Sunday, January 31, 2016

What is the difference between Frankenstein's inner self and his outward appearance?

In addition to the above answer, the monster is the combination of many different humans - but he has his own unique personality.  He has clear rationale for his plan and what he intends to do.  He has specific goals just for himself.  He does not see himself as a "mixed" being - he sees himself as an independent and sovereign being.  As an individual, he goes through the life process of a human - as a "newborn", he deals with the sensations of his body:

and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses.

He learns speech, like a toddler:

I discovered the names that were given to some of the most familiar objects of discourse; I learned and applied the words,

He learns emotions, and sharing emotions with others:

when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathized in their joys

And he comes to the point where he begins to think critically:

Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind when it has once seized on it like a lichen on the rock.

Shelley strongly suggests, through the contrast between inner and outer, that the soul is separate from the vessel that carries it through the world.

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