Family and Education in Frankenstein Research Paper

Total Length: 2250 words ( 8 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 8

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People generally focus on appearance when coming across a particular individual. This is perfectly exemplified by the meeting between the old member of the De Lacey family and the monster. The man initially welcomes the creature, as he is no longer able to see and is unacquainted with the monster's facial features and body.

Victor Frankenstein can be considered to contrast the monster through his behavior, his background, and because of the goals that he has. The scientist virtually had everything that the monster longed for, considering his family, his reputation, and the fact that he was generally seen as one of society's leading members. Instead of valuing what he had, however, Frankenstein gave it all away in favor of gaining reputation, as this was apparently the thing that he appreciated the most in life. While most readers are likely to blame Frankenstein for most unfortunate events in the book, it is actually society that should be held responsible for his behavior.

People in the late eighteenth century were apparently more supportive in regard to knowledge than they were concerning reason (Lunsford, 174). It is mostly as a result of his determination to earn reputation that Frankenstein came to ignore ethics. He actually proceeds to experiment with his knowledge in spite of the fact that he is well aware that there is a possibility for his research to be unsuccessful. Frankenstein apparently wanted to revolutionize his much beloved society with the purpose of becoming one of its most respected members. In spite of the fact that he could have given his experiments more time and hence increase the chances to achieve success in creating a real human being, he chose to act on his own. His determination to create life puts across his selfishness, as he did not care for the creature that would result from the process. His sole intention was to take all the credit for doing this, thus the reason for which he did not search for help with other physicians, as this would have apparently made him less important in the general context of his discovery.

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Frankenstein intention to create life as fast as possible made him less interested in the quality of his creation and was one of the main reasons for which he experienced failure. Most of the deaths in the novel occur because the scientist is unwilling to admit having created the monster, as doing so would allegedly ruin his reputation, which is for Frankenstein more important than anything else. It is in point of fact Frankenstein's determination to achieve fame that influences Captain Walton to return from his voyage. He realizes that it is wrong to ignore some of the most important values in favor of embracing a mission to gain reputation. Frankenstein obviously believes that Walton should continue his journey in spite of the fact that it is very probable for him and his crew to dies in the process of achieving their goal. The scientist considers that it is more important to gain reputation than to cling on to what he believes to be unimportant values. Frankenstein recognizes that humans have committed a series of wrongdoings throughout history as a result of their desire to achieve fame, but nonetheless goes on with supporting his beliefs, even when matters become critical. In comparison to Frankenstein, the monster appears to be much more mature in thinking and much more willing to respect ethical principles.

Frankenstein is practically addicted to his work up until the moment when he realizes the error that he has committed. In dedicating his life to creating artificial life, he abandons those close to him and virtually acts in disagreement with some of the values that he previously considered most important. His very presence in Ingolstadt is nothing as he portrayed it, as instead of making connections he resorts to living in solitude. It is not necessarily that Frankenstein's plan was wrong, as what was actually important was that he did not pay sufficient attention to details and that he did not involve more time into preparing his research.

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