed by the thirst for knowledge. Throughout the novel, his self-development in strongly represented. At first he claims “benevolent intentions… [thirsting] for the moment in which I could put them into practise”. However, the conclusion of his story, leaves him dying knowing of the dangers of playing God. Essentially, his arrogance has been atrophied by his experience with loss, namely the deaths of those he loves.