A story that flourishes in a variety of emotions that range from anger to joy, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a timeless piece of work that originated a little less than 200 years ago and can be described as arguably “the first authentic science-fiction novel in history” (Mary Shelley) and it is still being used for analysis across all spectrums of the country, and understandably so. It offers the reader much more than just a story surrounding an innocent young boy turned disillusioned, remorseful man determined to destroy the outcome of his arrogant, scientific endeavourer or a hideous creature on a rampage; it allows the reader to engage and relate to real-life circumstances, regardless of age, and what the true meaning of life represents. …show more content…
We all know the fragility of the creature and that he has the mentality of an infant, after the rejection of his father and creator, Frankenstein, his mental state of mind is already bouncing off the walls and uncontrollable, the second rejection from society causes the creature to explode completely. The creature is longing for acceptance; he just wants to fit into the world. Knowing that you are irrelevant to someone that plays such a big part of your life already could destroy a man, so the effects that an event as traumatic as this, can do unthinkable things to a child. This is a cruel, cruel act that Mary Shelley endorses into the novel. It is a promotion of how society is largely based on appearance, and this hasn’t changed a single bit. People of the modern day world are immensely prejudiced! Everything we do is based upon how we dress, how we act, even how we talk. A man could have supreme qualifications for a job on paper, but if he wore the wrong attire to an interview, the chance dramatically reduce from the very first second and they are on a constant battle to turn the tide from there on in, which is wrong. Whatever happened to equal opportunity? Whatever happened to being human? Society and the world is on a rapid decline with cognitive and communicative behaviours, and that evidence is clear in this novel that nothing has changed. But it should never be like this! Now I am no way inclining that this is everyone, not at all, but aren’t we supposed to be the most superior species on this plant? Yet we struggle to act in the most civilised of manners? Barbaric if you ask
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells the tale of a man whose entire life turns to misery after creating what he calls a monster, a demon and a fiend. However, the real monster in this story is pride and the feeling of superiority. This is evident in the novel with Robert Walton’s view of himself and his expedition, Victor Frankenstein’s attitude towards himself in comparison with the creature, and mankind’s perception of the creature and their ignorance towards him.
Frankenstein, a novel first published in the year 1818, stands as the most talked about work of Mary Shelley’s literary career. She was just nineteen years old when she penned this novel, and throughout her lifetime she could not produce any other work that surpasses this novel in terms of creativity and vision. In this novel, Shelley found an outlet for her own intense sense of victimization, and her desperate struggle for love. Traumatized by her failed childbirth incidents, troubled childhood, and scandalous courtship, many of Shelley’s life experiences can be seen reflected in the novel. When discussing the character and development of the monster, Shelley launches an extensive discussion on the
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has undoubtedly withstood the test of time. Frankenstein’s direct association with fundamental Gothic literature is extremely renowned. However, the novel’s originality is derived from the foundational thematic values found within the relationship (or lack there of) between Victor Frankenstein and the monster he had created, in combination with a fascinatingly captivating plot. Understandably, Frankenstein can often be associated with a multitude of concepts; however, in this particular instance, the circumstances in the book seemed remarkably coherent with Shelley’s Romantic beliefs in preserving the natural world, and one’s natural existence. These values present themselves as metaphorical symbols that
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s cautionary tale of science vs. religion was first published in 1818, in an increasingly secular, but still patriarchal British society, amongst the aftermath of the French and Industrial revolutions and a burgeoning scientific research scene. Upon the second release in 1831, the novel was greeted with enthusiasm and praise for the young, female, somewhat controversial Shelley, with the values and issues raised in the storyline striking a chord in the minds of the still predominantly Christian audience, suggesting the consequences of
What differentiates Mary Shelly’s novel, Frankenstein from the majority of horror novels are the very real and timeless themes it explores. The overriding theme of the novel - scientific investigation without consideration of morality and responsibility is still an important topic in today’s world. “Perhaps the reality of cloning and genetic engineering makes this theme more relevant today than when Frankenstein was first published”(Patterson). This theme, along with the more subtle themes of revenge, the inability to accept those who are different, and the inability to control one's destiny are all themes which separate Frankenstein from other novels in the genre.
Rejection is a hard thing to overcome. Rejection and abandonment can happen to newborn babies, children, and adults. Some babies are abandoned due to birth defects; children and adults are bullied and rejected because of the clothes they wear, their hair, face, ethnicity, and body. Some of this rejection can go too far, and can cause the one being bullied to become suicidal, or even homicidal. The theme of rejection is apparent in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein. Isolation and abandonment happen to each of the main characters; Victor Frankenstein, the creature, and Robert Walton.
Humans are known for bestowing their judgment irrationally and based on the “book cover” of a person, they may degrade their fellow human into the worst positions of the social ladder. Mary Shelley, in her novel Frankenstein, expands on this perspective by using mood and tone to parallel with the circumstances of an event occurring in her novel with shifts throughout the context of the book, symbolized by the changes in nature and seasons. This shift is made frequently between the agonized, desperate, frightful, maybe even suicidal mood and tone with the occurrence of dreadful acts of murder and execution, to the more calming, soothing, optimistic and life-full during a physical and spiritual recovery.
The monster was always judged on the way he looked which made him the outcast because he was not normal in the human’s eyes. By using this in depth character interplay, Shelley further expands upon the monster archetype and allows the reader to question who truly is the monster inside of Frankenstein.
Romantic writer Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein does indeed do a lot more than simply tell story, and in this case, horrify and frighten the reader. Through her careful and deliberate construction of characters as representations of certain dominant beliefs, Shelley supports a value system and way of life that challenges those that prevailed in the late eighteenth century during the ‘Age of Reason’. Thus the novel can be said to be challenging prevailant ideologies, of which the dominant society was constructed, and endorsing many of the alternative views and thoughts of the society. Shelley can be said to be influenced by her mothers early feminist views, her father’s
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein explores the concepts of knowledge and science and the dangers involved with the pursuit and investigation of these ideas. The novel conveys Shelley’s attitudes towards science by portraying it as having the capability to exceed the bounds of human restraint. Through the development of her protagonist Victor Frankenstein, the romantic and gothic aspects of her novel, the period of 1818 and the influences of the world she was living in that
An interesting perspective is given by Higgins as he further explores the moment the creature begins to view himself as a monster, “The creature’s initial response to his own reflection is fear, followed by a disconnection between his sense of his own identity and the image he sees; his self, as it were, becomes split” (Higgins). We see the same reaction from children who grow up in bad neighborhoods who seemingly do not have a lot of opportunities, so they decide not to work for them at all. In the same way have been made to believe they were bad kids and something to be afraid of; therefore they become the stereotype forced upon them because they know how they are viewed anyways. This is exactly how Frankenstein’s creature felt in this very moment. He was rejected time and time again with all the desire in the world for just one accepting friend, but was treated like a monster everywhere he went because of his appearance. Finally, he sees the face that no mother could love and now knowingly excluded from society, he decides he might as well give these humans something to be afraid of. As Higgins said it was his “reflection on his reflection” that
As a novel of ideas, Frankenstein poses questions about the ambiguously luring nature of knowledge and creation. It prompts the universal question of the responsibility a creator has to its creation. We as humans are a product of our upbringing and our instincts at the same time. What happens when its creator rejects what it creates, and what is the creature to do with itself when it faces rejection? I will look at this from a philosophical standpoint, taking an intertextual approach.
Over the years, the monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has become universally portrayed in one way: a tall, green-skinned, dumb brute with no language or reasoning abilities. Society has turned the story of Frankenstein into a mere horror story, dehumanizing the monster more than was intended in Shelley’s novel. However, the message of Frankenstein is a far cry from the freak show displayed by the media. While many people may only see Frankenstein as a grotesque story meant to thrill its audience, its purpose goes much deeper as it advocates for the equal rights of women in society.
The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, was a piece written in 1817 during a time when women weren’t considered to be adequate authors. Shelley’s work is both intriguing as it is thought provoking. She brings to light the true nature of society and life altogether when tested. She factors in how the outside world can influence our choices in writing. George Levine from “The Ambiguous Heritage of Frankenstein” and Benjamin Truitt from “Frankenstein Critical Analysis and Literary Criticism” both share their opinions about Shelley’s piece of written work.
The use of the strength of emotions in her classic novel Frankenstein empowered Mary Shelley to build a strong connection with its readers and rule their hearts for hundreds of years today. Shelley beautifully incorporated different feelings into her writing to provide visualization of events as the readers read through pages and feel the true essence of the characters’ sensations. Some of the emotions depict the tragedies of Shelley’s own life, thus adding life to the story. In short, Shelley’s Frankenstein is an emotional roller coaster covering a wide range of human emotions from joy and sorrow to hatred and revenge, and highlighting how different experiences of lives modify these sentiments into one another.