The rationalism
that came out of the Enlightenment and romanticism intertwine in the novel to
create a work that is still popular in today’s culture. The novel shows the
power of science, but it also warns of how dangerous it can be. Victor becomes
obsessed with learning more knowledge and is always wanting more. In
Frankenstein, the creation of the monsters poses questions about science, which
is why it is still prevalent in today’s culture. Victor’s knowledge consumes
him and leads him to creating a monster that is ruled by emotion. The monster
is enraged when his creator will not make him a companion. Victor’s fall
represents the condemnation of Rationalism because he is ruled by his creation.
Through his research, Victor tries to learn more about life as a whole. As he
gains more and more knowledge, he is led to creating the hideous creature,
which caused his downfall after all of his loved ones were killed. Although Victor’s character sought out
knowledge and the power that came from it, the creature he created was passionate
and showed traits of romanticism. This occurrence serves as a warning to what
knowledge and rationalism can bring. The monster that Victor creates represents
the Romanticism movement because he is longing for companionship and dedicated
to what he wants. The monster endures in popular culture because his want for
love and to be needed appeals to the audience and brings out emotion in the
reader. For example, once Victor dies, the creature has nothing to live for
anymore and in fact cries over Victor’s dead body.
I agree with your points about the relevance of the novel today, and the movements each character represents. I did not think of how the novel forewarns of the dangers of science, so that brought a new perspective to me which was very interesting. I like your points about how Victor was very rationalistic with his seek for knowledge while his creation was romantic; I wish you had expanded on these points because they were strong. Overall, very good post with good points just maybe more analysis to support your claims.
ReplyDeleteFirst off great post, you make some great points! I completely agree with you that Victor was the representation of Rationalism and the monster is the representation of Romanticism. Also your point about the relationship between the monster and Victor mimics the relationship between Rationalism and Romanticism is very interesting. You have a lot of great points, but you need to add more support for each of your claims. Overall it is a great start, it just needs to be developed a little more.
ReplyDeleteGood post! Your observations were great, and I agree that Victor is associated with the Enlightenment and the monster is associated with Romanticism. Next time, make your post a little bit longer by elaborating more on your points.
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