Frankenstein's Tragic Flaw: Downfall Caused by Literary Component

Categories: Frankenstein

Frankenstein's abandonment Tragic flaw involves a literary component that causes the downfall of a character. In the novel, Frankenstein has a large amount of knowledge. Victor Frankenstein had the internal motivation to seek solutions to problems. However, his experience added to his downfall. People must sacrifice love and happiness in order to learn different views and topics. Therefore, the terrible flaw of Frankenstein lies behind his desire to acquire more knowledge and struggling to take over the role of nature in life.

The novel presents issues regarding arrogance, creation, and responsibility. As will be discussed the aspects of creation and parent-child relationship as portrayed in Victor's terrible flaw.Every individual is at liberty to pursue happiness. Education provides people with a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. Frankenstein was knowledgeable and became a gifted scientist. His success was remarkable considering the numerous findings he unearthed about different phenomena. The issue of tragic hero emerges due to his thinking beyond human capacity. He used his knowledge to create a creature.

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However, this marked his downfall. His main intention was to develop a creature that had better attributes as compared to human beings. The thought of creating life was thrilling. This is an activity that is only carried by supernatural beings. The Scriptures show that only God can create and take away life. Therefore, the creature that Frankenstein developed was isolated from the people. He could not interact with the creature. Although the monster wanted a human being partner, Victor rejected it. The monster went into a killing spree that resulted in the death of his wife.

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The days after this sad encounter caused Frankenstein to experience depression. The circumstance made him to start hacking a plan to kill the creature. In the end, Frankenstein loses everything he has been working to accomplish in many years.It is ironical how the unchallengeable gift of Frankenstein is converted into a curse. The idea of creating life was fascinating. Individuals can hardly imagine that someone can create a creature that would cause misery in society. Maybe this was a way of God to teach human beings to avoid competing with him. The Bible teaches us that God has power over man. Religious people can argue that Frankenstein's invention was an act of playing God. God gifted human beings with an excellent brain. People ought to learn and understand their environment for them to pursue happiness. Frankenstein had a noble idea at first. Tragic flaw corrupted his mind leading to his downfall. The downfall manifests itself through this suffering. A tragic hero is someone who has knowledge above human understanding. Frankenstein is an individual who was created for greatness. Frankenstein comes from a family that is well respected; My ancestors had been for many years counsellors and syndics; and my father had filled several public situations with honour and reputation (Shelly 18). He realized the value of family love and luxury. Additionally, he had a natural scientific skill and prowess that was powerful as compared to those of his contemporaries. The story of Frankenstein presents a dramatic irony whereby he misused his scientific knowledge to interfere with creation. Thus, is destined to suffer due to interfering with natural order. Frankenstein developed a special attraction towards the philosophies of alchemists. In this house I chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa. I opened it with apathy; the theory which he attempts to demonstrate, and the wonderful facts which he relates, soon changed this feeling into enthusiasm (Shelly 22). This marked the starting point of the tragedy. His downfall depicts that even the most successful and powerful people are vulnerable to disaster. The unchecked ambition of Frankenstein led to his tragic flaw. Considering his scientific knowledge, life and death seemed to be ideal activities. His intentions to create a being came about due to the desire to feel superior. The creation of life is fundamentally against the natural order. Frankenstein was obsessed with going beyond the constraints of life and death. He gained a lot of scientific knowledge that had never been obtained by man. His ambition led to the creation of the monster that led to his destruction. Initially, the scientific goals of Frankenstein are altruistic and productive. The aspirations became problematic when he invested much in the project. Moreover, he did not have an afterthought of what would happen after creating the monster. He should have identified the possible implications of creating life first. Besides, pride distorts his scientific ambition. The intention to create life was inspired by the desire to be celebrated as the creator of excellent and happy creatures. The ambition to transcend the laws of nature and play God led him to destruction. The falling of Frankenstein from grace to suffering is due to the manifestation of hamartia. This condition destroys his life and the lives of those around him. The mischievous actions of Frankenstein came back as negative consequences. The monster he developed wanted a partner, something he could not provide. You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the inter-change of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone can do; and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refused. The latter part of his tale had kindled anew in me the anger that had died away while he narrated his peaceful life among the cottagers, and, as he said this, I could no longer suppress the range that burned within me (Shelley 101). This increased the alienation and separation from this being. The creature swore to revenge against Frankenstein. It embarked on a killing spree that led to the deaths of Clerval, William, Elizabeth, and his father. Frankenstein's tragic flaw of ambition had a direct or indirect impact on these events. Consequently, the creation of the monster facilitated his slow and eventual destruction. Therefore, after careful examination of Frankenstein's initial nobility, it is evident that he is a tragic hero. After he created the monster, Frankenstein had an opportunity to rectify his mistakes. He realized his creation was horrible and ran away from home. Instead of running away, he should have rectified the situation at this time to avoid escalation of the problem. Although he had many chances to address the problem, he was a coward. In one instance, Justine Mortiz! Poor poor girl, she is accused? But it is wrongfully; everyone knows that; no one believes it, surely, Ernest? No One did at first but several circumstances came out that have almost forced conviction upon us:. (Shelly 52). Justine was arrested and sentenced to death. Despite Frankenstein knowing that the monster was the killer, he remained quiet about the matter. After Frankenstein experienced the worst of events, he attempted to redeem himself. Redemption is manifested when he recognizes that he made a mistake and embarked on a quest to seek revenge. Vengeance is a way of attempting to rectify errors and compensate for the negative effects on society. When the monster requested Frankenstein to create a partner, he seemed to come back to his senses. Even though he does agree, he keeps on procrastinating to avoid the results. He recognized that it was unjustified to develop a new creature when he had failed in the first attempt. Frankenstein narrates to Walton about how he had been searching his creation with the aim of killing it. During his death, he demonstrates how he learned from mistakes. He tells Watson that ambitions can have detrimental effects on the society. Individuals can pursue various activities out of curiosity. By confiding in Watson, Frankenstein advises readers to avoid pursuing ambitions that pose a danger to the community. He agrees that building the creature was outright madness. Thus, Victor's role as a tragic hero is accomplished when he acknowledges his sins and decided to pursue vengeance.The story of Frankenstein portrays the role of parents in bringing up their children. Parents should focus on raising their kids to in a manner that prepares them in contributing to community development. Since Frankenstein's family had a lot of wealth, he acquired the best education the society had to offer during that time. Frankenstein did not receive good parental care. His mother died when he was young, which led to complications in development. Thus, psychologically, it is the act of leaving a person, which is perceived as neglecting the victim, and this causes adverse consequences for the child, such as anxiety, depression or behavioural disorders; the child is medically considered abandoned when it remains motherless over the deadline set by the doctor for patient care (Iurea 100). Kids are likely to develop unconscious reactions when their parents abandon them. The feeling of helplessness causes children to grow strong attachments to their parents.An early secure relationship between a parent and child is important. A child grows knowing a parent is there to offer security and safety. Secure attachment enables children to trust their caregivers. When kids find themselves in troublesome situations, they grow the courage to share their problems with parents. The case of Frankenstein shows that he had parental issues. His mother was absent to provide the care he needed. His parents provided him with affection and companionship. Frankenstein parents cared for him and wanted the best for him and gave him knowledge to become someone intelligent in the future and guide him for the better. But despite caring for him, Frankenstein's father brushed some things off his shoulder, for instance, My father looked carelessly at the title-page of my book, and said Ah! Cornelius Agrippa! My dear Victor, do not waste your time upon this; it is sad trash (Shelly 22). His father advised him to quit pursuing the philosophy of Cornelius Agrippa concerning natural philosophy, but did not enforce him to stop his interest in Cornelius Agrippa. Parents should also offer intellectual and moral relationships through conversation, advice, and their actions. There is also an aspect of parent-child association between Frankenstein and the creature. He used his scientific knowledge to create the creature. Therefore, he had a responsibility to look out for the being. The community considered the creature as a monster instead of a child. This led to its isolation and alienation from other beings. When the creature explained to Frankenstein why it had acted primitively, he agreed to create a female companion. This shows that Frankenstein was willing to assist and guide his creation to achieve happiness. He serves as a mentor to this life familiarizing him with social values and norms. However, he was concerned that he had developed a monster. After running away from home, the creature felt lonely, but found a family that he thought could accept him as the creature he is. For instance, At that moment I heard the steps of my younger protectors. I had not a moment to lose; but, seizing the hand of the old man, I cried, Now is the time!-save and protect me! You and your family are the friends whom I seek. Do not desert me in the hour of trial (Shelly 94). With this family the creature thought he found his home. The second the blind man's kids arrived and saw the creature they freaked out and wanted nothing to do with it. The monster got upset and swore he would destroy his creator.The kind of attachment influences how individuals react to their needs and for those they love. In a secure attachment, a person is self-possessed and confident. Individuals are able to interact with each and share ideas and thoughts. The relationship between Frankenstein fits the dimensions of secure attachment. His father decided to send him to the best schools to obtain a quality education. Kids with secure attachment observe their parents as a source of security. This offers them with opportunities to explore the world. Frankenstein's had the best plans for him. The story portrays that Frankenstein did not trust his father fully. Following his father's advice to drop pursuing the Agrippa's philosophy, he remained adamant and dismissed it. If his father explained in details about the criticism, maybe he would have changed his mind. How parents relate and interact with children determines their attachment in the future. Emotion is clearly revelant as a motivation for caregiving, as well as being central to the maintenance of parent-child relationships (Noller and Feeney 92). Children accept declarations and promises as soon as they are capable of understanding them, and do not deviate from this road of truth and sincerity' until is corrupted by bad, examples, and bad company (Thomas 90). This provides opportunities for parents to appropriate ways to provide better care. The parenting style used by Victor's father shows that he was permitted to control his life. His father did not force him to stop learning Agrippa's philosophies. Kids who had a secure attachment to their parents have a higher likeliness of becoming self-confident and independent in the future. Victor had confidence that his creation would be a great revelation to mankind. This value was cultivated by the relationship he had with parents during childhood.In conclusion, Victor qualifies to be a tragic hero due to his fall from grace and the desire to fix his mistakes. Although he was a scientific genius, his tragic flaw was his obsession to play with nature and play God. He developed a creature that led to his destruction. The monster killed his family, which caused him a lot of suffering. As demonstrated in the story, people should control their ambitions to avoid unintended consequences on society. Additionally, parent-child relationships are essential in shaping the behavior of children. When Victor abandoned his creation, the monster became lonely and started killing people. The relationship he had with his parents during childhood made him self-confident and independent. His parents not only provided for his basic needs but also intellectual and emotional guidance. During his time of death, he seeks forgiveness for the mistakes he made.Work Cited Iurea, Corina. The Absence of Parents in Child's Life and the Implications of This Phenomenon for Educational. Jus et Civitas, vol. 67, no. 1, June 2016, pp. 95"104. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=117994492&site=ehost-live&scope=site.Noller, Patricia, and Judith A. Feeney. Parent-Child Emotional Bonds: Loving or Caring? Psychological Inquiry, vol. 11, no. 2, 2000, pp. 91"94. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1449020Walters, James, and Lynda Henly Walters. Parent-Child Relationships: A Review, 1970-1979. Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 42, no. 4, 1980, pp. 807"822. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/351826.Thomas, D. O. The Duty to Trust. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, vol. 79, 1978, pp. 89"101. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4544935.Cottom, Daniel. Frankenstein and the Monster of Representation.SubStance, vol. 9, no. 3, 1980, pp. 60"71. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3683905. Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and J. Paul Hunter. Frankenstein: the 1818 Text, Contexts, Criticism. W.W. Norton & Co., 2012.

Updated: May 03, 2023
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Frankenstein's Tragic Flaw: Downfall Caused by Literary Component. (2019, Aug 20). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/frankensteins-abandonment-tragic-flaw-involves-a-literary-component-that-causes-the-downfall-essay

Frankenstein's Tragic Flaw: Downfall Caused by Literary Component essay
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