Frankenstein, Gothic Literature

Progressive Destruction through Isolation Mary Shelly depicted destruction commencing due to gothic isolation in the novel, Frankenstein. She placed Victor Frankenstein inside a living space cohesive to harmony and unhindered development from a young age; it lent itself to self-exploration and a lack or emotional pain. The author used the youth as support towards the display of darker isolation. Victor’s choice of scientific exploration and gothic isolation securely left coherence, as he continued his path towards discord. The continuous obsession displayed itself repeatedly in the creation of the monster and contributed to the emotional and physical destruction of Frankenstein. Mary Shelly implemented gothic isolation into the character Victor Frankenstein to expose psychological and physical deterioration in lacking consonance. Mary Shelly began developing gothic isolation through contrasting the romantic, harmonious childhood of Frankenstein. His experience of childhood was protected by his parents to be irrationally romantic, as he “was so guided by a silken cord that all seemed but one train of enjoyment to me.” He was guided by his loving parents through a path soothed of darkness. Victor only felt joy from the raising and teachings of his parents, rather than possible feelings of rejection or sadness. As that feeling continued radiating from his parents, he received another grace in the form of his adopted sister, Elizabeth, making his childhood even more balanced and romantically themed. Their relationship at an early age had harmony as “the soul of [his and her] companionship, and the diversity and contrast that subsisted in [his and her] characters drew [them] nearer together.” Even in a possible source of possible conflict of childish dispute, Victor only found more love and happiness. Elizabeth contributed in a form of feminine and natural character which only donated to the happiness of Victor, with his masculine and scientific atmosphere. A romantic theme surrounded him continuously, molding and containing his innately isolated and scientific nature; it provided a near sublime happiness. It surpassed any realistic upbringing so much so that “no human being could have passed a happier childhood than [him]”. Mary Shelly’s description of Frankenstein’s youth progressively built in description of perfection. Nearing the entirety of his youth was posed with harmony later ironically contributing to gothic themes. The contrast of romantic and gothic thematic referenced further developed with and into the isolation of Frankenstein’s academic year. Frankenstein furthered his own destruction through willing gothic and varied isolation. As he pursued scientific enlightenment, Victor developed a grand physical isolation to the extent where, even with others around him, “[he] was then alone.” The sentiment opened up to the lack of romantic characters to guide him; he separated himself physically and emotionally from those of his youth. The void, overlooked by him during study, grew as Victor Frankenstein developed in understanding of scientific practice. The science developed gothic scenery and separation from the world. Studying death became an obsession leading him to lose the little contact possible with his past life. The isolation became more irreversible as he “was led to examine the cause and progress of [that] decay and forced to spend days and nights in vaults and charnel-houses.” The progress he observed only further isolated Victor, and he achieved the most gothic, death-encumbered, and obsessive leap forward within them. The study and chance that led to his scientific success even further complemented gothic isolation, but the discovery itself caused Frankenstein to lose physical well-being and spend every waking minute in completion of his project. The isolation of Victor continuously and elaborately correlated to his gothic-styled downfall. Frankenstein commenced his own demise within enthusiastic, erratic remoteness. Within the development of the monster, “[his] cheeks had grown pale with study, and [his] person had become emaciated with confinement.” Physical displays where prevalent from the sheer amount of time within study. The physical response found only in the development tore Victor apart with every hour, almost linear with the isolation and mental well-being. Further proven, the final completion of the monster removed Victor from society, destroying his physical and mental health. The very night of the creation, “[he] passed the night wretchedly.” Upon the point of what was to be relief, only more of a catastrophe was brought into existence. Victor’s creation was the accumulation of all of the gothic isolation, the faults, and the darkness; Victor could not handle the product and fell further into destruction. Mary Shelly displayed the cumulative nature of the effect of gothic isolation, and Victor fell into sickly states because of it. He lost all that he loved because of his own creation and his own being. Victor Frankenstein was destroyed mentally and physically because of the direct manifestation of the gothic isolation he endured. The destruction displayed within Frankenstein posed as a summation and conclusion thematically of the novel. Collaboratively, Mary Shelly displays gothic isolation manifesting into destruction, when unchecked. Using Victor’s youth, containing seamless parents and environment, contrasting elements where further explored in the book, accentuating darkness with light. The darkness was developed within the academic study of Victor Frankenstein; seclusion and death slowly deteriorated the mind and body. The leaps forward in science cause an obsession with his project, the monster, which personified the gothic isolation, and Frankenstein furthered his own downfall. He fell apart through the production, directly after, and to his death from the monster. Ultimately, Mary Shelly summed the result of gothic isolation in the singular character of Victor throughout Frankenstein.