An Analysis Of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

A story of creation and loss, Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein is one of the most renowned books of the gothic style. A story written in 1818, the novel is in true form with the romantic works of the era. Grandeur, not only in plot and emotional impact but in wording and phrasing as well.

We’ve all seen Frankenstein in some form; whether that be a bad 80’s horror movie or the more comedic Gene Wilder film. The similarities pretty much stop with the monster though. The novel is a complex waving of themes, some heart wrenching and others borderline disturbing. However one particularly stood out through the whole book; mankind 's misguided attempts to imitate God, as well as the romantics version of doing what has to be done to right wrongs. A

Victor understands he 's playing with life and death, but to him this seems to be the work that will cement him in history in a very positive manner; expressed in the line, “Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds which I should first breath through and pour a torrent of light into our dark world” (32). Messing with the thin lines of life and death are often seen as mocking God and his divine creations. It’s moments like these that caused the belief that Mary Shelley was amongst the Romantic Satanists. The fact that this not natural came back to haunt Viktor; his hopes to better the world with his creation of re-animated life turned dark once he laid eyes on his living monstrous creation. Victor 's first reaction to his creation show horror rather than pride, “The beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (35). The repercussions of Victor meddling with the natural order being a hideous creation that to him did not equate to human life.

Viktor seems convinced he was a failure for creating such a grotesque life, and rejects the monster. However his creation takes this as a means to create himself, the abandoned monster fills his days by reading. The book

The book 's beginning, but storylines ending, links to both themes. Viktor chases his monster to the arctic, we see this through Robert Walton 's letters to his sister. Viktor wants to destroy his mistake, as well as gain some sense of revenge on his creation for the damages he has done to his life. Even in Victor’s debilitated state he has Walton continue his quest. The setting of the conclusion becomes one of the most striking literary moments in the book. The cold emptiness of the monsters life, as well as the new one Victor has created for himself, are illustrated beautifully by the arctic landscape. As well as the notion of man 's drive to right their wrongs sending Victor to “the ends of the Earth” to find his creation to fix what he had done. After Victor’s death Walton discovers the monster by Victor’s body sobbing. The lost of his creator allows the monster to finally be ready to end his own existence. The monsters extreme reaction to the loss of this creator can be related to the reaction of deeply religious people when they feel as though