Sergio Ucrs

December 10, 2013

AP Block 6
Frankensteins Identity
Mary Shelley suggests that ones identity is molded by different factors such as
ones background, ones motivations, and ones experiences. She exposes Victors family
and the monsters upbringing as contrasting elements. Victors purposes are ambitious
and he seeks glory through the creation of the monster, who seeks a place in society for
himself at first but then seeks revenge from his creator. Victor is surrounded by loved
ones in contrast to the monster who only finds hate; Victor passes through the tragedy of
losing some of his loved ones as a consequence of his actions even though the monster is
the one who claims their lives. Mary Shelley expresses through her language how these
different factors determine the clash between Victor Frankenstein and his Adam, the
monster he brought to life.
The novel starts with details of Victors parents and their origins, which is a key
element to understand how was he able to afford the education necessary to uncover the
secrets of life. As seen on the beginning of chapter IV, Shelleys technical diction
demonstrates Victors intellectual background by making mention of the subjects he
studied such as natural philosophy and chemistry. Victor could not have been able to
study this field if it were not for his parents financial situation, which enabled him to
exploit his intellect. This differs from the monsters upbringing, who did not had a chance
to access an education and could only read few books such as Paradise Lost, Plutarchs
Lives, and The Sorrows of Young Werther. From their early days there is a substantial
difference in both Victors and the monsters background.
The second point Shelley addresses on her novel is that everyone has a motivation
or a north to go to. Being loyal to the Romantic Movement, Shelleys characters are
always searching for this motivation but only find tragedy and misfortune. Shelleys
despaired tone emphasizes on motivation leading to ambition which leads to ones
downfall as seen on passages such as You who call Frankenstein your friend, seem to
acknowledge of my crimes and his misfortunes. But, in the detail he gave you of them, he
could not sum up the hours and months of misery which I endured, wasting in impotent
passions. or But it is true that I am wretched. () I have devoted my creator, the select
specimen of all that is worthy of love and admiration among men, to misery (). As seen
in these passages at the end of the novel, the monsters ambitions of finding his revenge
against Victor for denying him the opportunity to have a female companion are not
satisfied even when he finds out that Victor died in misery as well. Both characters bring
each other to their downfall ant Cpt. Walton learns from their testimonies that ones
ambition does define you, but it should not be a driving element in ones life.
Finally Mary Shelley expresses that ones experiences also define ones identity,
although these experiences are based on ones motivations. Shelleys horrified tone
demonstrates Victors anguish when he realized that the monster had killed his dearest
Elizabeth by using words such as shrill and dreadful. In this event which involves both
of our protagonists we can see how a single experience determined how both of their
identities. Victor became a worried and angry man searching for vengeance as the
monster did. This tragedy was driven by both Victors and the monsters motivations but it
changed their perceptions about life.
As Shelley suggests in her novel, these elements were crucial in building the
identity of these characters. Ones background enables one to develop their motivation
which might determine ones experiences. Shelley uses the Romantic archetype to define
Victors and the monsters fate as a tragic one. It is important to remember that Mary
Shelley suffered tragedy as well in her life probably making her one of the greatest
examples of the Romantic way of thought.