Examples Of Monstrous In Frankenstein
The Presentation of ‘The Monstrous’ in the opening chapters of Frankenstein
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley presents a powerful depiction of monstrous nature that is perceived to us through the use of: nature, context, contrast, perception, imagery and language in the novel. Through these devices and means, a bleak outlook of humanity as a whole is portrayed.
According to Fred Botting in, ‘Making Monstrous’ monsters often appear in political and literary writings as symbols of ‘a terrible threat to established orders’ and therefore ‘frequently emerge in revolutionary periods.’ In the case of Frankenstein, the context of the French revolution may have some bearing on the presentation of the creature, as it showed that brutality leads to …show more content…
The story is being told from the perspective of Frankenstein, and thus we can conclude that he may be biased and reflect this in the manner in which certain characters are portrayed. An example of this are the similarities in the features of William and the creature. William is described as ‘very tall of his age.’ This is considered to be a positive attribute, whereas the creature is described as ‘gigantic stature and the deformity of its aspect.’ This is a somewhat more negative description of height. Additionally, when William smiles, ‘two little dimples appear on each cheek which are rosy with health’ in contrast to the creature ‘a grin wrinkled his cheeks.’ Through Shelley’s use of imagery and language, the monster is portrayed negatively and as evil, compared to William’s purity and innocence, despite the similarities between the two characters. The difference in the way they are perceived by …show more content…
William has, ‘sweet laughing blue eyes’ in comparison to the creature’s ‘watery eyes that seemed almost the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set.’ This links to an ancient Egyptian belief that the eyes were the windows to the soul. Frankenstein is once again biased in his description of the two character’s eyes, thus presenting the creature as being monstrous due to its physical appearance. However, Shelley also presents the monstrous through the eyes of Frankenstein when seen by Clerval, ‘a wildness in my eyes for which he could not account.’ Shelley is presenting, through her use of the eyes as a metaphor, monstrosity that is evident in both the monster and Frankenstein, showing that monstrosity is often down to perception, and is present in humanity as well as the
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley presents a powerful depiction of monstrous nature that is perceived to us through the use of: nature, context, contrast, perception, imagery and language in the novel. Through these devices and means, a bleak outlook of humanity as a whole is portrayed.
According to Fred Botting in, ‘Making Monstrous’ monsters often appear in political and literary writings as symbols of ‘a terrible threat to established orders’ and therefore ‘frequently emerge in revolutionary periods.’ In the case of Frankenstein, the context of the French revolution may have some bearing on the presentation of the creature, as it showed that brutality leads to …show more content…
The story is being told from the perspective of Frankenstein, and thus we can conclude that he may be biased and reflect this in the manner in which certain characters are portrayed. An example of this are the similarities in the features of William and the creature. William is described as ‘very tall of his age.’ This is considered to be a positive attribute, whereas the creature is described as ‘gigantic stature and the deformity of its aspect.’ This is a somewhat more negative description of height. Additionally, when William smiles, ‘two little dimples appear on each cheek which are rosy with health’ in contrast to the creature ‘a grin wrinkled his cheeks.’ Through Shelley’s use of imagery and language, the monster is portrayed negatively and as evil, compared to William’s purity and innocence, despite the similarities between the two characters. The difference in the way they are perceived by …show more content…
William has, ‘sweet laughing blue eyes’ in comparison to the creature’s ‘watery eyes that seemed almost the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set.’ This links to an ancient Egyptian belief that the eyes were the windows to the soul. Frankenstein is once again biased in his description of the two character’s eyes, thus presenting the creature as being monstrous due to its physical appearance. However, Shelley also presents the monstrous through the eyes of Frankenstein when seen by Clerval, ‘a wildness in my eyes for which he could not account.’ Shelley is presenting, through her use of the eyes as a metaphor, monstrosity that is evident in both the monster and Frankenstein, showing that monstrosity is often down to perception, and is present in humanity as well as the