Frankenstein

H does the creature feel about the Sorrows of Werter? In what ways is he different from the characters in the book?

chapters 15-16

Asked by
Last updated by jill d #170087
Answers 1
Add Yours

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley makes direct references to the novel The Sorrows of the Young Werther. This is done when Victor's creature finds the novel and reads it to pass the time and practice his language skills. The creature learns a lot from reading this novel, especially about emotions and feelings. This is seen when he states, "As I read, however, I applied much personally to my own feelings and condition" (Shelley 114). [3] When Victor first created this creature, it had no knowledge of how to speak, think, and act like other humans. The monster is extremely disappointed that he cannot interact with other humans or communicate with them becuase he is so different. However, throughout the novel he self-educates himself to learn how to communicate. Another human trait that the monster had to learn to be more humanlike, was feeling emotions and being able to relate to others, which was what reading the work The Sorrows of the Young Werther helped him do.

"Often... I was tempted to plunge into the silent lake" (Shelley 81). The Sorrows of the Young Werther introduces the concept of suicide to the creature in its adolescent period, and specifically drowning onself relates to the story in Young Werther about a girl who drowns herself in the river when her lover abandons her.When the monster kills Henry Clerval, he frames the scene so that is appears as though he washed up from the water, having attempted suicide. Werther constant focus on death and his decision that he had to be the one to die to relieve Albert and Lotte is similar to and influenced Frankenstein’s creature in that he believes in the misery, only death can bring happiness. In addition, all of the deaths in The Sorrows of the Young Werther occur due to loss of companionship, which drills into the creature's mind that a suitable, loving companion contributes monumentally to one's happiness and likely contributes to the reasoning behind the creature's request for a companion. Therefore the inclusion of The Sorrows of the Young Werther contributes to the overarching theme in Frankenstein of the need for love and nurturing for survival and ultimate happiness.

Source(s)

http://shsaplit.wikispaces.com/The_Sorrows