155 lines
9.7 KiB
Plaintext
155 lines
9.7 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Term Paper on the Novel ]
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[ ]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes ["Frankenstein" ]
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[x]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: 07/94 # of Words:1339 School:Public Co-Ed State:Ny
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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The Creator's Faults in the Creation
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Often the actions of children are reflective of the attitudes of those
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who raised them. In the novel Frankenstein : Or the Modern Prometheus by
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Mary Shelly, Dr. Victor Frankenstein is the sole being that can take
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responsibility for the creature that he has created, as he is the only one
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that had any part in bringing it into being. While the actions of the
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creation are the ones that are the illegal and deadly their roots are
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traced back to the flaws of Frankenstein as a creator.
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Many of Frankenstein's faults are evident in the appearance of his
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creation. It is described as having yellow skin, dark black hair, eyes
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sunk into their sockets, and black lips (Shelly 56). Frankenstein, having
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chosen the parts for his creature, is the only one possible to blame for
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its appearance. Martin Tropp states that the monster is "designed to be
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beautiful and loving, it is loathsome and unloved" (64). Clearly it is
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Frankenstein's lack of foresight in the creation process to allow for a
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creature that Frankenstein "had selected his features as beautiful," (56)
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to become something which the very sight of causes its creator to say
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"breathless horror and disgust filled my heart"(56). He overlooks the
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seemingly obvious fact that ugliness is the natural result when something
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is made from parts of different corpses and put together. Were he
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thinking more clearly he would have noticed monster's hideousness.
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Another physical aspect of the monster which shows a fault in
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Frankenstein is its immense size. The reason that Frankenstein gives for
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creating so large a creature is his own haste. He states that ,"As the
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minuteness of the parts formed a great hinderance to my speed, I resolved,
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contrary to my first intention, to make a being gigantic in stature ..."
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(52). Had Frankenstein not had been so rushed to complete his project he
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would not have had to deal with such a physically intimidating creature.
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Tropp however states that ambition may have had a role in the size of the
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creation. He says that the creation is "born of Frankenstein's
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megalomania" (81). This may indeed be true as the inventor states "A new
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species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent
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natures would owe their being to me" (52). Frankenstein seems obsessed
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with being the father of this new race, so he makes the creature large in
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order to assure its dominance.
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The more important defect within Frankenstein is not so much shown in
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the appearance that he gave his creation, but the manner in which he
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responds to it. The first thing that Frankenstein notices upon the
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activation of his creation is one of being appalled (56). Frankenstein
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sees the creature's physical appearance only, taking no time to attempt to
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acknowledge its mental nature. He cannot accept it simply because it looks
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too far removed from his view of beautiful (Oates 77). Because of this he
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drives the creature away, abandoning it. The creature is "in one sense an
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infant-a comically monstrous eight foot baby- whose progenitor rejects him
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immediately after creating him..." (Oates 70). It is due to this
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abandonment that the monster develops the murderous tendencies displayed
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later in the novel. Even when the creature is shown to be naturally good,
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its physical form never allows it acceptance. Whenever the creation
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attempts to be rational with Frankenstein it is rejected, with in almost
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all cases Frankenstein sighting its appearance as one of the reasons.
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"Frankenstein's response to the `thing' he has created is solely in
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aesthetic terms..." (Oates 75).
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Throughout the novel Frankenstein continually insists that "The
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tortures of Hell are too mild a vengeance for all [the creature's] crimes"
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(95). Frankenstein is incorrect, however in assuming that the creature is
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inherently evil. Mary Lowe-Evans states that ,"Nothing in Frankenstein is
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more unexpected than the Creature's sensitivity" (52). His benevolent
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nature described in his story is meant to show that he is not the beast
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that Frankenstein has made him out to be (Lowe-Evans 52). The creature is
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intrigued by the lives of the people that he finds living in a small cabin,
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the De Laceys. The creature loves everything about these people and
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attempts to aid them by gathering for them much needed firewood. This
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action is described by Tropp as, "a last attempt to enter its [Paradise's}
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gates" (75). He also sympathizes with the plights of other unfortunate
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people that he hears of such as the Native Americans (Lowe-Evans 53). It
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is only upon being again rejected because of his appearance that the
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creature becomes the monster that Frankenstein sees him as.
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Just as the creature's love of the De Laceys show that he is not an
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evil being and that Frankenstein has caused him to become this way, so does
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the creature's constant longing for companionship. The creature says in
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regard to originally capturing Frankenstein's brother William, "If I could,
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therefore seize him ... I should not be so desolate in this peopled earth."
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(136). He only murders him upon realizing that he is a relative of
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Frankenstein. The creature's ultimate plea for companionship comes when he
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requests that Frankenstein creates another monster to be his mate, and that
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the two monsters would live in isolation. Tropp acknowledges that this is
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truly meant to do no harm to the race of man, and simply to comfort the
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creature. He also states, however, that it is in the creation's nature to
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look for acceptance by humans, and will if given the chance, return to
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human civilization (78).
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The most major crime committed by the creature in the eyes of
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Frankenstein is the murder of his wife Elizabeth. The roots of the killing
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can be traced back not only to the malice displayed by the creature toward
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Frankenstein, but also to Frankenstein's own self-centered attitude. The
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creature pronounces his threat on Elizabeth's life, after Frankenstein has
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done what Oates calls "The cruelest act of all" (78), destroying the
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partially finished monster that was to be the mate of his first creation.
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She also states that Frankenstein, "in `mangling' the flesh of his demon's
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bride, he is murdering the pious and rather too perfect Elizabeth..." (78).
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Frankenstein wishes for his own happiness through companionship in
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marriage, but denies the same right to his creation. Frankenstein can also
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be viewed as being responsible for the death of Elizabeth by assuming that
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when the creature states "I shall be with you on your wedding night" (161)
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he is going to be killed rather than Elizabeth, even when all of the
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creature's prior killings point to the fact that he would attempt to make
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Frankenstein's life miserable rather than actually kill him (Lowe-Evans
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61). In fact if the creature actually wanted Frankenstein to die, it had
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the perfect opportunity to kill him the second Frankenstein destroyed his
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would be wife. Lowe-Evans points out that this can be attributed to
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Frankenstein's own selfish attitude. She says he "might feel that even the
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attention implied in the Creature's warning rightfully belongs to him"
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(62). This fits the spoiled childhood life of Frankenstein, detailed in
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the works early chapters (Lowe-Evans 62).
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It is stated by Oates that ,"The monsters that we create ... `are'
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ourselves as we cannot hope to see ourselves..." (75). This statement is
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perfectly applicable to Frankenstein. The qualities that he would most
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like to deny are shown through the results that they have had on the being
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which he has brought into existence. The results of his flaws take on a
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physical aspect, destroying those around him, until he finally dies seeking
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revenge on something that he himself has brought about.
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Works Cited Lowe-Evans, Mary. Frankenstein: Mary Shelly's Wedding Guest.
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New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993.
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Oates, Joyce Carol. "Frankenstein: Creation as Catastrophe."
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Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea
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House Publishers, 1987.
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Shelly, Mary. Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus. New York: Penguin
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Books, 1978.
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Tropp, Martin. Mary Shelly's Monster. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1976.
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