Rohan Jain
Ms. Callan
English IV
29 October 2015
Eye for an Eye
Revenge is a paradox. It brings closure, but it also brings more problems. It brings happiness, but not before it brings guilt. It seems like the right thing to do in the moment, still, revenge is never the answer. Studies show that revenge can be a sweet feeling for the brain, however, the consequence for ill-fated actions aren’t always the sweetest. In Mary Shelly’s, Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein learns about the consequences of revenge, although he is not the one committing the revengeful actions.
In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein faces the consequences of his actions, as the monster he creates decides to get revenge against his creator. The monster faces resentment from all the citizens and is treated like an outcast in society. In turn, to get revenge on his creator for all the struggles he faces, the monster attempts to get revenge on his creator by taking away his closet loved ones. An article recently published by The National Geographic states, “A new brain-imaging study suggests we feel satisfaction when we punish others for bad behavior. In fact, anticipation of this pleasure drives us to crack the whip.” (National Geographic, 1) In Frankenstein, the monster feels excluded society due to his odd natured face and body, therefore, the monster decides to carry out his threats by killing Victors closest loved ones. "Frankenstein! you belong then to my enemy--to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim." (Shelly, 30) Although Victor Frankenstein was he creator of the monster, his nephew was the one who had to suffer the results of the monsters vengeful actions, due to the psychology of the monster. Killing Victors nephew brought the monster pleasure, but it also brought a great deal of sorrow upon the entire Frankenstein family, which caused many other innocent members of the family to pass away as well.
The deaths in the Frankenstein family...