Guo 1 Jackie Guo Fiona Wilson Romanticism and Love February 13, 2012 Giving and Receiving Love

In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Rousseau's idea of amour propre (self-love), amour de soi meme (love of self), and pity are what define the characters' ability or inability to give love. Victor Frankenstein exhibits amour propre or pride, which causes his inability to pity or love anyone, as he only strives for his own glory. In contrast, the creature of Frankenstein, exhibits both amour de soi meme or selfpreservation and pity. He is not interested in the glorification of himself over others; therefore he can be compassionate towards other people. The narrator Walton exhibits amour propre, amour de soi meme, and pity. In the end, he chooses his amour de soi meme and pity over his amour propre. Despite each character's ability to give love, they all need to receive it. Frankenstein receives love but he cannot give it and the creature gives love but he cannot receive it. The lack of love in both situations ultimately leads to their deaths. Walton is able to both give and receive love, and he is the only main character who lives in the end of the novel. Frankenstein illustrates the importance of giving and receiving love and sympathy through the fates of Frankenstein, the creature, and Walton. Rousseau defines amour propre as "[living] constantly outside of [one's self], and only [knowing] how to live in the opinion of others". In society, humans are forced to compare their qualities with one another. The more talented a person is, the more useful

Guo 2 and successful he is in society. Amour propre or the "universal desire for reputation, honours, and advancement" (Rousseau) is a result of society. Victor Frankenstein has amour propre-- his ambition in life is to achieve distinction amongst his peers. He creates his monster in the hopes that "a new species would bless [him] as their creator and source" (Shelley 36). As the creator of a new species, he believes he will gain recognition and praise for "no father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as [he] should deserve theirs" (Shelley 36). In comparison to all other fathers, he would be the greatest of them all. In the same vein, Frankenstein tries to destroy the creature, because he sees his creation as a failure. He knows it will not gain him the recognition that he had hoped for. Even though he mentions several times that he is destroying the monster for the good of humanity, he has no reason to believe the creature will harm anyone after his revenge on Frankenstein. It is only because he "[shudders] to think that future ages might curse [him] as their pest" (Shelley 138) that he decides to destroy the creature. Frankenstein's description of himself further reveals his amour propre. In his conversation with Walton, he tells him "when younger, I felt as if I were destined for some great enterprise" (Shelley 179). It was always his ambition to achieve success in society and upon thinking about the failure of his creation he exclaims, "But how am I sunk! (Shelley 180). Frankenstein's amour propre causes his inability to pity or love anyone but himself and his ambitions. When creating his creature, he is so obsessed with achieving fame that he neglects to write his family. Even though he knows his lack of communication worries his family, his sympathy for their distress is not as strong his amour propre, for he states he "could not tear [his] thoughts from [his] employment"

Guo 3 (Shelley 37). Nowhere in the novel is he able to pity anyone more than himself, for even "the tortures of the accused (Justine) did not equal his" (Shelley 64). To Frankenstein, no one's suffering is as acute as his, because they are innocent. He is the one who has the live with the remorse and embarrassment of his failure creation. Because he is so ashamed of the creature, he refuses to warn his family about the creature's existence. Ostensibly, he doesn't warn them because he thinks they will think he is mad. This is an excuse, because at one point he makes many absurd confessions saying that he is responsible for the deaths of William, Justine, and Henry. It's not that Frankenstein doesn't want to seem mad, he just cannot bear the shame of his monster, not even to protect his family. Frankenstein's relationship with the creature also reveals his lack of sympathy and love. First of all, Frankenstein does not create the creature because he wants someone to love. He sees the creature merely as a tool for his success, and when he is unhappy with the result, he rejects and hates it. The creature's argument for Frankenstein to make him a mate causes Frankenstein to ask himself, "did I not, as his maker, owe him all the portion of happiness that it was in my power to bestow?" (Shelley 120), but he quickly changes his mind. The idea of creating something just as ugly as the creature disgusts him and he vows, "never will I create another like [him], equal in deformity and wickedness" (Shelley 140). Frankenstein refuses the only act of love and sympathy that the creature asks for, because can't stand the thought of creating something that will further hinder his goal for recognition. The cost of this refusal is the death of everyone he loves, but he does not change his mind. Frankenstein's inability to pity and love anyone more than himself is illustrated through the decisions he makes concerning his loved ones and the creature.

Guo 4 According to Rousseau, amour de soi meme and pity are the two innate qualities of pre-society humans. "The savage lives within himself" (Rousseau) and is only concerned with his self-preservation (amour de soi meme). He does not compare himself to others, as his success is not based on competition and comparison with people. In fact, the savage has a natural pity for the suffering of others for this feeling "contributes to the preservation of the whole species" (Rousseau). In contrast with his creator, the creature has both amour de soi meme and pity. In the first few days of his life, he is ruled only by his instinct to survive. He quickly learns how to eat, sleep, drink, and find shelter. Unlike Frankenstein, the creature's main goal is for survival, not glory. When he encounters the De Lacey family, he feels compassion for the first time. For example, when he sees the children giving food to their father instead of themselves, he feels pity for their hunger and stops stealing their food. In addition, he chops wood for them and is greatly pleased that he has helped relieve their suffering for he "observed with pleasure that [Felix] did not go to the forest that day, but spent it in repairing the cottage and cultivating the garden" (Shelley 88). It is clear that the creature's compassion for the family is pure and selfless, because "when they were unhappy, [he] felt depressed; when they rejoiced, [he] sympathized in their joys" (Shelley 89). The creature's pity extends to people other than the De Lacey family. Even after the De Lacey family rejects him, he still feels inclined to save the young girl who falls into the stream. Because the creature has amour de soi meme and pity, he is capable of truly loving others. His sole purpose in life is to give and receive love and sympathy. The narrator of the novel, Walton, displays signs of amour propre, amour de soi meme, and pity. In the beginning of the novel, he writes to his sister of his future plans

Guo 5 for greatness. He desires to be the first to sail to the North Pole so that he "may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man" (Shelley 6). In this case, Walton is exhibiting amour propre for he craves distinction from other men. However, the fact the he continues to write to his sister and inform her about his whereabouts shows that he cares about her concern for him. This is in contrast to Frankenstein, who completely ignores the letters of his worried family because he is too occupied with the creation of a new species. Towards the end of the novel, Walton shoes how different he is from Frankenstein when he sympathizes with his crew and agrees to return to England for their safety, for he says "I cannot lead them unwillingly to danger" (Shelley 184). Even though it goes against his amour propre, he chooses self-preservation and compassion for his crew over his ambitions. This choice reveals that Walton is capable of giving love, whereas Frankenstein is not. The quality that all three characters have in common is their desire to receive love and sympathy. Frankenstein describes the absence of love in the Irish prison as "a darkness pressed around me; no one was near me who soothed me with the gentle voice of love; no dear hand supported me" (Shelley 150). Even though Frankenstein cannot give love, he still depends on it. Without sympathy or love, he feels isolated and sick. The only reason he recovers from his illness in prison is because he father visits him and gives him the love he needs. The creature desperately craves love and sympathy all of his life, yet everyone denies it to him. Without love, "[his heart]is wrenched by misery to vice and hatred (Shelley 188). The creature would rather die than experience the misery of being completely alone. Walton also needs sympathy, for he feels incredibly lonely on his journey and strongly "[desires] the company of a man who could sympathize with

Guo 6 [him]" (Shelley 8). Love and sympathy seem to be crucial to human survival. In the end, Frankenstein dies in part because he cannot live without the love of his family and friends. However, he loses this love, because of his amour propre and his inability to give love or sympathy. Whereas the creature kills himself because humans cannot love his beastly frame, even though his emotions are human and he is capable of giving endless love and sympathy. Walton survives, because of the love he receives from his sister (even though she is not with him) and the love he is able to give out. The fates of all three characters in Frankenstein are decided by the love or lack of love that they receive and give, emphasizing the importance of love to human survival.

Guo 7 Works Cited Rousseau, Jean Jacques. Discourse on Inequality. Trans. G.D.H Cole. 1754. Constitution Society, 26 Aug. 1998. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1818. Reprint. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.