Examples Of Allegory In Frankenstein

Nothing could be more contrary to the Thanksgiving spirit than the story of a selfish, sociopathic man who leaves his family’s fate in the arms of his monster son. Few people gather around a massive feast with their loved ones and silently thank God that a raging creature only killed one or two of their relatives. Unfortunately, at a point in the story, this was a reality for Victor Frankenstein. He could only blame himself for this, however. By continually pushing the limits of human achievement while neglecting his friends and family, Frankenstein exchanges love and empathy for knowledge and power. He pays dearly for it. Thankfully, Frankenstein is fictional character. His arc is an allegory, compared and contrasted with other characters

Walton’s attitudes towards his so-called destiny are what inspired their conversation, when he tells Frankenstein “…how gladly I would sacrifice my fortune, my existence, my every hope, to the furtherance of my enterprise. One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought for the dominion I should acquire and transmit over the elemental foes of our race” (29). Frankenstein can relate to this, later recalling that “when younger, I believed myself destined for some great enterprise. …but this thought, which supported me in the commencement of my career, now serves only to plunge me lower in the dust” (214). He uses his life’s story to urge Walton to check his ambitions and cultivate his empathy for other people, before it was too late. There are more parallels between Walton and Frankenstein worth exploring. Walton writes to his sister, Margaret, I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man. These are my enticements, and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death. … But success shall crown my endeavors. Wherefore not? Thus far I have gone, tracing a secure way over the pathless seas: the very stars themselves being witnesses and testimonies of my triumph? Why not still proceed over the untamed yet obedient element? What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man?” (16, 23-24). This quote exposes Walton’s arrogance. Walton’s ambitions drove him to explore the Arctic in a fervent quest for an undefined success. Similarly, Frankenstein studied Paracelsus and Agrippa extensively, despite being told by his father and Krempe that this was a fruitless endeavor. Walton and Frankenstein share an intense desire to explore subjects abandoned or ignored by the