Characters in 'Frankenstein'

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer studies the novel 'Frankenstein' and looks at its characters. The writer notes that the relationship that is established between the creator and his creation, as well as the other relations between the characters of the novel, form the core of the moral and psychological investigation developed in the book. The writer points out that Shelley's novel is full of superior characters, which are all angelic to a certain extent. Victor is the superior Romantic hero, alone and isolated in his quest for an unreachable ideal. Walton and Clerval resemble him, with the difference of being more humane. The women are clearly angelic figures, excelling in beauty and virtue. The writer concludes that the creature is like the fallen angel, Satan, who is banished by his own creator and because of this, he becomes evil.

From the Paper:

"Of the various pairings of characters in Shelley's novel, the one between Victor Frankenstein and the Creature is arguably the most interesting and most complex. Other pairings might be established however, such as that of Frankenstein with his best friend Henry Clerval, that of Frankenstein and Robert Walton, his biographer, or that between the women characters in the novel, Elizabeth, Caroline, Justine and the others. Thus, first of all, the relationship that takes contour between Frankenstein and his creation is very complex and symbolic. Following the Biblical account, what the creator does when he engenders life is to give birth to a replica of himself, of his own image. In spite of his good intentions to perfect humanity by introducing a new and more enduring race, Frankenstein fails in his attempt because he is trying to assume the place of the divine creator without realizing his own imperfection. The imperfect creator therefore engenders an even more imperfect creation."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bloom, Harold. "Frankenstein: or, The New Prometheus." Exploring Novels. Detroit: Gale, 2003.
• Rauch, Allan. "The Monstrous Body of Knowledge in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" in Studies in Romanticism, Vol. 34, No. 2, Summer, 1995, pp. 227-53.
• Shelley, M. W. Frankenstein (Norton Critical Editions). New York: W.W. Norton.
• -- Introduction to Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (Norton Critical Editions). New York: W.W. Norton, 1995.

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• Analytical Essay # 143172 : "The Humanity in Frankenstein's Monster"

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