1. More than anything, Jane needs validation. She fears Rochester's love and commitment because she has long been abused by a society that has desexualized her from childhood. She continues to struggle emotionally because she feels unworthy of Rochester's love, and when she seeks this validation, in return, she only becomes the victim of Edward's twisted games. The "Victorian Way" has made it clear that Edward should have this power, and Jane should simply submit.
2. Poor Jane is beginning to lose her way...for a guy. The once rebellious, progressive, and independent individual, has now become a rich man's project. He likes to dress her up (literally) and make her his emotional puppet, when she has never before been uncomfortable with who she is. Jane has accepted her plot in life as a poor servant, but is constantly reminded that it is not "enough" by Victorian standards. Does Rochester really love the real Jane, or does he love what he can mold her to become?
3. What is it that Jane so desperately loves about Rochester? In fact, what is it that any girl loves about the archetypal "bad boy"? Edward is very much the dark horse of Thornfield and sweeps into town as a mysterious, adventurous stranger. Everything about this stranger screams cliche: tall, dark, and handsome, rugged, and disinterested in his wealth. Maybe it is the cliche that brings comfort and stability to the audience, yet brings thrill, seduction, and the long-awaited fireworks to Jane's life. Can we empathize?
Romantic Essay Highlights
She (Mary Shelley) attempted to quell the excitement surrounding the pursuit of knowledge and believed society should allow the course of life to go its own.--Daryl Thomas
This transcendence of man from the created to the creator results in the birth of a monster that will be a curse to Victor Frankenstein for the majority of the story.--Billy Lai
Frankenstein does not understand nature and its blemishes, and the reader does not understand his intentions given the actions that he took against his own creation.--Andrew Goncalves
The monster was not born evil, the evilness came from a society that shunned and loathed him.--Dave Oreste
Victor's selfish idea to create the "perfect" man led to his inconsistent feelings and mistreatment of the monster, leaving him unhappy and inadequate enough to play the role of God.--Dora Ocampo
Prometheus and Victor's destructions were caused solely by their own shortcomings. They could have been killed, but instead, they were kept alive, only to endure the painful and agonizing consequences of their actions.--Genevieve Noonan
Shelley also uses the motif of light and darkness, one that occurs in the natural world, to further her comparison. She associates darkness and evil with science and the monster. She associates the light with with the knowledge that science is not as powerful as nature, and the two cannot create harmony.--Michael Fullerton
Frankenstein and Prometheus are similar because they both used their knowledge as a passage way to create human life.--Tabisha Fleurinord
While technology has an isolating effect on those who relish in its advancements, a connection with nature can turn around the devastating consequences of technology. Nature is a giving and everlasting resource that can undo the tragic effects technology brings.--Hannah McCaffrey
The monster was born to be hideous and wretched-a seed that was first poisoned by the mania of science and then planted in to the deformed womb of society. This is but a mockery of modern science, which attempts to override the sublimity of nature and overcome the mortality of human life.--Lu Li
Mary Shelley illustrates this concept by providing several foils to help the reader understand and conceptualize Victor Frankenstein as an instrument to his own demise.--Macda Gerard
This transcendence of man from the created to the creator results in the birth of a monster that will be a curse to Victor Frankenstein for the majority of the story.--Billy Lai
Frankenstein does not understand nature and its blemishes, and the reader does not understand his intentions given the actions that he took against his own creation.--Andrew Goncalves
The monster was not born evil, the evilness came from a society that shunned and loathed him.--Dave Oreste
Victor's selfish idea to create the "perfect" man led to his inconsistent feelings and mistreatment of the monster, leaving him unhappy and inadequate enough to play the role of God.--Dora Ocampo
Prometheus and Victor's destructions were caused solely by their own shortcomings. They could have been killed, but instead, they were kept alive, only to endure the painful and agonizing consequences of their actions.--Genevieve Noonan
Shelley also uses the motif of light and darkness, one that occurs in the natural world, to further her comparison. She associates darkness and evil with science and the monster. She associates the light with with the knowledge that science is not as powerful as nature, and the two cannot create harmony.--Michael Fullerton
Frankenstein and Prometheus are similar because they both used their knowledge as a passage way to create human life.--Tabisha Fleurinord
While technology has an isolating effect on those who relish in its advancements, a connection with nature can turn around the devastating consequences of technology. Nature is a giving and everlasting resource that can undo the tragic effects technology brings.--Hannah McCaffrey
The monster was born to be hideous and wretched-a seed that was first poisoned by the mania of science and then planted in to the deformed womb of society. This is but a mockery of modern science, which attempts to override the sublimity of nature and overcome the mortality of human life.--Lu Li
Mary Shelley illustrates this concept by providing several foils to help the reader understand and conceptualize Victor Frankenstein as an instrument to his own demise.--Macda Gerard
Wrapping Up Frankenstein...
1. Mary Shelley's thought provoking criticism forces us to evaluate our own addictions to science and technology, and how these addictions draw us further and further away from the peaceful processes of nature. It is baffling to me that such a young woman (what?!?!?!) was able to make these connections in an era that otherwise stiffled the questioning of society. If we think of Victor as a metaphor for science, or the abuse of science by man, we see just how destructive overreaching can be. Through his own selfish attempts to "perfect" the human race, in essence, he began to destroy it.
2. Poor Stuie! All he wants is a little love and companionship. When he is continuously denied this basic necessity, he reacts as a monster would...out of anger. Through this portrayal, Shelley paints a very accurate picture of the human condition. When we are neglected, we begin to defend ourselves (emotionally) in any way that we can. What happens to a person when they are refused the basics of love, communication, and affection? We should never underestimate the power of our emotions. They can motivate us, bring happiness, and destroy us.
3. As a society, how do we adapt to our stereotypes? When others lower their standards, do we lose our motivation to achieve? Do we become who people want us to be? As an audience, we are left to question Stu's motives in the killing of Will, Henry, and Elizabeth. Is he simply becoming the monster that everyone sees him as?
4. Mary Shelley, frustratingly, leaves us with an age old question: Is evil innate or is it created? Take a second to think of Stu's situation. If you were abandoned by your family, would society step up to help you, or would they shun you? We often see Stu acting on the defense...trying to protect himself from the criticisms and hateful actions of others. He mirrors the violence of his creator (Victor) and, out ignorance, destroys everything that he ultimately wants out of life (companionship). This is exactly why we see him react the way he does over Victor's death. He has destroyed the only person that he truly loves.
5. How does Frankenstein reflect all of the elements of a Gothic novel? What can be said about our misunderstood hero? WHO EVEN IS OUR HERO???
2. Poor Stuie! All he wants is a little love and companionship. When he is continuously denied this basic necessity, he reacts as a monster would...out of anger. Through this portrayal, Shelley paints a very accurate picture of the human condition. When we are neglected, we begin to defend ourselves (emotionally) in any way that we can. What happens to a person when they are refused the basics of love, communication, and affection? We should never underestimate the power of our emotions. They can motivate us, bring happiness, and destroy us.
3. As a society, how do we adapt to our stereotypes? When others lower their standards, do we lose our motivation to achieve? Do we become who people want us to be? As an audience, we are left to question Stu's motives in the killing of Will, Henry, and Elizabeth. Is he simply becoming the monster that everyone sees him as?
4. Mary Shelley, frustratingly, leaves us with an age old question: Is evil innate or is it created? Take a second to think of Stu's situation. If you were abandoned by your family, would society step up to help you, or would they shun you? We often see Stu acting on the defense...trying to protect himself from the criticisms and hateful actions of others. He mirrors the violence of his creator (Victor) and, out ignorance, destroys everything that he ultimately wants out of life (companionship). This is exactly why we see him react the way he does over Victor's death. He has destroyed the only person that he truly loves.
5. How does Frankenstein reflect all of the elements of a Gothic novel? What can be said about our misunderstood hero? WHO EVEN IS OUR HERO???