Theme Of Loss Of Innocence In Frankenstein

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

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley tells the tale of the protagonist Victor Frankenstein and his creation. Both Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s creation’s questionable actions lead them both to be considered morally ambiguous figures. Victor is ambitious with good intentions, but his ambition leads to bad results. The Creature is an innately kind and compassionate person who commits abominable actions due to how others treat him. Their moral ambiguity is significant, as it reveals that an obsession with ambition distorts one’s morals.

In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the character Victor Frankenstein illustrates betrayal in the way he abandons his creation, with no hesitation he leaves him behind. With the feeling of abandonment ,the creature feels anger towards Victor which leads the “monster” to become a villain. Love and family are all the monster wants, but it is something that Victor could not give due to his own internal battles. As result, the monster begins to take Victor’s loved ones such as: little William and his wife Elizabeth. The monster kills

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, acts of cruelty serve as the driving force behind many tragedies within the novel. Set in 18th century Switzerland, Victor Frankenstein embarks on a horrifying journey to satisfy his growing desire to create life. However, Victor and his creation are overcome by their selfish agendas and growing hatred of one another, creating seemingly endless misfortune for their selves. The enemies' constant misunderstandings of each other ultimately turn an innocent victim into an inconsiderate and hate-filled monster.

The loss of innocence in the first two major characters branches out and in a snowball effect causes a loss of innocence in three minor characters. After the monster has lost his innocence and is beginning his rampage he murdered an innocent young child because he happened to be related to his creator. "The child still struggled and loaded me with epithets which carried despair to my heart: I grasped his throat to silence him, and in a moment he lay dead at my feet" (Shelley 83). This young boys promising life had been prematurely extinguished and with it the completely innocent soul of a child. The monster then proceeds to frame the house maid Justine for the murder of the boy, William. His dastardly plans are brought to fruition as Justine is arrested and forced to confess. "I did confess; but I confessed a lie, I confessed, that I might obtain

Furthermore, guilt is an intense emotion that allows an individual to either confront a situation and free them self of guilt, or avoid the emotion by placing blame onto others. Victor Frankenstein chooses to be reckless but is simultaneously conscious of his faults throughout the novel. After the death of his brother William, and the unjust persecution of Justine, Frankenstein states, “I wandered like an evil spirit, for I had committed deeds of mischief beyond description horrible…” (Shelley 3.61). Guilt stemming from his actions profoundly impacts Frankenstein, as he is now able to reflect on the gravity of the situation and his mistakes; his conscience is now in full command of his emotions, however, due to Frankenstein’s disconnect

     There are many different themes expressed in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. They vary with each reader but basically never change. These themes deal with the education that each character posses, the relationships formed or not formed in the novel, and the responsibility for ones own actions. This novel even with the age still has ideas that can be reasoned with even today.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was an English author who lived in London during the Romantic period. Born to radical intellectual parents Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin, Mary Shelley’s life was full of fascinating and tragic experiences, ones that no doubt inspired her while she was writing her gothic horror classic Frankenstein. Due to this, Frankenstein can be considered an indirect reflection of Shelley's own turbulent life, as well as the political, economic and sociologic beliefs of her time. One specific theme highlighted in Frankenstein was the concept of the death of an innocent child, William, which is reminiscent of the tragic deaths of two of Shelley’s own children. “William is dead...murdered!” (Volume I, Chapter VI, p 109).

As he begins to understand his misplacement in the world he exclaims, “Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned? […] I tried to dispel [these reflections], but sorrow only increased with knowledge” (123). Just as the attainment of knowledge led to a loss of innocence in Frankenstein, the monster’s naivety was lost as well. Both characters can be likened to Eve and “The Fall” which occurred as she ate the forbidden fruit. After the monster attains knowledge, he symbolizes the death of innocence with the murder of William, blameless himself.

The first manifestations of his erratic truths are seen when he proclaims to Frankenstein “For the first time the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to control them, but allowing myself to be borne away by the stream, I bent my mind towards injury and death.” (118) and sets the cottage of his former “friends” on fire. The monster did not have much contact with humans, and therefore, had very little experience with the emotions he felt for the De Laceys. Their refusal hurt him, so he cultivated a loathing for the family and acted maliciously. This can also be seen as the beginning of the monster’s transformation - as his experiences make him more resentful, his ideals, goals and actions become more monstrous. The conflagration is what frees the monster from the vice of his first wish for emotional fulfillment. His inability to satisfy his needs combined with the satisfaction he gains from cruel behaviour causes the monster to believe that he is a wretched beast. The truth he saw in his own nature - the kind, innocent being - is blended together with the hideous and terrifying fiend others see him as, so a new sort of fabrication is created. By using this element, Shelley depicts how an individual is forced to alter the truth that they associated with their own life when they realize the imperfect nature of their ideals. This may cause an individual to indulge in unkind behavior in an attempt to reconcile the relation between their ideals and worldview. Without the family’s denial, the monster’s idea of perfection would have remained stagnant. After that experience, he starts to believe that the prejudiced view of the humans who fear him and the abandonment he faced is enough reason to retaliate against mankind. This

any better, he went for it.  He was then met by a mob of angry villagers,

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Creature has experienced many instances of being discriminated against and abused because of his physical appearance. Once he even saved a little girl’s life from drowning, but because of how he looked he was shot in the arm by the girl’s father. The creature’s obvious aggression and downright hatred of humans, especially Victor Frankenstein, is well justified. However, on page 143, one instance of his innate compassion for humans, even when people do not offer the same reaction is shown, it reads, “This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone. The feelings of

In the Romance novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley she illustrates themes of innocence and revenge. The book focuses on a wild scientist named Victor Frankenstein. The novel goes through many stories and perspectives on the life of Frankenstein's creation. Throughout the novel the monster tries to prove to the society that he is not a horrible creature and that his physical attributes do not represent him. Although he tries hard to accomplish this goal, society does not believe him so the monster decides to get revenge on Frankenstein. The society is responsible for the deaths that occurred in the novel because they assumed he was a certain way based on his looks, their violent towards him, and they mentally hurt him with their words which turn him evil and make him obsessed with revenge.

As seen in Frankenstein from the creature you do not have to necessary go to a regular academic institution to learn things. The Delacy family has been the creature's teacher as everything he did and done based on their actions. He basically compares them to being a school for him as seen in the following passage: “The cottage of my protectors had been the only school in which I had studied human nature, but this book developed new and mightier scenes of action” (90). This show us many things one example that you can learn from anything and anywhere. Secondly as opposed to Victor who received traditional education from someone the creature did not he had to learn on his own just like Walton. But he shows that he was able to learn things without

Q. Is the monster's vow of revenge a just punishment for Victor's actions and his nemesis?