The Community Of Men In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Submitted By zoekoutsouflakis
Words: 1086
Pages: 5
Open Document
The Community of Men

When one thinks of Friendship, thoughts of positive and cheerful experiences flood the mind. Though what lies beneath the surface is perhaps not as constructive as one might think. According to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, when regarding the theme of Friendship in the novel, it is presented with the notion that is a Community of Man, not to say a positive relationship between men but a simple sense of companionship that often involves enemies, leaders and brothers. Through these bonds, it is hard to say whether they offer the involved salvation or lead them to their own damnation. Companionship or to say friendship in Frankenstein is found in the form of an enemy; an important element in the community of men that Shelley creates in the novel. This adversary that characters find in each other fills a void or if one could say a need, which most characters seem to find in friendship. Such an example is found in Shelley’s novel is the rivalry between Victor Vaughn Frankenstein and his Monster. Once created, the Monster sought out nothing but a companion; a friend and nothing else to accept and love him for what he is, a task that his Creator himself failed to do. His desires were known early on “ for [his] heart yearned to be known and loved by these amiable creatures: to see their sweet looks directed towards [him] with affection was the utmost limit of [his] ambition” (Shelley 173). But as he struck failure by exhausting every possibility to experience the warmth of a friend, and the pain of loneliness was the only thing he seemed capable of finding, all due to his grotesque body, he sought out the only sort of companion he could muster: the hatred found within his enemy Frankenstein. Even though he hungered for his creator’s destruction, during their pursuit across the North “he left marks in writing on the barks of the trees, or cut in stone, that guided [Frankensein]” or left dead food where Victor can “eat and be refreshed” (Shelley 278). Such measures to keep any form of companionship alive, even that of an enemy; were strongly applied by both opponents. Following the deaths of Elizabeth and Henry, the Monster was the only form of friendship Victor held onto. He vowed that he “never will give up [his] search until [the monster] or [himself] perish; and then with what ecstasy shall [he] join [his] Elizabeth and departed friends” (Shelley 278). All that remains is passion for the destruction of his monster, not even the offered salvation and the warmth of a new friend from Captain Walton. In the end, the hatred that bonded these two together doomed them both to their deaths. The Community of men in the novel also involves the companionship in the form of leaders Shelley’s characters. The most obvious arrangement of this is between Frankenstein and Walton. Whose bond amongst one another in fact brought upon the salvation of Walton and his crew members aboard the ship, in the form of the guiding and cautionary words of Frankenstein. He begged Walton to “learn from [his] miseries, and [to] not seek to increase [his] own” (Shelley 285). Though Frankenstein did not seek the sort of companion that he found in Walton, he miraculously found the outlet he had unknowingly been searching for to end his suffering. By expressing his inner most demons to Walton, Victor found his salvation as he passed away in death, not far after his pleas to the young explorer “to seek happiness and tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing [himself] in science and discoveries”(Shelley 296). Nevertheless this form of companionship can also be found in varied instances in the novel such as the elder man among the cottagers who not only directly guides his family, but also unknowingly educates and disciplines the Monster who secretly observers them. It is because of these lessons, that he began to “[comprehend] and could imitate almost every word that was spoken”
Show More

Related Documents: The Community Of Men In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Black Gay Community Research Paper

HIV Prevalence Within the Black Gay Community “Millett, who is himself black and gay, was well aware that black men tend to have sex with other black men, almost exclusively. What if that behavior was putting them in danger? It’s simple mathematics: the closer-knit a community is, the more any risk factors for infection become amplified. He began to wonder: What if the most dangerous thing a gay black man could do was what came naturally to him: to date the people he was attracted to, the people…

Words 1556 - Pages 7

Promise Initiative Case Study

The District's Commission on Father, Men, and Boys (CFMB) is partnering with The District of Columbia's Public Schools (DCPS) to implement the Promise Initiative. The Promise Initiative is a mentorship program that is designed to facilitate and cultivate experiences that give District youth exposure to the professional world. The initiative is scheduled to commence during the 2018 school year. The program will be available for young men 13-18 years-old. The first pilot cohort will run out of Ron…

Words 536 - Pages 3

Suicide Among African American Men Research Paper

Suicide Among African American Men Shawnna Guyden Tarleton State University Abstract Keywords: suicide, African American, suicidal thoughts Suicide Among African American Men Suicide is a growing and powerful problem in the world today. Just four years ago, suicide was the seventh leading cause of death in men in the United States; and the 16th leading cause in American women. It is not fully understood the difficulty of suicide, including the basis for the gender disparity in suicidal…

Words 1230 - Pages 5

Essay about Amber Andrus Stories On Community

February, 2015 Community Community is a major theme in both the story “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane as well as “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Although both stories have different characters, setting, and plot the reader can easily see that community is a significant part of their success as a group. In the story “The Open Boat” there are several characters that make up the community, the Oiler, the Captain, the Correspondent, and the Cook. The men share the…

Words 774 - Pages 4

Why Do Black Lives Matter

awareness of black lives. The movement was made to feel inclusive of all black people and yet many groups that fall under the umbrella of black lives are over looked. Black lives matter as a movement today tends to exclude both women and the LGBT community. The black lives matter movement was coined by three queer women. This fact is one that is largely overlooked and forgotten about even by those who…

Words 1067 - Pages 5

Neo-Confucians Through Community Analysis

patriarchal and hierarchical system in my church with Boyung Lee's book, "Transforming Congregations through Community." Lee talks about communal faith by criticizing Korean church system in this book. Each chapter in this book, "Transforming Congregations through Community" has "suggested exercise and discussion topics" with bible verses. As having a small group with adults in my community, we can learn about national and cultural faith identity and reflect on ourselves. Since Korean culture is rooted…

Words 691 - Pages 3

Pay Inequality In The Latinx Community

individuals. Within the Latinx group, Puerto Rican men had higher rates of major depression compared to all other members in the study. This was specifically salient among those whose income is less than 5,000 dollars a year. This is a systemic cultural contribution as a result of pay inequality in America and the lack of financial resources which effects ripple though to most areas of their…

Words 1736 - Pages 7

Diversity Organizations

Cooper ETH/125 February 8, 2015 Miya Martin Diversity Organizations Women have been discriminated against throughout the history of the United States. If we look at how much money they make it does not compare to that of men on average and they don't hold as high of jobs in society as men, in general. They have been thought of as being more domestic and taking care of the kids in the past, while the man would work and make the money. This is something that has been going on for hundreds of years but in…

Words 710 - Pages 3

Fahrenheit 451 Gender Roles

always been known as the weaker sex. In this book, men seem to have more physical power and have rough and tough jobs in this community, whereas the women have less dangerous jobs and use less strength than the men in the jobs they have. The separate worlds of the men and women seems to suggest women are not of value and the men are respected more than the women. Guy Montag, who is the main character, has diverse outlooks about his community. He seems to be tough on the outside but he is actually…

Words 636 - Pages 3

Fatherhood Initiative Of Beaver County Description Essay

Many men feel that there are barriers that keep them from being involved in their children’s lives. They may feel inadequate as providers or unprepared for the emotional demands of fatherhood. Some may hold false beliefs about the role of fathers, such as the idea that moms should provide all the nurturing and dads should simply provide materially and nothing more. Both real and perceived barriers can be overcome when willing fathers utilize helpful resources such as books, training opportunities…

Words 723 - Pages 3