Mary Shelley and Joseph Conrad were both amazing writers, especially for their time. Shelley is associated with the Romantic time period and Conrad to the Twentieth century and after. The Victorian and twentieth century time periods were both influenced by the Romantics, but they had major differences. Shelley only 19 years of age when she wrote the amazing Frankenstein horror story, that is still being used as a literature reference today, had just a little help from her husband Percy Shelley. Joseph Conrad, on the other hand, is known for his story Heart of Darkness. The Heart of Darkness is a horror story as well, but there a lot of differences in the two stories. Yet, there are a lot of similarities in the two stories. I will compare and …show more content…
In Frankenstein Shelley for the majority uses the first person point of view, but there is a part in the story where she seems to shift into third person. Independence and sacrifice are two main themes in Frankenstein. Conrad uses only first person throughout his novel. Similar to Frankenstein, The Heart of Darkness themes are freedom, but also right vs. wrong. Shelley switches the point of view just a few times throughout the story but, the change helped the reader connect with the characters more. She also used a lot of imagery throughout the novel, which increase the attentiveness of the reader. The beginning of the novel contains letters 1-4 between Victor Frankenstein, Elizabeth Lavenza, and Alphonse Frankenstein. The letters shift between first person and third person point of view, depending on if Victor is reading or if he is writing the letter. Shelley’s protagonist is Victor Frankenstein, he is the narrator of the story for the most part. Victor is very fascinated with life and science, when he combines the two his life takes a turn. Victor creates a monster, who becomes upset with …show more content…
Marlow out of curiosity wanted to explore, he expected more. He goes off on this curiosity, adventure to meet a man with a great reputation named Kurtz. Marlow’s trip was not at all easy and timely. At one point he had to wait for several months to repair his steamboat, before he could continue his journey. This long period of time taken away from Marlow’s journey, made him more eager to meet Kurtz. Continuing his trip to Kurtz, Marlow and the others on the boat were fired at from the outskirts of the forest. Upon arrival, though, they are greeted and warned of Kurtz abnormal behaviors. The independence for Kurtz is now shown. The fact that Kurtz has put himself in the position to rule over the natives has caused widespread mayhem. In the search for ivory Kurtz went on brutal raids and even went to the extent to put severed heads on the fencing around the station. His independence lead to the fate of others and to his own fate eventually. This trip effects Marlow’s morals to do good deeds and know right from wrong. Prior to leaving, Marlow had a good foundation and knew clearly how to distinguish the two. While on his trip the reader can tell that this is becoming harder and harder. Kurtz is seen to do all these wrong deeds, because he is the God to the natives. Yet, the native woman, that was his lover had complete influence over Kurtz. At the end of the story when Marlow is speaking with Kurtz’s fiancé, he
Mary Shelley introduces the story of Frankenstein with an exchange of one-way letters from Walton to his sister. In these letters, Shelley introduces the main themes of the novel via the character of Walton and his letters, in that he presents many of the themes later explored in ‘Frankenstein’ such as thirst for knowledge and power, isolation and nature, in his own story. These opening letters thus have an impact on the reader as they will influence their view of the rest of the novel in ways that will bring them to ask themselves important questions valid for any are ad society, and bring them some understanding of what is to come next in the novel.
The structure of the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley makes a great difference for the readers. Frankenstein is a novel that follows the story of Victor who creates a monster, which is eventually abandoned. It then follows the story of the lonely creature and its life with the cottagers. Also in the novel is Robert Walton is a man who nurses Victor Frankenstein back to help and listens to the story of the creation of the creature. The different points of views help contribute to the overall effect of Frankenstein and lets the readers understand the characters on a deeper level.
Embarking on the quest for forbidden knowledge and usurping the role by acting as gods, are ethically questioned actions that have been explored in literature. Examining "Frankenstein" written by Mary Shelley and "Edward Scissorhands" directed by Tim Burton, individuals view an expounded exploration of human nature. Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" looks into the consequences of Victor Frankenstein's reckless pursuit of creating life, which can be explored through Gothic elements of monstrous creations and the Romantic exploration of individual ambition. Similarly, Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" paints a vivid picture of societal rejection and the power of mother nature, blending Gothic elements with Romantic themes to exhibit the complexities of human nature. Forbidden knowledge
At the beginning of Marlow’s journey his aggressively states he hate of liars and hypocrites, yet at the end Marlow lies to Mr. Kurtz fiancé, “But I couldn’t. I could not tell her. It would have been too dark- too dark altogether… (Page 72).” The journey changed this aspect of Marlow’s personality. As Marlow faces the horrors of the Congo River he learns that some lies are necessary to spare others. In How To Read Literature Like a Professor, the author Thomas C. Foster states, “Okay so here’s the general rule: whether it’s Italy or Greece or Africa or Malaysia or Vietnam, when writers send characters south, its so they can run amok… if we’re being generous, that they can run amok because they are having direct, raw encounters with the subconscious (Foster, 179).” As Marlow travels down the Congo River he continues to here about Mr. Kurtz and he begins to relate himself to Kurtz. As Marlow’s journey continues he begins to realize that Kurtz is crazy. As marlow begins to realize that As that happens Marlow begins to connect himself to Mr. Kurtz but as he continues to relate to Kurtz he begins to realize hat Kurtz is not the man Marlow believed him to be. This realization of how Mr. Kurtz is subconsciously hurts Marlow because Marlow saw himself and Kurtz as kindred spirits and no that Marlow sees that Kurtz is a horrible person
Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein and Tim Burton's film, Edward Scissorhands has an abounding amount of similarities. They both hold the same plot and alike characters. But they do have some differences.
He is telling his story of his adventure to his job on the Congo, presenting the story inside of a story notion. In the reminiscent story he is telling, he talks about a man named Kurtz, the ivory manager at the company is going to work for in the Congo. He learned about the characteristics of Kurtz, which happened to be the opposite of his. At first, he is slight displeased and shows disgust towards the actions of the other workers’ at the company and Marlow; stopping in plot ever so often to regain his thoughts because it made him upset. However, as he continued deeper in the Congo, he starts to change into Kurtz making Kurtz and Marlow complex. The reader can not tell if they are different people or perhaps the same. Before this transformation, Marlow and Kurtz was already similar in a few ways. For example, Marlow and Kurtz both shared a certain amount of respect for the natives, Kurtz even had a mistress that was native. However, they may have a certain level of respect for them they both feel that they are savage like and they are not equal to the white men. This shows the white man’s burden, of the white man that feels the need to educate the natives. Marlow even ends up agreeing later on in the book that they should be
The novel Frankenstein is written in the first person point of view, but at different points in the book, different storytellers recount the tale. Therefore, it can be found three different narrators, being Robert Walton the first narrator, who in his letters cites, second narrator, Victor Frankenstein’s narration; Victor, at the same time, cites the third narrator’s story. Furthermore, Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein narrate parts of the story through their letters to Victor as well, but they are not as relevant narrators as the other characters. With Victor Walton’s character Mary Shelley uses a device denominated epistolary form, novel in the form of a sequences of letters written by one or more characters:
In many movie adaptations of a novel, the film doesn’t do the book justice in its story telling. Movie versions generally do not focus on the characters’ emotions or thoughts like the books do. They also do not develop the characters as well as the original story, giving the viewer little to no knowledge of a certain person. This is the case in Frankenstein. While there are some similarities between the original written version and the one on screen, the movie doesn’t delve into the lives of the main characters: Victor and the creature. The loss of characterization and focus on their lives takes away the audience’s take on consequences.
Shelley uses the structure of the novel to explore human nature, clouding the reader’s perceptions of good and evil, right and wrong, man and monster. By creating multiple unreliable narrators, she establishes that nothing is certain, positioning the readers to question their own ideas about who is really in the wrong throughout the novel. Frankenstein and the creature are seen as opposites on a scale of good and evil, master and slave, god and devil, however these positions change throughout the novel. Frankenstein wants the readers to see the creature as a monster, but through the characters narratives and reflections, we see that Frankenstein did not actually create a monster. Frankenstein made a man and turned him into a monster, and the
The novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley involves the complex issues with the creation of life through an inanimate life. Shelley uses these character archetypes to develop a deeper meaning of the characters intentions. Shelley does an excellent job at allowing the reader to have a peak at the characters inner thoughts and feelings. The archetypes presented in Frankenstein allow readers to identify with the character's role and purpose.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has a very complex narrative structure: “the narratives seem to grow organically from one another”. Within the novel, Shelley weaves characters and their different narrative perspectives together, creating a cyclical, triplicate layout to the story. Her use of multiple narratives provides a range of perspectives on the story, allowing us insights to the
Contrary to what Marlow hears and begins to believe about the great Kurtz, he is a heartless monster. Upon their first encounter Marlow is disgusted. Kurtz’s mistreatment of the natives and the idea he has engraved upon them of him being a god-like figure. Marlow immediately sees through the facade he has built for himself.
At the end of his journey he realized the reason that everyone who went on this expedition was trying to make their fortune and that is how Kurtz eventually died. His “appetite for more ivory had got the better” of him. No matter what the cost to himself and the people around him, he was going to be the best and get the most money. His selfishness eventually caused his death when the manager downstream would not send food because he hoarded all of the ivory all to himself. Marlow knew that Kurtz was very serious about his job when he saw “heads on the stakes” in front of his house. Which could have been a warning to other people who try to come get his ivory. But the interesting part was most of the heads are faced toward his house. Kurtz wanted attention and loved to have power. These heads could be there to adore him just like the natives when he was with them. Kurtz search for power and wealth left in its wake death and destruction, showing that humanities quest for wealth leads to destruction.
If we look at Kurtz, he was a “civilized” businessman, before he entered the Congo. Marlow went to meet him, imagining him to be “civilized,” as a boss should be. But when he finally arrives he meets someone entirely different, Kurtz has become a “savage,” as the conquerors would say. He is more like the natives then Marlow. But why has he changed, and how? It is because of the Congo, the “heart of Darkness” has gotten into him just as it will anyone else that enters the Congo. This is because the Congo is a place of darkness, and horror. The same happens to Marlow, not to the extent of Kurtz. But it does change him, just in a different way. In part 3, the unnamed narrator says,“ Marlow ceased, and sat apart, indistinct and silent, in the pose of a meditating Buddha.” This quote is significant because it describes how Marlow is after the Congo. The quote is on the last page, after Maelow has finished his story, this is after he practically relieved the time through his storytelling. Now he sits in silence in a mediating position, because he is content, he thinks back to his time in the Congo and remembers all the darkness, how it affected him, anything he saw, his obsession with Kurtz. But now time has passed and he has moved on from those horrible times, but keeps the experiences he got from it with him. A Buddha represents wisdom, and Marlow is wisor
He feels greatly out of place, disgusted by these things. It is through his eyes, then, that we can experience the terrible situation the Europeans have created to strip the land for personal profit. The darkness no longer applies only to the shadowy jungle, but to the blackness of men's souls. This is a land of mystery, and what is unknown is used to create the mood and influence the reader. With every terrible act Marlow witnesses, the reader is more disgusted; we learn more about Kurtz and Marlow—the setting provides the opportunity for characterization. Part of the suspense of the story rests in the unknown dangers in the jungles. This also comes from the story's setting. All this prepares the reader for butchery, human sacrifice, and Kurtz's complete moral degradation—the same man who is worshiped by the natives as their chief...like a god. When Kurtz is found, he is completely mad and physically ill—changed by what he has done and what he has seen. The setting affects the mood, the characterization and the plot development. The setting allows for more realistic plot development, and as a result, more credible