FrankensteinEssay Preview: FrankensteinReport this essayMary Shelleys novel Frankenstein, examines the irrational behavior of the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein. It looks at how Victor Frankensteins irrational behavior begins with his ambition, and what begins as a healthy curiosity about nature and science turns into an obsession that he cannot control. It analyzes the effect of this irrationality on the other characters in the story and shows how Frankensteins irrational behavior leads to the death of four innocent people and, eventually, his own demise. The 1995 movie version of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein directed by David Wicks effectively conveys the book, but there are notable differences and similarities. The differences dealing with the education of the monster, the ending of the story, the handling of the death of Justine, and similarly dealing with the turning point of the story help create a better understanding of this complex story.
A notable difference between the book and the movie was the education of the Monster. They both focus around the Monsters time spent watching the De Laceys. In the movie his time was devoted mostly to just watching the family and how they acted towards each other. He learned quite quickly how to speak and read and learned to understand the different emotions people possessed. The only justification of the Monsters rapid learning process is that in a movie not a great deal of time can be spent on this or else the movie would drag on. Although not a lot of time was spent on showing the development of the Monsters education in the movie, the book went into great detail in describing its education. During his stay in the shack near the De Laceys cottage the Monster came across four books that would enlighten him and show the reader the learning of the Monster step by step. The first book was Volneys Ruins of Empires. This book “gave [the monster] an insight into the manners, government, and religions of the different nations of the earth.”(Shelley 147) It also gave insight of the origins of humanity. The second book that the Monster came across was a volume of Plutarchs Lives. This book “taught [the Monster] high thoughts; [Plutarch] elevated [the Monster] above the wretched sphere of [his] own reflection, to admire and love the heroes of past ages.”(Shelley 156) The book also expanded the Monsters horizons to the political. The third book the Monster read was the Sorrows of Werter by Goethe. This enlightened him on the domestic world. The last book that the Monster read was Paradise Lost by Milton. This book introduced him to the cosmic world. Through this book he learned the most about himself and his creator. He was able to compare himself to the characters of Adam, Eve and Satan. With all of this newly acquired knowledge, the Monster was able to understand his surroundings and the interactions that took place in them. The development of the Monsters education is reflected better in the book because the reader grasps the progress of the learning. In the movie, this process occurs quickly and it is hard to get a good understanding of what the Monster is truly feeling.
A similarity that exists between the novel and movie is the Monsters actions after the De Lacey family shuns him. The Monster finally decides to show himself to the eldest De Lacey first. He believes that since the old man is blind, he will not be judged by his physical appearance. The Monster waited until everyone was out of the cabin except for the blind man. When he entered the cabin he asked the blind man if he could rest for a bit. They began talking and the Monster was especially happy because it was the first time in which the Monster was not being chased away. Things took a turn for the worse when the rest of the De Lacey family returned home and saw the Monster with the blind man. They immediately feared for his safety. ” At the instant the cottage door was opened, and Felix, Safie, and Agatha entered. Who can describe their horror and consternation on beholding me? Agatha fainted; and Safie unable to attend to her friend, rushed out of the cottage. Felix darted forward and with supernatural force tore me from his father, to whose knees I clung: in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick.” (Shelley 135) Just like that, the Monster was shunned again. He never saw the De Lacey family again because they moved out in fear of him. The Monster now realized that he would never be accepted and this was his creators fault. In his rage the Monster set fire to the De Laceys cabin. This important detail was not altered in the movie because it is really the turning point in which the Monster vows revenge on Frankenstein and his family.
Another Difference in the adaptation of the movie from the book is after the creature strangles William, the maid Justine is accused of the crime due to circumstantial evidence the creature planted on her. What follows is a fairly painful sequence of trials and deliberations on Justines guilt, culminating in her conviction and eventual hanging. During all of this, Victor has realized who the real murderer must be, and while he remains steadfast in his existence of Justines innocence, he takes no steps to clear her name by revealing what he knows. His excuse is moderately reasonable: no one would possibly believe him. But by not even trying, by remaining entirely separate from the affair in which he essentially brought about, he becomes more and more tainted. One suspects that, when the creature confronts him, Victors rage is more due to his own feelings of guilt than anything
The Final Verdict by Peter Zagaris
Vic is an artist, for the most part, who has become intimately familiar with his subject matter with a fervor, which is why I chose this time of year to focus solely on his work. On the one hand, it is this summer’s “Blood and Ink and No Blood” that has allowed him to fully grasp the complexities of his artistic form while simultaneously being a solid art teacher and a true artist with a love of all things graphic & contemporary! He began work on his new album, “Wicked House”, which will be available this winter on the iZotope label, but for the most part, his work has been more a collection of simple, straightforward and easily digestible visual concepts that are presented for the first time (and the rest of the art will just be added into the mix). All in all, his work is a mixture of simple, elegant, simple. It is a very complex but powerful experience, and while we will see the album in its entirety, at this point it is enough to get across how a character and concept could be developed into something truly brilliant.
The rest of the album is the one that most people should fully appreciate, as it really begins exactly the right way for Victor (although he may turn out to be just as wrong about it). It begins with a brief (albeit very entertaining) description of both the life and nature of “Blood and Ink and No Blood”, a tale of two lovers, “Mr. Krayzie” (a character who had always believed his daughter Mary was the source of his hatred) and his true love “Miss May.” It then follows a short but intense story of a group of friends who became lost by the sight of just a single man, and who had begun to fall in love with each other. This is the story of their romance. As a result, “Blood and Ink and No Blood” is a story that is both humorous, poetic and very dark. It tells the story of a friendship that ends suddenly, and which has caused the entire series of events that have occurred (all the while being described to an audience who, at that moment, is just a few years away!). In the end we have a man (a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul) who is able and willing to look off in the direction of justice and love, and he ends up killing his wife for something he just did not want.
At this point, we finally come to the final part of Vincent’s account: his story begins with a mysterious man in a white coat (an idea that has been floated around the Internet for a while). Vincent has seen a picture of a beautiful young woman (I have not used her real name.) He picks her up and immediately begins to talk to her about her. During one of the many awkward moments, Vincent is shown a photo of Mary of the house she has come to live with, and it goes to show you that if you look up Mary’s house, she is the last place she has ever been to live. He then proceeds to tell the girl about her experience, and the photo quickly came back to haunt him. What follows is a sad, sad story that touches upon the fact that so much of our history is still shrouded in mystery. For years, this man has seen some form of love, and often has acted to help other people in their struggle to see the other as the equal. The story ends with Vices making themselves known to the