Analysis Of Mary Shelley 's ' Frankenstein '

    In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley combines three separate stories involving three different characters--Walton, Victor, and Frankenstein's monster. Though the reader is hearing the stories through Walton's perspective, Walton strives for accuracy in relating the details, as he says, "I have resolved every night,...to record, as nearly as possible in his [Victor's] own words, what he has related during the day" (Shelley 37). Shelley's shift in point of view allows for direct comparison and contrast between the characters, as the reader hears their stories through the use of first person. As the reader compares the monster's circumstances to those of Victor and Walton, the reader's

Mary Shelley introduces the story of Frankenstein with an exchange of one-way letters from Walton to his sister. In these letters, Shelley introduces the main themes of the novel via the character of Walton and his letters, in that he presents many of the themes later explored in ‘Frankenstein’ such as thirst for knowledge and power, isolation and nature, in his own story. These opening letters thus have an impact on the reader as they will influence their view of the rest of the novel in ways that will bring them to ask themselves important questions valid for any are ad society, and bring them some understanding of what is to come next in the novel.

Every work is a product of its time. Indeed, we see that in Frankenstein, like in the world which produced its author, race, or the outward appearances on which that construct is based, determines much of the treatment received by those at all levels of its hierarchy. Within the work, Mary Shelley, its author, not only presents a racialized view of its characters, but further establishes and enforces the racial hierarchy present and known to her in her own world. For the few non-European characters, their appearance, and thus their standing in its related hierarchy, defines their entrances into the narrative. For the Creature, this occurs on the ices of the Artic, when, “atop a low carriage, fixed on a sledge and drawn by dogs, pass on towards the north, at the distance of half a mile;” Walton and his men perceived, “a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature.” (Shelley 13) Shelley clarifies, even this early in her novel, the race of its principal Other as soon after the intrepid adventurers rescue its namesake, Victor Frankenstein, who, Shelley clarifies, “was not, as the other traveller seemed to be, a savage inhabitant of some undiscovered island, but an European.” (Shelley 14) Later, closer examination of the Creature reveals a visage and figure of near unimaginable disfigurement, with a “shrivelled complexion,” and yellow skin which “scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath.” (Shelley 35) This could be contrasted directly

Shelley addresses romantic conventions in Victor to convey his loss of identity. Victor is impatient and restless when constructing the creation, so much, that he does not think about it’s future repercussions. One of the great paradoxes that Shelley’s novel depicts is giving the monster more human attributes than to it’s creator [p. 6 - Interpretations]. This is true as the monster seeks an emotional bond, but Victor is terrified of it’s existence. The monster later reveals, “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurred at and kicked and trampled on [Shelley, p. 224].” Victor’s lack of compassion is rooted from the inability to cope with his reality. He distances himself from others and is induced with fainting spells [Shelley, p. 59]. From this, the nameless creature exemplifies Victor’s attempt to abandon his creation to escape his responsibilities. His creation is described as, ‘wretched devil’ and ‘abhorred monster,’ eliciting that the unobtainable, pitied identity [Shelley, p. 102]. The act of not naming the creature reveals Victor as hateful, and unnaturally disconnected to his own created victim.

In Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, Frankenstein, three different positions are portrayed in the story of Victor Frankenstein’s creation. Shelley presents the story through letters that Robert Walton writes to his sister as he is hearing the retelling of the story from Frankenstein himself. While discovering Frankenstein’s and the Creature’s backstories, the reader witnesses the inevitable nature of man and the crucial effects of one’s environment; nurture is a problematic component in the Creature’s life while Victor’s inevitable nature overrides his upbringing.

Mary Shelley uses point of view in Frankenstein to naturally develop her reader’s opinions and feelings in regards to her characters. Shelley forms her own Chinese Box structure along with a frame narrative stirred together to give the nature of stories within stories in a completely unique way ("Narrative Technique in Frankenstein"). When Shelley’s readers interpret Frankenstein, they tend to have mixed feelings when viewing the Creature and Victor Frankenstein. They have to decide who has evil attributes; the Monster for killing other humans, or Victor Frankenstein for creating the monster and then abandoning it. Throughout the story, the reader tends to battle with their emotions of sympathy towards each of the main roles within the story. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses her unique way of writing to fully mature her readers’ feelings on deciding the wicked character, Victor Frankenstein or the Monster.

What purpose does it serve to have multiple narrators telling a story? In Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, Frankenstein, three main narrators tell the story about the creation of a monster and the events that follow. The job of narrator shifts between Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the monster that Victor creates. As each narrator shares his own recollection of the events that occurred, new facts are introduced to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Although Frankenstein uses multiple narrators to tell the story, it is important to look at the effects it might have on the stories accuracy. In this essay, I will closely examine the motives, differences, and similarities of each narrator to see what influences, if any, they have on the narrative.

In the book “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, demonstrates how nobody likes to feel alone, even hideous creatures like the one Victor Frankenstein created. Throughout the novel, the creature is trying to beloved by anybody that will love him, since Victor abundance him right after he creates him. When the creature goes away, he realizes how lonely and scared he is. During the moments he spent being alone, and observing the cottagers he realizes how he wants somebody to love him in the same way he will love them. The creature demands Frankenstein to make him a mate and at the end Frankenstein destroys the second creature. Leaving the first creation with nobody and having him feel the loneliness once again.

The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley tells a strange and tragic tale of a mere human named Victor creating life and the consequences of this act. Throughout the novel, we see Mary Shelley using Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the monster emphasize a theme of loneliness and the effect it has on a person. It seems that humans have a persistent need for social interaction and acceptance. Mary Shelly shows this to us with the interactions of Victor, Robert and the monster. Throughout the novel, we see how isolation serves as the starting grounds of conflict, particularly in the case of the monster.

Few fiction novels accurately display the relationship between education and personality development as well as Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein, which follows the story of a well esteemed youth becoming educated enough to form a creature from lifeless matter and his subsequent fall from grace. Despite the fact that the novel is from the 1800s, it is effective in depicting the way surroundings impact one’s learning and decision-making process. The relationship between the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, and his birth family contrasts with the relationship he shares with his creature and leaves the reader with an understanding of how upbringing has direct

I think this novel is pretty realistic in some ways. Before I read the book, I thought the story would just about the monster named “Frankenstein”. However as I read through it, I started to think the author Mary Shelley had pretty good sense of looking future. Maybe during nineteenth century, this book may sound ridiculous and unrealistic. However it is not a surprise if you see a clone of a certain animal or biologically modified products. Some fruits such as cherry tomatoes did not even exist one hundred years ago. It is the result of a DNA modification. It also causes of mass production of medicines and drugs that may save thousands of people.

Victor Frankenstein goes all throughout the book to busy doing things for him and no one else as if he had the power of God to choose all the right things for him but wrong for other people. God in a lot of religions acts as someone who will be by your side and always with you but Frankenstein creates Creature and then abandons him and never worries about him. Creature gets judged so frequently and feels so unwanted that it takes a blind man to actually show Creature what love is. Also Victor could create Creature but refuses to create a companion for Creature and why does he have the right to choose to create life or not? Frankenstein has the chance to save a few lives if he would have told the truth but he does not and that shows why he fails at portraying a good form of God. Victor will fail at trying to act like God and it will all come back to him.

Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is a Gothic novel that contains two genres, science fiction and Gothicism. The novel is a first person narrative that uses a framing technique, where a story is told within a story. Shelley gives the book a distinctive gothic mood tone by the use of her chosen setting which is dark and gloomy, by doing this it reflects the hideousness of the creature; the point of views helps towards the realism of the novel; and characterization able the reader to interact with the characters and feel sympathy or hatred towards each one. To entice the readers into her suspenseful novel Shelley uses foreshadowing. The narrative structure shows a wide range of perspectives rather than just one, by doing this it provides the

Frankenstein is a novel that is practically devoid of any female presence, yet author Mary Shelley pens a story that is lush with portrayals of feminine ideology. Throughout the course of this novel, the audience is introduced to three different female characters. The first is Elizabeth Lavenza— Victor Frankenstein’s wife. She is presented as a passive and weak woman who embodies the traditional role of women in the 19th century. Caroline Beaufort is present in the novel, but her role is limited to the ways in which she influences Victor, as she dies early in his childhood. The one strong female voice in this novel is that of Justine Moritz. Justine lives in the Frankenstein household, and she possesses a womanly voice that she can

1. Explain a character 's problem and then offer your character advice on how to solve his/her problem.