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Essay / Freudianism in 'Frankenstein': An Analysis of Human Nature
In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley skillfully combines a chilling horror story with social commentary to create an exploration of human nature that unfolds alongside the story. The novel opens with the mad quests for scientific glory of Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein. These two men are determined to achieve glory in the scientific field. Both of these men are slaves to basic human curiosity, particularly the id, which is the darkest part of the human psyche. The Id represents the long list of primary requirements of a human being and requires immediate gratification. For Victor, his curiosity results in the creation of the monster, the literal incarnation of his identity. The second aspect of this theme in Frankenstein is that there will always be conflict between the creator and the created. In terms of Freudian psychology, there will always be a conflict between the Ego and the Id. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The monster represents the purest form of identity, and Victor, the creator, has the responsibility to impart a certain meaning from consciousness, or the ego, to its creation. However, Freud describes the entrenched conflict between the Ego and the Id, and the monster eventually pushes Victor's Ego to the point that he can no longer stand the sight of his own creation. Third, human nature is the driving force behind the destructive behavior of all human beings. The most fundamental part if human nature fails both the creator and the creation, because Id is the downfall of both. The Id is the driving force behind Victor's demise due to his mad quest to create a new species. He gives himself over fully to this desire, and the product of this desire ruins his life and kills his closest friends and family. The Monster is just an unfortunate product of one man's mad quest for glory. The creature has no consciousness, because it is impossible for it to possess one. Frankenstein tries and tries, however, he falls back into the position he was born into, the embodiment of Id. Within the fundamental Ego of Man, the Id is destined to be vilified because of its concrete existence. The discussion of human nature in Frankenstein relates well to the idea of the human mind that Freud presents in his theories of psychology. The three arguments presented correspond to the beginning, middle, and end of the novel, as well as the plot developments that occur at different times. Freud's first point, which corresponds directly to the beginning of Frankenstein, is that there is a fundamental curiosity about human nature that is devoted solely to the id, and that this curiosity, when exaggerated, unleashes unhappiness on the person. in question. Second, Freud believes that there will always be a conflict between the Ego and the Id, which corresponds to the plot of the central part of the novel. Third and finally, the essences of human nature will eventually lead to the gradual disappearance of the species, as happens at the end of the novel. Curiosity, a natural part of human desire, pushes us to explore the far reaches of our universe, open new doors, make breathtaking new discoveries and take turns entering new areas of knowledge. This curiosity goes hand in hand with the desire for glory. The desire for glory is present in Victor's inordinate desire to see "a new species bless him as creator and source" (Shelley 48). This supreme pride which envelops this thought is almost Shakespearean in that it exposes the sordid pride of a tragic character. In this statement, Victor sets out his goal and predicts his downfall.He had to create a new species of beings so that “many happy and excellent natures owed their existence to him” (Shelley, 48). This statement is ironic. He hopes that his new breed will have the kindest qualities. However, he succeeds in creating an atrocity that is the fabrication of what humanity was meant to revile, Id. According to Freud, the desire that arises from the id is destined to give birth to the being of the id. First of all, the id is “the dark and inaccessible part of the human personality, which strives to bring satisfaction.” Victor's quest for the forbidden knowledge of animation is firmly rooted within himself. He does not realize that an imperfect man being able to exercise the powers of a perfect God can have harmful effects. The being that comes from these forbidden powers is the monster id. The monster is truly unhappy because he is "born" or "zapped" into life and, as Freud describes it, all newborns, completely emptied of their identity. However, the monster cannot develop an Ego. Instead, he possesses the side of the Ego that will side with the Id against the Super Ego, which represents the wishes and rules of a society as a whole. What the monster doesn't have is a firm connection to the Super Ego, and that's the problem. Any connection the monster may have had with the Super Ego, and therefore with humanity in general, is shattered when the De Lacey family rejects him. This shocks his psyche. The utter horror he sees on the faces of the people he loved and considered his “protectors” is too much for him to bear. His psyche collapses and all traces of the developing Ego disappear. He vows to “seek the justice which he has vainly attempted to obtain from any other being bearing the human form” Shelley 124). The Monster wants revenge on Victor, who is the reason he lives on Earth. From this desire, the monster begins to form a death drive, an idea that Freud began to develop late in his psychological career. “The death drive would thus seem to express itself as a destructive drive directed against the external world and other organisms.” The idea that there is an instinct based on hatred of other beings living in the Id is a perfect explanation of the Monster's behavior in the conflict between Victor and his creation. The second Freudian point that arises in the middle of the novel is that there will always be a conflict between the creator and the created. The Monster is like Victor's abandoned child. Victor's repulsion and the Monster's eventual desertion are predictable. He had hoped that the "new species" he would create would be a good species, superior to humanity, and what he got was a wretched creature made of severed limbs and electrically charged. Victor's abandonment prompts the monster to take revenge on his creator by telling him: "Remember I am your creature, I should do it through your Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel" (Shelley 89). The monster compares himself to Adam. to argue that God created Adam, and even through his indiscretions, God did not completely abandon Adam, as Victor left the monster to his own devices. The Monster tells Victor that he has made him the Devil, "that you (Victor) drive away joy without any mischief." (Shelley 89). Victor hunts the monster for the simple fact that it is incredibly hideous. He deduced that the monster was going to be a beast born into brutality, simply because of its appearance, which, technically, was Victor's fault. This made the Monster bitter and hateful towards the entire human race. He said: “What hope can I draw from your fellow men, who owe me nothing? They despise and hate me. (Shelley 89). He understood that he would find no sympathy from humanity, so he decides to destroy the man who stuck him with this..