The Ideas Of Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein

Quote: He stated “I was seized by remorse and the sense of guilt, which hurried me away to a hell of intense tortures such as no language can describe…..I shunned the face of man; all sound of joy or complacency was torture to me; solitude was my only consolation–deep, dark, deathlike solitude.”(Page 88).

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.

Although Frankenstein is a fictional story, I think in many ways it is representative of Mary Shelley personal views in her everyday life. Mary Shelley was raised by her father after her mother passed and because of that they always had a rocky relationship even after her father remarried. Mary fell in love with one of her father’s political followers, Percy Shelley and they got married although her father did not approve of their relationship because of the age difference. Throughout their relationship, they faced many obstacles that made it hard for their relationship to work, but it did. This aspect of her relationship is show through Elizabeth in the novel because it shows how hard women will work to make a relationship work even when

In Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, the creation, made from scraps of corpses, was built by Victor Frankenstein, a man fascinated and obsessed with the knowledge of life. Following the creation’s rouse, Victor immediately abandons him with no desire on keeping or teaching his new being. Because of his lack of nourishment and direction “growing up”, the creation goes through a process of self-deception. He endures a period of deceit by believing that he is a normal human being like everyone around him. But as time progresses, he learns to accept how he is alone in this world and disconnected with everyone. Because of the creation’s lack of guidance and isolation, he grows up feeling unwanted.

John Locke is one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers and is famously known for asserting that all humans have natural rights. He also believed that humans are born with clean slates, and that the environment humans grow in, especially at a young age, has massive influences on aspects of their personalities, ideals, and motivations. Shelley was most definitely influenced by this claim when writing Frankenstein. As the reader, we can see the monster that Victor Frankenstein creates grow up alone, without guidance, and be formed by the experiences it is put through while trying to survive. Its emotions and beliefs throughout the book were merely a result of its experiences as it encounters the harsh reality of the world. Mary

Beauty is often the most lethal poison. It intoxicates both the beholder and the beheld. Humans are raised into a society that instills certain standards of elegance and beauty. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the woes and misery of the monster is brought to the readers’ attention as humans constantly berate and abuse the creature for it’s hideous body. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein discusses the advantages and the detriments that an alluring versus unappealing body provides a person, and how that person is affected due to the pressures and assumptions of society placed upon their shoulders. Mary Shelley may have been amongst the first to examine the concept of beauty and the advantages it provides. She insinuates that the conformity of the ideals of beauty place shackles, and struggles upon those who do not fit into such standards.

Frankenstein thinks that everything is alright now, but Elizabeth has a premonition that the monster will return, and she warns her fiancé that she fears some harm is going to befall him. At the same time, during the entire village’s celebration, the father of the dead girl carries her lifeless body though the streets for all to see. The shock crowd stops its celebration, stunned and outraged over the death of Maria, and they demand justice from The Burgomaster (mayor) and local police. By nightfall, the angry mob has organized into torch carrying search parties to find the murderer. Frankenstein is determined to destroy the creature, and leads one of several groups looking for the monster, up the mountainous terrain.

We react with ambivalence to this question because we have been exposed to both sides of the story, which is a rarity in most cases. Shelley represents the creature as truly monstrous and evil through the eyes of Victor Frankenstein, which gives readers the opportunity to view Frankenstein as the hero. It is only when we read the creature’s account that we began to feel both sympathy and even empathy for the struggles he has encountered. The creature never asked to be born and continually suffers at the hands of other throughout the novel. It is hard not to feel sympathy with someone who is so childlike and “new” to the world. Especially when the creature cries out in agony: “‘Cursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God in pity made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of your’s, more horrid from its very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and detested’” (Shelley, 91). The creature also goes on to say: “‘Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed?’” (Shelley, 95). How could one not feel sympathy for someone who hated themselves? Humans have experienced such feelings of loneliness and isolation. The creature even says that Satan, of all people, had friends, but he is so hideous that he is utterly alone in the world. All

“The author of Frankenstein made it clear that it was not natural science and technology as such that led Victor and the poor monster to their doom, but only their uncritical and fanatical pursuit,” (Jagger 274) so much so that even Frankenstein when he later reflects on the time spent creating the creature comes to this conclusion saying he himself “appeared rather one doomed by slavery to toil in the mines, or any other unwholesome trade than an artist occupied by his favorite employment.” (Shelley 35) Frankenstein comes to regret his unnatural quest for the secret to creation saying “If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human mind” so much so that if we observed control over our pursuits “Greece [would] not [have] been enslaved; Caesar would have spared his country; [..] and the empires of Mexico and Peru [would] not [have] been destroyed.” (Shelley 34). The single-minded strive for knowledge, science, is so destructive and unnaturally that it “dabble[s] in dirt” and “penetrates into the recesses of nature, and [show] how she works in her hiding places.” (Shelley

Man changes all the time. His emotions, state in life, body figure and even peace of mind can change in a matter of moments. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one of the themes expressed repeatedly is the mutability of the state of man. Victor Frankenstein emotions and states of life change many times in this novel. Mary Shelley uses Victor Frankenstein to show the audience that the only thing that does not change is the fact that human beings are always changing. Some of these changes come by impulse other changes may come by changes in the surrounding environment.

Knowledge can cause a numerous amount of problems for those who choose to pursue it. That is if they decide to traverse on the more taboo sides of the sciences instead of staying inside the societal norms that have been set up. This is one of the more prevalent themes in Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein. Among the themes of loneliness and revenge you have the one out standing theme of knowledge being dangerous. The pursuit of knowledge has caused some of the greatest horrors in the world of man and this is an evident theme in Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein.

The philosopher John Locke developed a theory that children are considered “blank slates” when they are born. Therefore, as the grow older, their environment and internal factors such as education, thinking and observations are formed only through their experiences. On the other hand, the philosopher Rousseau’s work, Emile, argues against John Locke’s theory; his argument states that external factors in a child’s upbringing is responsible for their education. In Frankenstein Mary Shelley builds on both of Locke’s and Rousseau's work on the theories throughout her novel. However, it is apparent that Rousseau’s theory is the more valid argument in regards to Mary Shelley’s work.

It was dark and without motion, then a sound. It was a boy, saying my name. “Maria, are you awake?” the boy said. I woke up, there, sitting next to me, was a boy who looked eerily similar to me. Same brown hair, green eyes, pale skin, we were even wearing the same outfit! “Who are you?” I asked. “Maria, are you kidding me, it’s Edward!” To which I gave a confused face, ‘I don't know any Edwards.” I said. “I’m your twin brother Maria! Man, you must have hit your head hard.” He said. “Ok, I guess that makes sense.” I replied. We sat there waiting for a few minutes in a dark, lifeless forest. Until, from behind some bushes, appeared a large and beautiful woman. She had blue skin and hair as well as a long flowing dress and a trident in each hand. When she saw us, she imediantly strapped both tridents to her back. I jumped up and hid behind Edward, because the creature was definently not human. The giant woman came up to me and asked me how I was doing. “What are you?” I asked. “Oh! I’m a spirit, your spirit. But, you call me Naide.” The giant woman said. “Do you not remember me?” she asked.

Introduction: Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is a book with a deep message that touches to the very heart. This message implies that the reader will not see the story only from the perspective of the narrator but also reveal numerous hidden opinions and form a personal interpretation of the novel. One of its primary statements is that no one is born a monster and a “monster” is created throughout socialization, and the process of socialization starts from the contact with the “creator”. It is Victor Frankenstein that could not take the responsibility for his creature and was not able to take care of his “child”. Pride and vanity were the qualities that directed Victor Frankenstein to his discovery of life: “...So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein-more, far more, will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation”[p.47]. He could not cope with this discovery and simply ignored it. The tragedy of Victor Frankenstein and the tragedy of his creature is the same – it is the tragedy of loneliness and confronting the world, trying to find a place in it and deserve someone’s love. The creature would have never become a monster if it got the love it strived for. Victor Frankenstein would have never converted his creature into a monster if he knew how to love and take responsibility for the ones we bring to this world.