Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: A Dysfunctional Family

A caring family can mean the difference between life and death for a newborn coming into the world. The beginning of all people’s lives is to emerge from a mother, whether it be birth or removal. The child needs to be taken care of, so they can survive what “is uncertain about the world”(McLeod). In the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and the monster is an analogy for a dysfunctional family. Victor is an absent father, and the monster is a child left to figure out life on its own. The novel shows what happens when children are left without guidance.
The story of "Frankenstein" describes a scientist far beyond his time, in his ideas and technology. From attending the University of Ingolstadt,
Victor, disgusted by the creature, abandoned it. This would cause difficulty for the monster, if compared to the growth of the normal human child. In a publication written by Saul Mcleod titled Erik Erikson he talks about the growth of the personality of a person throughout their years of living. If a stage is not completed properly then it will lead to “a more unhealthy personality and sense of self.”(McLeod) For the monster this is very important because the first step is right after a person is born and that is where they grow trust, or mistrust if not treated properly. It had not even been a day since Victor’s creation came to life and he was leaving his “hand was on the lock of the door,”(Shelley) abandoning the monster. The once blank slate for the monster has started to be filled, though it’s first experience figuring out life was that of abandonment. From this, he learned not to trust people. This lack of trust is further pushed into the monster’s mind when he tried to make contact with a village, only to return “grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons.”(Shelley) The creature now just has a mistrust for man imbedded into him. When he sees another man in the distance shortly after all he can think about is what about was what happened the “night
When you look deeper, you can see the underlying theme of family abuse in the piece. The novel shows what happens when a child is left without proper guidance and a neglectful family, where a father left its progeny to fend for itself. Without the guidance of a “parent” the monster had to learn life on its own, going down the wrong path. Without learning to trust in others, or having any love for its own self. These feelings of negativity turned into anger and vengeance against Victor and led to the bloody story of