At first glance high school seems to be a fun and relaxed time. A time that you get to hang out with friends and participate in extracurricular activities. Some of your most treasured memories will be made in high school. However, high school is a cruel and unforgiving place. In high school individuals get judged by their appearance, the way they act, and who they hang out with. It is no secret that high school students care about their physical appearance. This is what creates the battle between the student and acne. The monster in the book Frankenstein also cared about his appearance. We found this out in chapter 12, when the monster looks into a puddle and realizes he is extremely ugly. Appearance can affect how a person, or a monster,
One of the main themes in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is the importance of appearance and acceptance in modern society. In today's society, and also in the society of Frankenstein, people judge one often solely on their looks. Social prejudice is often based on looks, whether it be the color of someone's skin, the clothes that a person wears, the facial features that one has and even the way one stands. People make snap judgments based on these and other considerations and they affect the way that they present themselves to one, and also the way that the treat the judged person. In Frankenstein the society of that time is much like our own today. It is an appearance
Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, sheds light on the importance of appearance through the tale of an unwanted creation that is never given a chance by society. Ironically, the supposed beast was initially much more compassionate and thoughtful than his creator, until his romantic and innocent view of the human race was diminished by the cruelty and injustice he unduly bore. Not only does the creature suffer the prejudice of an appearance-based society, but other situations and characters in the novel force the reader to reflect their own hasty judgment. The semi- gothic novel includes several instances of societal prejudice that include the isolation and outcast of Frankenstein's creation,
People should be judged on their character and personality, instead of outward appearances. It is hard to feel handsome or pretty all of the time; picking out all of the insecurities. Feeling awkward and out of place in front of friends and family can be hard to deal with. Everyone can relate to the creature every once in awhile. The theme, “Beauty isn’t skin deep, it’s what’s inside that matters”, can be found throughout Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, when the blind old man enjoys the company of the creature, the creature yearns for a mate, and at the end of the story, the creature does weep for Victor when he dies.
Frankenstein is to be “sometimes considered one of the first science fiction novels” (Fox,stacy ”Romantic and Gothic Representation in Frankenstein”). Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley. In this novel the main characters where Victor Frankenstein, his creation the monster, Robert Walton, Elizabeth Lavenza, Alphonse Frankenstein, and Henry Clerval. Frankenstein starts out with a normal boy named Victor Frankenstein who discovers an early interest in science. Victor later goes off to college to study science and ends up creating a monster. Throughout the novel the monster is stereotyped by his looks and is traumatized and goes for revenge against his creator when Victor refuses to make him a
One of the main themes in Frankenstein is appearance and acceptance. In today’s society and the society in which Frankenstein is set, people often judge one another solely based on appearance. Social prejudice is often based on looks. Be it the colour of one's skin, the clothes they wear, facial features or even ones body expressions. People make snap judgements based on what the eye beholds. Today’s schools are a prime example of this as people are classified instantly and almost unknowingly.
Society, as a whole, thrives the concepts of all things uniform and orderly. Examples of this effect are everywhere, from the songs played on the radio, to what clothing styles are sold more in stores. This concept of regularity has a profound effect on judgments made on people, due to physical appearance, personality, and other factors that make each individual, individual. Beauty, vanity, always wanting to be the next size slimmer, have almost always been around in modern culture, even in the 1800s. Some novels truly show how an appearance, in particular, can have an impact on how a person is treated, and how that individual starts to treat themselves. In the novel Frankenstein, one major cause of the monster's isolation and change in personality
In the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, the relationship of external appearance and internal feelings are directly related. The creature is created and he is innocent, though he is severely deformed. His nature is to be good and kind, but society only views his external appearance which is deformed. Human nature is to judge by external appearance. He is automatically detested and labeled as a monster because of his external appearance. He finally realized that no matter how well he speaks and how kind he is, people will never be able to see past his external deformities. Children are fearful of him, Adults think he is dangerous, and his own creator abandons him in disgust. The creature is
Although humanity prides itself on its continuous societal improvements, superficial judgment continues to thrive, especially between those who differ in looks. The art of physiognomy dates back to the beginning of mankind and has continued to evolve with humanity, negatively impacting those who are categorized into unfavorable stereotypes. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, there are flagrant displays of the upsetting role appearance plays in society, as modern-day racism parallels the prejudice the monster experiences due to his exterior. Despite its publication year of 1818, the novel is still pertinent, especially as the world struggles to override unconscious biases correlating to race or unorthodox physicality.
Beauty and prejudice have become commonplace in today’s society; the tiring cycle of living up to impossible beauty standards and facing the constant criticism of one’s image seems never-ending. However, this incessant obsessiveness over image has been around for thousands of years. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, a prominent struggle between beauty and hideousness occurs throughout the book. Shelley uses the motif of undesirable appearances and the constant praise of beauty throughout Frankenstein to establish the theme of prejudice.
A reader's subconscious often disables their ability to notice moral foundations that the author develops through the text; thus, making it difficult for an individual to recognize the value the text holds and its importance. In the article “Why Study Literature?” the author explains that “literature teaches us better courses of action and more effective responses to situations”; essentially he or she says that literature has the ability to shape one’s morals; as it can teach us what do in certain situations and how we should act. Similarly, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the author builds morality in readers by stressing the wrongs of using one’s visual appearance to determine their inner nature. At birth the monster is abandoned for his hideousness, the monster is “endowed with perceptions and passions” (Shelley, Chapter 16) after which he is “cast[ed] as an object for the scorn and horror of mankind” (Shelley, Chapter 16). For example, the monster chases for love when he assists the poor De Lacey family in collecting their lumber, however he is driven out by their horror upon seeing the face of their secret patron for the first time. Looking at this from an aesthetic stance, Shelley appears to be examining our natural tendency to judge a book by its cover. The author manifests the importance of inner beauty rather than one’s outer beauty, for it speaks more sincerely of their qualities as an individual. Had the protagonist realized the creature’s nobility from the
I think I speak for many people when I say high school is a critical point in one’s life. Coming into high school, things seemed to be tightly-knitted between my peers and I; those of us who had just
In this essay I will examine how the monster’s looks and actions reflect the predominant cultural feelings that those who look different are bad, evil or incapable of normal feelings. That somehow because one may look different from the rest of us there must be something emotionally as well as physically wrong with them.
The topic of appearance and judgment is greatly exemplified in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as it becomes apparent that
Every novel consists of minor characters that may seem to be useless aspects to the story but are actually very important. They have a purpose that helps carry out the main focus of the novel. They may serve as a means of revealing more about major characters as well as to advance or move along the plot. They can be either good or bad, serving as a central part of the story as without them the story falls apart and fail. Justine Moritz is a minor character that reveals more about Victor Frankenstein and becomes the reason for the creature’s desire to want a mate. Whereas Henry Clerval is the one person Victor can confide in who is not in the same emotional state as him and is a foil to his character. Moreover, through the Delacy family the creature learns the way of life and seeks retaliations. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein the novel as a whole is brought together with the help of minor character such as Justin Moritz, Henry Clerval and the Delacy family.
High School is a time when many teenagers get into trouble and have many conflicts and struggles. Without all of the struggles, high school is supposed to be four terrific years. There are many struggles for teens like peer pressure, managing your time, fitting in, and many more. Most high schoolers will get pressured by their peers at some point and can cause some serious problems. About fifty-five percent of students play a high school sport on top of having a job, keeping your grades up, and just overall having fun, which can be very hard to do. During High school, students are going to want to not be themselves and want to fit in without being judged by their peers. High school should be a time for you to have some great years in your