Mary Shelley's Use Of Allusions In Frankenstein

Frankenstein, written in 1818 by Mary Shelley, is a novel written in a narrative structure and in the characters’ point of view which makes more easy and understandable for readers to know the characters’ feelings and thoughts. The story illustrates how the main character Victor Frankenstein, falls into a total destruction due to the usage of his superficial knowledge to play God by creating an abhorrent monster. As a result of his imprudent behavior, the monster undergoes a lot of hardships such as loneliness and ignorance which affect its life hugely. By the halfway of the novel, the monster tells Victor how lonely and sad it is compared to Adam who is the first creation of God. The monster’s speech manifests how appearance has a significant
The monster states that he is like Adam because when he was first created, he was “no link to any other being in existence”. Both of them are the first creatures that were made by their creators but their lives are totally different from each other. The monster says that Adam is “happy and prosperous” under God’s “especial care” and his beautiful image whereas describing himself as “wretched, helpless, and alone” because of his disgusting shape even though he has not committed any malicious action. The monster then tells Victor to treat him like God treated Adam because he is the first of his kind, but instead, the monster is considered as a fallen angel. Also, their abilities in society are different as well. Adam is able to “converse with, and acquire knowledge from beings of a superior nature” (105), but the monster is unable to neither communicate nor get educated from others because of his horrific image to human. Moreover, the monster desires a female companion for affection and companionship reminiscent of Adam’s need of a mate, Eve. Shelley’s use of these references is to express the differences between Adam and the monster despite their same purpose of being created by the