Frankenstein- Isolation

The mind, body, and spirit essentially define the totality of a human being. The isolation of these physical and mental elements play a strong role in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, in the case that the characters she portrays have been negatively affected in such instances. Throughout the novel Shelley illustrates specific characters during this time of isolation and describes what occurs when they do so. As the novel begins, the timeline of the story is reversed, instead of the traditional narrative told from beginning to end. From the start ,Victor Frankenstein has already isolated himself from the rest of society and is found in the middle of the ocean upon a glacier after the whole situation with the creature. His rescuer, Robert Walton, retells in a letter to his sister that, “the stranger [Frankenstein] has gradually improved in health but he is silent and appears uneasy when anyone except myself enters his cabin” (Shelley 13). It is due to the fact that for a long period of time he has already chosen to isolate himself from society, because of his “mistake” in making the creature. It has affected him mentally and physically, in such ways that he is “uneasy” socialising with other people- yet he feels comfortable enough to retell his tale to Walton. At this point, the story of Frankenstein begins. Frankenstein explains to Walton how he was raised in a loving family and how he became interested in education; to the point where he became obsessed with it. Frankenstein even knew it himself, he even admits he, “knew well therefore what would be [his] father’s feelings, but [he] could not tear [his] thoughts from [his] employment, loathsome in itself, but which had taken an irresistible hold of [his] imagination.” (46) This marks the first instance when Frankenstein physically isolates himself, because of his deep obsession with his creation and foreshadows later events that will lead to his downfall. In addition, Victor isolating himself from his