StevenTruong

October15,2015
ComparativeLiteratureR1B:
FamilyDrama
JessicaCrewe&DannyLuzon

ToThinkortoFeel
:ReverseOutline

Argument

ThroughtheeventsofFrankensteinsaccountandWaltonsexpedition,Shelleydevelopsthemotifof
rationalandirrationaljudgementsthatultimatelypresentsthetwosidedclashbetweenreasonandemotion.

ConsideringVictorsoblivionduetohisblindambitionandWaltonsdecisiontoendhisexpedition,itmay
seemthatShellybelievesthatreasontriumphsoverinstinct.

However,acloserexaminationofthetextandcharacterdevelopmentcomplicatesthedichotomybetween
reasonandemotion.

Ultimately,Shelleysuggeststhatthephilosophicaldilemmaofreasonversusintuitioniscomplicatedand
perhapsevenunanswerablesincethedefinitionofreasonisambiguous.

Paragraphs
1.

Inthenovel,ShelleyusestheCreationasoneofheroutletstodisplaythequalityofreason.

2.

Ontheotherhand,ShelleyusesVictorFrankensteinsimpulsivenaturetoclashagainsttheCreations
logicalphilosophy.

3.

ConsideringthattheplotendswiththedeathofVictorbythehandsofhiscreation,itmayseemthat
Shelleybelievesthatreasontriumphsoverintuition.

4.

AlthoughtheCreationandVictorscharacterizationsareassociatedwithreasonandintuitionrespectively,
bothcharactersdivergefromtheiroriginalpositiontowardstheendofthenovel.

5.

Ontheotherhand,VictorappealstohissenseofreasonwhenhedecidestodestroytheCreationspotential
partner.

6.

Victorsrefusaltomakeapartnerforthecreationpresentsapivotalmomentintheplotof
Frankenstein
as
itcomplicatesthequestionofreasonversusintuition.