Frankenstein Protagonist Analysis

Shelly and Bank's protagonist is seen to transform from wanting to be powerful to being consumed by regrets and emotionally distraught. Victor at first explores science as his mind is consumed by discovering "life secretes".

The first few pages depict this idea as it shows us how deeply invested Victor is in his mission to uncover and overpower natures secretes when he mentioned "they have acquired almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimics earthquakes, and even mock invisible world with its own shadow".

Shelly's use of listing shows the excitement victor is feeling as he is fascinated by those who also dedicated their lives to attempting to "mimic" and take over nature. However, this excitement can be viewed in a negative light. For instance, "Thunder" may have been a motif used to reinforces the gothic scene and display the darkness that is to unfold in Victor's life.

Whereas "earthquake" signifies the lack of control Victor is going to have during his pursuit of power when he creates the monster because it is a destructive force mankind cannot control.

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Therefore, we see how the pursuit of power alludes to being a destructive to the character.

Furthermore, we are exposed to the change in Victor's character when he reveals to us "I ardently wished to extinguish that life which I thoughtlessly made". The use of the word "thoughtlessly" serves as an act of confession against Victor's irrational pursuit of power as he admits his mistake. Therefore, in this we see how Frankenstein's attitude has developed from being ignorant to being filled with deep regret.

Shelley may have utilized Victor's disgust as an example to expose the danger of science and to also advise the government at the time about mishandling the masses, which would have been a typical attitude at the time. Likewise, this idea is also conveyed in the Wasp Factory. Bank's presents Frank as a sadistic individual who tortures animals in order to feel powerful.

He consistently uses the word "flame and fiery fire" to describe the way Frank tortures the "innocent rabbits" as he "incinerates" them to death. This motif is significant as it shows how insane and minacious the protagonist is. Alternatively, the motif of "fire" associated with danger could be correlated with the gut-wrenching secret which would be later revealed to Frank causing him to break down emotionally.

This is displayed whereby he informs us "I stood and cried [·] my nose ran, and I sniffed and snorted, and I felt my chest heave and a muscle in my jaw tremored uncontrollably. This statement is vital as it demonstrates a more vulnerable side of Bank's protagonist.

Therefore, this depicts the transformation in his character. The fact that his "nose ran" as he "sniffed and snorted" is significant because it shows how deeply hurt Frank may have been. The use of the sibilance "sniffed and snorted" is imperative as the sound of "s" can be associated to a snake which is considered as a spiteful and bitter animal. This snake represents Agnus, Franks father who was a result of Frank's pain as he betrayed Frank by manipulating him to believe he was who he was not.

Therefore, both Shelley and Bank's used techniques such as a motif linking to danger in order to forebode the dark events which will stimulate the change in their characters from engaging in science and torturing animals to feel powerful, to emotionally breaking down and filled with regrets.