The Authors portrayal of Victor Essay Example for Free

The Authors portrayal of Victor Essay Whilst Frankenstein knows that his actions in creating the creature were wrong, he is trying to justify his actions following the creature coming to life as being acceptable, the creature is trying to make Frankenstein feel responsible for creating him and then abandoning him so he is trying to make Frankenstein feel guilty. This is all moving towards the creatures ultimate aim, for Frankenstein to create him a companion to fulfil his need for love and compassion. This is very interesting, the creature just wants someone to love and be with and Frankenstein wanted someone to rule and have power over, when you look at the events of the first night when the creature is brought to life, you cant help but wonder that if the prevailing events had taken a different course and the creature and Frankenstein had stayed together, then both characters would have had their needs fulfilled, Frankenstein would have had his power and the creature would have had his companion and would not be alone in the world. The following morning the two characters find themselves in two very different situations, Frankenstein walks out into his town, Ingolstadt where he meets his long-time friend, Henry Clerval, I perceived Henry Clerval who inspires joy to Frankenstein, I felt suddenly, and for the first time during many months, calm and serene joy it is as if Frankenstein now has a huge weight off his shoulders and can return to living a normal life, I sincerely hope, that all these employments are now at an end and that I am at length free. The creature on the other hand is left very alone, with very little knowledge about what is happening around him, left to learn the ways of the world by himself, I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew out again with a cry of pain here the creature shows the vulnerability and intelligence of a small child, but without someone there to tell him not to put his hand in the fire he has to find it out for himself. However quite deservingly, it is not the creature who suffers the most in these early days of the story, it is Frankenstein. After meeting Clerval, Frankenstein goes home expecting to find the creature there, the thought made me shiver, that the creature whom I had left in the apartment might still be there. This he does not but he does fall very ill. This was the commencement of a nervous fever which confined me for several months. During this time Clerval nursed him back to health. The creature on the other hand does much better for himself, out in the wild he finds himself a fire, food (berries which are not very nourishing) and water from the stream. Nonetheless he survives and seems content, until he first encounters men. The difference in the two characters relationships with humans could not be more dissimilar. Each and every one of the creatures encounters with humans result in him being attacked, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons. Frankenstein however has a very different relationship with humans. His account of his upbringing shows how spoilt he was by his parents and as previously stated it is his friend, Clerval who looks after him when he is ill. The creature is deprived of all this. The readers sympathy for the characters shifts with each narrator, this making it difficult to remain unbiased. Until the creature tells his story he receives no sympathy, yet after, the reader begins to recognise the injustice of Frankensteins actions, his absence of conscience and how ultimately, he completes an experiment which threatens mankind. In conclusion, Shelly has created two very extreme characters that given different circumstances could have flourished with one another, yet quite the contrary happens with them leading to each others destruction. It asks many questions about the morality and ethics surrounding science and inspires responsibility above all else upon the scientists both to think about what they are doing and also why they are doing what they are doing. Answering the why can sometimes be very much more difficult than answering what. By Andy Lawson 11I Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.