Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Fact Or Fiction?

Thesis Statement: In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the creature’s identity as a monster is due to societal rejection, isolation, and misinterpretation.

"A Hermit is simply a person to whom society has failed to adjust itself." (Will Cuppy). In the gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley we follow the life of Victor Frankenstein in 18th century Germany. Shelley displays a recurring theme of isolation and how it drives once good people to do terrible things. If civilization does not adjust itself to a creature of any kind they will be forced into isolation and ultimately self destruction.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley often refers to the bible on a number of occasions. However, it is worth noting that many references used by Mary Shelley in Frankenstein can often be identified in Genesis. Much like Genesis, the story of Frankenstein is a viable creation story. The book of Genesis first explains the creation of man and woman, and also recounts the fall of humanity. Unlike Genesis, Frankenstein begins with the fall of humanity, leading into the creation of man. Although it would be simple to compare the novel to such non-religious terms, the religious symbolism cannot be ignored in Frankenstein. Many biblical references within Frankenstein refer to the creation story in the first book of Genesis.

Many authors give their characters a particular motive in their novels. The knowledge of the personality and background of a creative author has a direct and crippling effect on the creature in the novel, as the author struggles to reconcile his or her own perception of himself or herself, while simultaneously attempting to satisfy his or her maddening desire for divine approval and acceptance. Throughout the novel Frankenstein, it is apparent that the two main characters, Victor Frankenstein and the monster created by this man, share the parallel obsession of revenge. In Frankenstein, author Mary Shelley asserts that the feeling of loneliness causes those characters who are affected by such a feeling of loneliness to seek revenge, as evidenced by each of the creature’s murder of William, Victor’s destruction of the female monster, and the subsequent death of Victor.

The following essay is a book review of Frankenstein, which summarizes and evaluates the story. The purpose of this essay is to describe the two important qualities, which are the overview of the plot (including the characters of the book), and the book’s strengths as well as weaknesses. Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley and is about a young man named Victor who creates his own human through multiple types of science. The novel is about the monster’s journey in understanding where he came from and seeking revenge towards his creator. The main characters involved are Victor, the creator, the monster, Victor’s family members, etc. There are many strengths and weaknesses of the story, some involving what lessons the novel may teach its readers while demonstrating a sense of revenge that is considered “acceptable”.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein begins with a series of letters Captain Robert Walton has written to his sister Margaret Saville. The letters express Walton’s aspirations for his upcoming voyage to the North Pole. Throughout four messages, Walton describes his frustrations and triumphs leading to his impending journey. His most heart wrenching grievance is his inability to find companionship. In each letter, Walton is progressively farther along in his journey, and, in the fourth and final letter, Walton and his men have been trapped in ice for several days when they encounter a stranger stranded at sea. The men welcome the stranger aboard the ship, and Walton personally sees to the man’s recovery. As the two men spend time together, Walton

The definition of success often varies from person to person. To Victor Frankenstein, his version of success entails to earning widespread recognition and praise from achieving something that no one else prior has accomplished; the act of bestowing life into an inanimate object. Mary Shelley’s classic story of Frankenstein commendably demonstrates the idea that, in trying to rise above others, those who dream of glory can easily turn a blind eye to the consequences. This is seen in Frankenstein’s obsession with completing his initial goal, his unpreparedness in dealing with the monster, and in his inability to take responsibility for the consequences afterwards.

Despite being published in 1818, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, still bears a warning for readers today, in 2015. Depending on the reader, the warnings or lessons to be learned will inevitably vary, just as interpretations of the text may vary. However, one irrefutable lesson lies with Victor Frankenstein and his studies.

In the novel Frankenstein, childhood development is a big theme amongst many others. The author, Mary Shelley, had personal motives to say something about it, as she had parents who raised her in a pretty open way. She was able to travel, explore the world, and fulfill her dreams. At the same time, she acknowledges that such dreams were fruitless for the women of her time by creating Elizabeth. In contrast to Shelley, Elizabeth is a character that resembled the typical woman raised to be a mother and a wife. Withal, she created Elizabeth in contrast to Victor, so that we could see the influences of parenting over the maturation of a person. In fact, Shelley makes us think how parenting is crucial to the development of a human being while making a connection with the theories of both Rousseau and Locke. For Rousseau, children are born good and it 's society that destroys their goodness while for Locke, children are born with minds as blank as slates and civilization teaches them to love and be good (Jamie Gianoutsos "Locke And Rousseau: Early Childhood Education." 2-5). Shelley creations suggest that she believed in both theories. Nevertheless, Shelley wanted to say more about the connection between adulthood and parenting, thus, she brings another factor to the table, which seems to be her own theory of human development; that the separation of gender and it 's responsibilities on the family setting are detrimental to the development

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

The classic works of Emily Bronte and Mary Shelley are both classified as gothic era fiction novels. Before reading them, the two novels seem to be polar opposites. While there are many differences, there are also a handful of similarities throughout both novels. Bronte and Shelley both use setting, revenge, and the role of women to highlight gothic elements of the era.

“I don 't understand why society is so interested in speculating about my appearance, anyway. What does my face have to do with my music or my dancing?” (“Michael Jackson”). Michael Jackson was a very talented musician, known for his singing and dancing. However, most people only knew him for how he intentionally changed his appearance, rather than focusing on his incredible talent. In a society that often judges only what is on the outside, beauty trumps talent nearly every time; an aesthetic society makes average looking people impotent. In a society such as this, it becomes difficult for a person to find their identity in the world or to use their talents for better. In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, it shows how difficult it is to avoid the negative consequences of corruption within a narcissistic society. For example, in Frankenstein, the monster was ostracized solely because of his appearance which was so wounding to him, that he lashed out against his tormentors. Mary Shelley’s novel reveals how the search for personal identity in a society focused on beauty can lead to tragedy through the use of a destructive Jungian shadow.

People are quick to judge other based on their appearances, however you cannot truly judge someone until you “walk a mile in their shoes.” The song talks about how society is quick to judge people without even looking at themselves, this relates to novel in the way that everyone took one look at the creature and screamed bloody murder thinking he was going to hurt them, ironically being the reason why he began hurting people. While the people in the song were doing what they did for a good reason behind it or because they had no other choice, the creature just let his anger get the best of him.

The author of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, shows a story of an ambitious scientist whom desires to create life but in turn creates a monster. Victor Frankenstein, a mad scientist, rejects his own creation of his monster and simply put it aside as if it never happened. Throughout this novel, Victor Frankenstein through his unspeakable acts shows that the monster is the victim of his own creator.

The god of the sea controls a creature Its hunger for humans grows deeper and deeper Down below the depths of the crashing waves Far inside intertwining caves Lies a monster, a demon waiting in the dark You won't hear it coming because it doesn’t bark Only its victims blood curdling screams If you see it and live, it will haunt your dreams But more than likely than not it will find you and bind you Within its teeth, a thousand and one Sharp and serrated, slicing and dicing- definitely R-rated