Grace Lu

Wilkinson

Period 4th

5/24/14

The Creature:  Knowledge as Self Perception

Knowledge and the acquisition of it affects the characters in Mary Shelley’s

 

               In Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", the creature begins his journey relatively unfamiliar with the world around him. However, it eventually seeks solace in the forest where it acquires the possession of three thought provoking books:  “Paradise Lost” by by John Milton, “Lives of Ancient Greeks and Romans” by Plutarch, and “Sorrows of Young Werther” by Johanne Wolfgang von Goethe.  As time goes on he develops an understanding of social structure based off the knowledge he absorbs.  His own morality is shaped by the book as he differentiates the virtue admired by men from the evil despised by society.  The creature ultimately learns the extent of human thought while simultaneously realizing the degree of his own isolation.  From a larger standpoint, the knowledge acquired by the creature exposes him to the concept of fate which influences his own actions and self perception.   

 

             The creature’s reading of “Paradise Lost” shapes his identity and causes him to realize his role, or so to say lack of role, in the society.   John Milton’s Epic is a take on the biblical story of Adam and Eve.  Satan’s [makes war with God] rebellious attitude toward God remains constant throughout the narrative, but his authority is questioned when a pair of golden scales appears in the sky.  This [,a] reminder of how worthless Satan’s power is against God causes Satan to run away in fear.  In this sense, Victor Frankenstein is likened to Satan as his creation of the creature is paralleled to Satan’s unsuccessful attempt to take on God’s role in the universe.  This selfish ambition eventually causes the defeat of both Satan and Victor.  These connections causes the creature to think of himself as a product of Satan, lowering his self image.  In another aspect, Victor’s passion can be compared to Adam’s failure to curtail his thirst for knowledge and respect the universe’s hierarchy.  This is demonstrated when Adam yields to Eve’s request to pick garden fruits on her own, as Eve was created from Adam to serve not only God but Adam, and is therefore considered spiritually inferior.  Because of Eve’s weakness and Adam’s inattentiveness,  [In the end] Eve eats an apple from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and Adam follows in order to stay with her.  Eventually, the two repent and state their love for one another.  Upon realizing that Adam and Eve’s relationship is what carries them on through their social disgrace, the creature begins to desire a female of his own.  

 

             The creature also relates to the characters of Paradise Lost, but begins to distance himself from Adam upon realizing that outside of their lack of social connections “his state was far different from mine...he had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator...but I was wretched, helpless, and alone.” (Shelley 275-276) The creature continues his search for a character to whose niche he is suitable for, admitting that “many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition, for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me.” (Shelley 276)  However, after his request for a soulmate is denied by Victor, the creature perceives himself entirely as the image of Satan, asserting that “I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.”  (Shelley 205)  This is because the creature’s knowledge was limited to a point in which he could not understand the depthness of human nature and the grey area between “good” and “bad” roles in society.

 

“Lives of Ancient Greeks and Romans”, referred in “Frankenstein” simply as “Plutarch’s Lives” was a series of biographies assembled by Plutarch.  The biographies not only describe the lives of famous leaders but compare their faults and virtues, underlining the consequences of their actions and showing how their choices led to their destinies.  Additionally, “Plutarch’s Lives” revealed information about not only the individuals described but the cities they lived in, giving [gave] the creature a basic foundation in the understanding of social structure.  

 

The creature reads “Plutarch’s Lives” as a moral guideline and begins to view the book’s heroes as role models.  Unlike the other novels that sunk the creature into dejection, “Plutarch taught me high thoughts; he elevated me above the wretched sphere of my own reflections, to admire and love the heroes of past ages.” (Shelley 274)  Plutarch also gives the creature an understanding the concepts of good and evil, causing him to feel “the greatest ardour for virtue rise within me, and abhorrence for vice.” (Shelley 274)  Ironically, this understanding of virtue eventually causes the creature’s self image to deplete even farther when he realizes that no amount of merit will ease him of loneliness or cause him to receive respect from the prejudiced society.

 

              In “The Sorrows of Young Werther” referred to in Mary Shelley’s novel simply as “the Sorrows of Werther”, Werther (the main character) arrives at the village of Wahlheim and is immediately charmed by a young girl named Lotte.  This admiration eventually turns into infatuation as he resolves to win Lotte’s heart before her fiance, Albert, returns.  Even after [her fiance,] Albert arrives, Werther is restless to the point in which he can not leave and continues to visit the couple on a day to day basis.  This is similar to the creature, who attempts to win the companionship of people such as De Lacey only to be rejected.  Werther’s accidental encounter with Wahlheim and his inability to settle in with the villagers is likened to the creature’s situation, whose affection for people remains unrequited and whose attempts to create bonds with others is merely looked upon as an interference to existing relationships in the society.  Similar to Werther’s obsession with Lotte and Albert, the creature continues to live near the De Lacey family and observe their daily activities.  Eventually in “The Sorrows of Werther”, Albert sees through Werther’s intentions and orders an end to Lotte’s friendship with Werther, causing Werther to kill himself in desperation.     

 

Even before Werther takes his life, suicide remains a constant theme in the “Sorrows of Werther”.  While Werther views suicide as a way of providing freedom, Albert observed suicide as an inexcusable act of selfishness.  At the end of the novel, Werther’s suicide letter states that their relationship was meant to be and assures Lotte that they will eventually meet in heaven.  This affected the creature’s perception of life, causing him to believe that death was his destiny and the only way he could reconnect with his deceived creator, Victor.  Likewise, the creature appears to parallel Werther’s view on death at the end of the novel, deciding that “I shall die.  I shall no longer feel the agonies which now consume me or be the prey of feelings unsatisfied, yet unquenched.” (Shelley 495)  

 

              Mary Shelley utilizes knowledge in “Frankenstein” to make up for the creature’s social isolation by giving him a basic understanding of the human society which, ironically, causes him to realize his own isolation from others.  The comprehension of fate, virtue, and human nature that is acquired by the creature affects his mindset from the beginning of the journey and follows through with his actions until his death, ultimately affecting his image of who he is and his perception of who he is destined to become.