Sunday, August 23, 2009

Primal Needs

Primal needs are more than just physical. This is one of the main points Shelley is trying to make in Frankenstein. Both Victor and his creation have needs that are more than “. . . hunger, thirst, and desire. . . “ (87). This is significant as it an unexpected similarity between two very different beings; both have the need for acceptance and companionship. Victor shows this need when he is ill and needs Henry to care for him, saying “[b]ut I was in reality very ill; and surely nothing but the unbounded and unremitting attentions of my friend could have restored me to life” (55). The creature also feels this need, with the desire to have a companion of his own type, asking Frankenstein to create such another monster because “one as deformed and horrible as [he] would not deny herself to [him]” (128). Given how different Frankenstein and his monster are, these similarities are unlikely to be just a coincidence. Instead, they are a direct link between all beings, giving credit to the old adage that “no man [or beast] is an island”.

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