Examine Victor’s process of creating the Creature and compare it to his initial reaction. In what ways are his reactions to be expected? In what ways are they unexpected?
Monday, January 23, 2012
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6 comments:
As Victor is flying through the various stages of his work, he is enthralled by the possibilities and novelty of what he is attempting to create. He is excited almost to the verge of insanity by his lust to invoke life in dead matter. When he completes his task, instead of the awesome feeling of power he expected, he feels utter dread, disgust and regret at what he has created. This reaction is unexpected because of the increasing sequence of suspense leading up the the moment where the spark of life is delivered. There is also, however, a sense of foreshadowing that hints at his less than enthusiastic reaction. He becomes so obsessed with completing his vision that it seems almost fitting when he realizes his goal, he only feels remorse and utter abhorrence.
I agree with Aslan because although Victor clearly becomes consumed with the idea of completing his task, certain phrases in the telling of his story reveal his misgivings, which foreshadow his reaction. For instance, he portrays the procuring of materials for the experiment in a negative light, and he describes his workshop as containing "filthy creation" (Shelley 52). However, his reaction has aspects to it that even the hints in the sequence leading up to it do not strongly suggest. Strangely, his shock and horror do not arise in response to a dramatic or especially large action of the creature, but from the opening of one of its eyes and the taking of a breath. Also, he does not linger in his lab to confirm his success by glancing again at the creature, for horror immediately strikes him upon glimpsing its animated form.
Basically Aslan and Selkie said it. I agree with both of them. Victor is so heavily invested in his work that it becomes an obsession. I think he gets a thrill out of it because it has never been done before and it is morally controversial which probably attracts him more into creating the monster. Once Victor has given life to his creation, the shock of what he has done overwhelms him because now there is an unnatural abomination that is suffering and Victor has to deal with it somehow. Its like that line from Jurassic Park, "Its not whether or not we could, its whether or not we should."
Along the lines of my fellow classmates, I agree with their statements. Victor was so enticed by the idea of creating life that I don't think he really thought the whole thing through. In the book he discusses how he saw that his creation wasn't beautiful before he created it but he didn't really think it would stay in that same form. That thought, in itself, shows how under thought this creation was. Victor's initial reaction was to run away from the thing he created. This is where I start feeling sympathetic towards the creature and upset with Victor. Whether his creation was beautiful or hiddeous he did the wrong thing by running away. I can see why he ran away because of his realization of what he had created but I also despise him for this as well. He needed to take responsibility for what he had created. Even if he was shocked or upset, he made a life, and that was his responsibility.
I agree with the posts above. I do feel that Victor was naive when it came to his creation. What was he expecting to accomplish? His interest in advancing science and furthering mankind's knowledge of it is validated, but he has no specific goal that he is trying to accomplish.
I also feel that Victor needed to take more responsibility for his creation instead of being disgusted and repulsed by it.
His reaction was expected since he had no idea what he was trying to prove. His ambition created something that he had no idea how to control as well.
I feel Victor got so caught up in the idea of him creating life from nothing that he lost sight of the reality of what could happen if he were to succeed. His obsession with creating life also says a lot about his ego. What he wants to accomplish, creating life from death, is a power many believe only God has. Victor is in a way challenging that belief. In the end his creation got the best of him and ruined his life. One could say the tragedy that followed after his success was punishment.
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