In the book Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, the author uses allusion to show the parallels and differences between the Old Testament story of God and Adam to Frankenstein and the creature. Shelley uses the allusion to establish that when actions are made impetuously ghastly consequences follow.
As creators of creatures, both God and Frankenstein are similar in the aspects of being seen as parental figures to their creations. Also, Adam and the creature are comparable because they are both the first of their kind and of their initial innocence. The creature after reading Lost Paradise by John Milton relates his existence to Adams. The creature states,” Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being
In the gothic novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley weaves an intricate web of allusions through her characters’ expedient desires for knowledge. Both the actions of Frankenstein, as well as his monster allude to John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Book eight of Milton’s story relates the tale of Satan’s temptation and Eve’s fateful hunger for knowledge. The infamous Fall of Adam and Eve introduced the knowledge of good and evil into a previously pristine world. With one swift motion sin was birthed, and the perfection of the earth was swept away, leaving pain and malevolence in its wake. The troubles of Victor Frankenstein begin with his quest for knowledge, and end where all end: death. The characters in Frankenstein are a conglomeration of those
Mary Bysshe Shelley, the writer of Frankenstein, used lots of different Allusions to common text from the time to help readers understand relationships between Victor and his creature as well as Victor’s motivation for creating the creature. Shelley uses allusions to Paradise Lost to help the reader understand the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his creature. Paradise Lost discusses the relationship between God and Adam as well as Satan and God and how he treats them as their creator. The relationship between the creature and Frankenstein can be described as a mix between the 2 relationships discussed in Paradise Lost. The creature sees himself as Adam because he was created in his creator’s own image and made to be a creation of man.
Biblical Allusions in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Shelley’s novel contains many biblical allusions, which add a deeper meaning to Frankenstein. Allowing the ideas in Shelley’s text to expand to the ideas of the Bible, unravels a complex development of the character. Victor can be interpreted in two ways within the realm of the text: Victor as God, or Victor in betrayal of God. These two different approaches to reading the text, allows the audience to mentally step in and out of both outlooks when comparing Shelly’s work to that of the bible. These two aspects continually compete in the mind of both Victor and the reader.
Satan has his army, the creature has no one. The creature was tied to Adam through their alone nature. Before God had created Eve, Adam was alone in the Garden of Eden. “Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence” (Shelly 93). Both Adam and the creature only had their creator and their knowledge.
The creature also “rebelled”, in a manner, against his creator. The Creature made clear his rebellion, stating, “I will revenge my injuries: if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear; and chiefly towards you my arch-enemy, because my creator, do I swear inextinguishable hatred... I will work as your destruction (Shelley 106)...” Though it was not the same manner of rebellion Satan brought to God, the Creature still related to the idea of betraying one’s creator. An additional way the Creature found similarity in himself and Satan was that they both desired companionship.
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, Shelley does not shy away from the use of allusions as a way for her readers to understand the connections, situations, and motives of the two main characters in her novel. In addition to playing into the reader's understanding, she also challenges her readers to be pensive about relationships, decisions, power, authority, ambition, and companionship throughout her gothic novel.
Victor Frankenstein is the speaker of this passage. The passage is spoken to the reader as Frankenstein is describing what he is witnessing in order to include the reader in the story. In other words, the author wants the readers to feel like they are in the story. The author’s use of diction is informal. The diction is informal because Victor Frankenstein is describing the events around him. The adjectives used in this passage like gigantic help portray the mood of mystery at the beginning of the passage. The passage also contains a volta that goes from being mysterious and suspenseful to distressed and apprehensive since Frankenstein discovers the identity of the object saw. Imagery is used in this passage as Victor Frankenstein describes
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the narrator, Dr. Frankenstein, enhances an atmosphere of horror through diction and imagery, which creates escalating a tone of darkness. Frankenstein had been working on this experiment for months, and on a late, fall night it finally presents itself. The narrator is extremely anxious, and images of a lack of light, his “candle… nearly burnt out,” promotes a tone of fear and disquietness. Frankenstein means to contrast the living and the dead by reviving a “lifeless thing,” but ends up locating the peak of dread.
“One man's life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought,”(Shelley.22). Foreshadowing is an important part of any novel. It is used to heighten suspense in an effective way that allows the reader to stay engrossed throughout the text. Mary Shelley consistently uses suspense and foreshadowing throughout the novel Frankenstein. Victor, Walton, and the Creature all have different approaches when it comes to foreshadowing.
Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein in 1816 when she was just 20 years old. Even at a young age, she was able to craft what is considered the first science fiction novel. At this time of her writing, a scientific revolution was occurring and with it came advances in topics like radiation and atomic theory. With this rapid change in science and human understanding, Shelly chose to write a story as plea against unorthodox scientific experiments. She portrays this idea with the use of the characters Victor Frankenstein and the monster he created. Through her use of these characters, as well as her use of allusions from religious texts and other literary works, she is able further her argument against untraditional science.
The lack of an origin causes the monster to exhibit characteristics of Satan. While talking to Victor the Monster states, “Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel”(81). The monster demonstrates feelings of betrayal and abandonment as he is seen by Victor as a lesser being due to his “fallen angel”(81) status. A continuous reference to Adam demonstrates the Monsters desire to be loved by Victor for being a successful creation. However, the Monster faces reality in that he was abandoned, since Victor was “unable to endure the aspect of the being [he] had created”(44). The Monster’s expulsion from Victor’s life fuels his insecurities as he begins to “considered Satan as the fitter emblem of [his] condition”(110). Victor’s abandonment parallels to the story of Satan as he was cast out of heaven by God, similarly to how the Monster was cast out of Victor’s life. Not only, does the Monster take on the name of Satan, but also a few of the
This innocence allows Adam and Eve to live in the Garden of Eden, free from all conflict under the condition that they follow the only rule God gave them. This rule was to simply stay away from the tree of knowledge. However, Satan came to Eve in the form of a snake and tempted her to eat from the tree knowledge. This tree grants the consumer knowledge and curiosity, which negates the innocence Eve once held. Adam, learning of this, is quite furious, yet he eats the apple as well. The apple granted the two beings the ability to know of lust, shame, and mutual distrust. Their punishment would be banishment from the garden, pregnancy for Eve, and labor work for Adam. Hence the title, Paradise Lost, meaning the simple and gracious life they lead has crumbled due to their actions. With this, we are able to connect the monster to Adam. The quote “I am thy creature: I ought to be thy Adam” (66) is said to Victor by the creature when they encounter each other atop Mont Blanc. This quote essentially explains how the monster began as an innocent creature knowing nothing, much like Adam, and suffers considerably as he discovers how people view him. He is a monster, a symbol of terror to the human race. As readers go further into the book, they learn that the monster reads Paradise Lost
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has several literary devices- such as structure, imagery, and many intricate details. She perfectly places words and puts them in such a way that the passage has a dual tone. Shelley begins with establishing the monster’s nature as being peaceful, because he wanted to reason with Victor. Him wanting to reason shows the importance of his decision to meet with Victor and shows that even though he has been through a great deal, he is still respectable to others. The audience gets to see the creature’s humble nature and makes the audience feel sympathetic towards him. This creates a peaceful tone to the passage. The monster wants to be loved by “any being and if they showed benevolence to me, I would return them hundred an hundred fold” (Shelley 148). The creature’s begging makes it sound like Victor will answer his plea. Using a broad term like “being”, demonstrates the monster’s need to be loved, putting him in a position with the audience again feeling empathetic towards him. Eventually, Victor’s compassion begins to fluctuate. The desperation the creature has looks like the desperation a human might have. This only gives the readers another reason to relate to him which leads to the other tone, impossible. Victor’s unreasonableness heightens this shared discontent as not only has the build up of the creature’s wistful nature made him an utmost identifiable character, but our views are adjusted in such as way that Frankenstein is seen
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, the inter-textual connection to the bible is prominent throughout the whole novel. Shelley connected the monster to Adam, Satan, the story of Eve and Adam and the monster reading Paradise Lost. Seeing as the bible was a highly read and recommended text during the early 19th century, Shelley’s establishment of the references served to establish Frankenstein as a sort of allegory of moralist text. She begins her biblical allusions with the idea of creations, mistakes and sins.
Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, references many other works of literature in her renowned book. To name a few of the referenced works there were John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the Greek “Prometheus myth”, and the widely known poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. Each of these allusions gave a new meaning to Shelley’s story, affecting how each of the readers interpreted her words.