Archetypes of Frankenstein

1. Archetypes of Frankenstein Vi Cao, Shalini Ghurye, Stephen Ndubueze, Tidie Song, Michael Zhu

2. Prompt The prompt asks for in text examples of three archetypes in the novel: character, situational, and symbolic. Because archetypes are recurring themes or motifs in novels, this topic relates as Mary Shelley depends on recurring themes, motifs, and symbols to add depth to her novel and make certain characters more relatable and others more despicable. Archetypes are, therefore, a very important component of this novel.

3. Situational Archetypes: The UnhealableWound Definition: An unhealable wound is a physical or psychological wound that cannot be fully healed. It can indicate a loss of innocence and purity. “The minutest description of my odious and loathsome person is given, in language which painted your own horrors, and rendered mine indelible. I sickened as I read… Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me with disgust” (Shelley 93). “Felix … struck me violently to the ground. I could have town him limb from limb, as the lion renders the antelope. But my heart sunk within me as with bitter sickness, and I refrained” (Shelley 97). The monster is immediately hated when he is created due to his horrid appearance, which causes Victor and society to shun him. The monster finds himself in constant state of solitude and self-loathing. As a result of this wound, the creature’s kind and loving character turns into one of hatred and vengeance.

4. Character Archetypes: The Outcast Definition: The outcast is someone who’s rejected by society or a group. This derives from that character’s actions, appearance, or legacy. “And what was I? Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kinds of property. I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man” (85). In Frankenstein, the creature is an outcast, created by Victor and his selfish desires. This quote shows the development of the new sense of self that the creature begins to accumulate. The creature realizes that since he has nothing, he doesn’t belong in the world. Through this, he assess the situation and thus tries his best to change and fit in.

5. Symbolic Archetypes: The Haven Versus The Wilderness Definition: Places of safety contrast sharply against the dangerous wilderness. “The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country…” (74) “The pleasant sunshine, and the pure air of day, restored me to some degree of tranquility…” (96) Urbanized settings or communities of people, normally regarded as havens, feel like the wilderness to the creature as this is a setting in he feels extreme stress and isolation. Thus, the wilderness, is a place of peace until learning from Frankenstein’s papers that Victor was essentially his father. From this point, the creature’s sufferings in isolation become intensified.

6. Literary Devices • Diction • Flashback • Imagery

7. Diction – The Outcast Archetype “‘Begone! I will not hear you. There can be no community between you and me; we are enemies. Begone, or let us try our strength in a fight, in which one must fall.’” “‘How can I move thee? Will no entreaties cause thee to turn a favourable eye upon thy creature, who implores thy goodness and compassion? Believe me, Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow creatures, who owe me nothing?’” • Use of polarized diction • Creatures deformity invokes fear, hides good in his heart • Bitter thoughts and decisions

8. Flashback – The Outcast Archetype “’She was senseless, and I endeavored by every means in my power to restore animation, when I was suddenly interrupted by the approach of a rustic, who was probably the person from whom she had playfully fled. On seeing me, he darted towards me, and tearing the girl from my arms, hastened towards the deeper parts of the wood. I followed speedily, I hardly knew why; but when the man saw me draw near, he aimed a gun, which he carried, at my body and fired’” (101). • Reinforces idea of creature being an outcast

9. Imagery – The Haven Versus The Wilderness “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me…I might in process of time…renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption” (32). “…the whirlwind passions of my soul drove me to seek, by bodily exercise and by change of place, some relief from my intolerable sensations…My wanderings were directed towards the valley of Chamounix…A tingling long-lost sense of pleasure often came across me during this journey” (64, 65). • Victor and monster alike • Haven became places of isolation, away from people • Engaged in activities or thinking that diverge from reality

10. Point of View: The Creature Throughout the novel, the creature had tried to paint himself as a victim of neglect and unjustified prejudice. His retelling of the events in his life leading up to the death of William is him trying to justify his sinful nature. His desire is to be accepted by Victor and by humanity; to this end, he may have twisted his story of what had happened to him after Victor abandoned him in order to appear more innocent that what he already was. Mary Shelley lived during a time period where women were shunned. Shelley, like the Creature, expressed discontentment with current societal practices and wanted to be treated equally.

11. Point of View: Victor Frankenstein Victor sees himself and leads Robert Walton to believe as well, that he is a victim of a horrible mistake -- a mistake known as his creation. Robert Walton narrates the story but takes on the perspective of Frankenstein. In the novel, Frankenstein portrays himself as a former curious youth who wanted nothing more than the fulfillment of his curiosity of science and the desire to lead a peaceful life. The Creature, however, is described in a more negative light; a being of pure evil that would want nothing more than Victor to suffer. However, at the end of the novel, the Monster cries for Victor after he dies, revealing that Victor’s retelling of the events of his life regarding the Monster was not as credible as Walton was led to believe. Victor represents the faults Mary Shelley sees in men, how they can be distrustful and opinionated.

12. AP Prompt 2003 Who is the tragic figure that functions as a whole in the novel? A tragic figure is a character who makes a judgment error that ultimately leads to his/her destruction. In Frankenstein, that character is Victor. Victor, driven by his passion for science, decides to undergo the task of creating life (Mistake #1). His decision to go beyond the natural capabilities of man results in a horrifying monster that he chooses to reject (Mistake #2). The monster, thoroughly unimpressed by his creator’s lack of paternal genes, is then filled with vengeance and kills all of Victor’s loved ones, beginning with William and ending with Elizabeth. Victor makes it his goal to get revenge on the monster, depriving him of all enjoyment as he is so focused on revenge (Mistake #3) In the novel, we can see how Victor’s desire for knowledge leads to his destruction in the forms of isolation, deterioration of health, loss of loved ones, and ultimately, his death, demonstrating Shelley’s belief that too much knowledge can be detrimental.

13. Significant Moment Frankenstein decides to destroy the female creature he made for his creation at the last moment. Fits Symbolic Archetype: The Crossroads “ I thought with a sensation of madness on my promise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion, tore to pieces the thing on which I was engaged. The wretch saw me destroy the creature on whose future existence he depended for happiness, Frankenstein and with a howl of devilish despair and revenge, withdrew” (121). • Victor becomes the tragic figure • Erases any possibility of settling conflict between Victor and the creature

14. Significant Moment Upon seeing the animated creature, Frankenstein abandons it as it disgusts him. Fits Situational Archetype: The Outcast “He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs. I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited, where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life” (35, 36). • Sets precedent for outcast archetype of monster • Abandonment fuels monster’s bitterness towards Victor, and eventually man.

15. Isolation All three archetypes helped support an overall theme of isolation in the novel. In the very beginning, Walton complaining of the pangs of isolation he felt on his journey to the Arctic. Then, Victor’s guiltiness, grief, and eventual yearning for revenge motivated him to isolate himself from his remaining family members and society in general. Through the course of the novel, we find that the monster was born into isolation, since he was abandoned, and that his deformities forced him into the most extreme of isolation. This theme was most likely prominent in the novel because Shelley also suffered isolation. She was firstly silenced by society then further shunned because of her scandalous relationship.

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