Alienation In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
A book originally made as a simple challenge, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has grown into a thought-provoking novel that plays with the issues of every day life. So thought-provoking, that it has gone down as one of the most treasured books of the modern era. Shelley portrays various themes through the characters of the novel that not only provide a gripping read, but also a look on how life is today. With the use of the Creature, Victor Frankenstein, and Robert Walton, Shelley brought each of these themes to life on the pages. The risk of seeking knowledge, the pains of alienation, and the fervor of revenge are the three main themes that I caught in Frankenstein. To begin, Shelley portrays the risk of seeking knowledge through both Victor
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This is mostly shown through Frankenstein's creation, the Creature. Throughout the story, the Creature learns almost like a child would from birth. He awoke with the basic senses, then set out to learn and find himself a place in the world. The Creature longs to be a part of human life. However, due to his horrid appearance, he disgusts every human being he comes in contact with. For example, when he tried to visit a village, he was chased off while being pelted and beaten with all sorts of things. This event did not infuriate the Creature, but merely showed him how he was truly and completely alienated from society. He understood this, and set out into the countryside, where he stumbles across the De Lacey family. This family basically raised the Creature, and the creature wanted to just be a part of them. He helped them out by replenishing their firewood secretly, because he could not stand to see them struggle. But the creature was tired of helping from the shadows, and set out to become a part of the family. As expected, the plan failed, and the Creature literally scared the family away. The Creature finally understands that he will never be able to be a part of society, simply because of the way he looks. “I am alone, and miserable; man will not associate with me...” (Frankenstein 132). Shelley depicted through the plight of the Creature the pain and misery one feels due to exclusion, and this theme can even be related to how our society is
This is mostly shown through Frankenstein's creation, the Creature. Throughout the story, the Creature learns almost like a child would from birth. He awoke with the basic senses, then set out to learn and find himself a place in the world. The Creature longs to be a part of human life. However, due to his horrid appearance, he disgusts every human being he comes in contact with. For example, when he tried to visit a village, he was chased off while being pelted and beaten with all sorts of things. This event did not infuriate the Creature, but merely showed him how he was truly and completely alienated from society. He understood this, and set out into the countryside, where he stumbles across the De Lacey family. This family basically raised the Creature, and the creature wanted to just be a part of them. He helped them out by replenishing their firewood secretly, because he could not stand to see them struggle. But the creature was tired of helping from the shadows, and set out to become a part of the family. As expected, the plan failed, and the Creature literally scared the family away. The Creature finally understands that he will never be able to be a part of society, simply because of the way he looks. “I am alone, and miserable; man will not associate with me...” (Frankenstein 132). Shelley depicted through the plight of the Creature the pain and misery one feels due to exclusion, and this theme can even be related to how our society is