In Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, the
author uses the following archetypal relationships to juxtapose Victor and the
Monster:
Doppelganger: The
Monster is a doppelganger, or ghostly twin, of Victor. He haunts his creator, vowing
revenge against his
family.
Foil: The Monster is a
foil, or a reflection, of Victor. He is his master's dark side made
flesh.
God/man (Adam):
Victor is analogous to God, and the Monster is Man. Victor likewise abandons his
creation.
Father/son: Victor
is the father (more like a dead-beat dad). The Monster is a (abandoned, orphaned)
son.
Protagonist/Antagonist:
Victor is the story's main character, and the Monster is his primary
adversary.
Ego/Id: Victor is
the side which he reveals in public, but the Monster is the Id, the overgrown child with
selfish desires, which he wishes to
hide.
Avenged/avenger: First,
the Monster is the Avenger and Victor the avenged. Then, both man and monster try to
take revenge on each other in the land of
ice.
Zeus/Prometheus: Victor
is much like Zeus, who punishes Prometheus for giving fire to mankind. The Monster is
like Prometheus, the god who is forever chained to a rock and tormented by his
creator.
Here's a quote with shows several of the above
relationships:
readability="14">"'All men hate the wretched; how then, must I be
hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn
me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of
one of us.'" Chapter 10, pg. 83
No comments:
Post a Comment