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Theme of loneliness in literature
Theme of loneliness in literature
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Theme of loneliness in literature
Theme of loneliness in literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the two poems by Claude McKay, "The Harlem Dancer" and "Outcast," explore the themes of isolation and loneliness. The three works reveal the devastating consequences of being disconnected from society and the desperate need for acceptance and companionship. This essay will examine the similarities in the portrayal of isolation and loneliness in Frankenstein and the poems by McKay. In Frankenstein, the creature experiences profound loneliness and isolation, which lead to his resentment and bitterness towards his creator.
Similarities of Frankenstein Over the upcoming pages I am going to explain some similarities of Frankenstein. The first one I would like to talk about is loneliness both the monster and Victor are lonely almost throughout the whole book.
Among the two novels, and two tragedies, each main character had moments where they were viewed as outcast or a lone soul. However, the monster in Frankenstein is seen more as the outcast among the three characters due to him being pushed away and abandoned by his creator Victor. Those actions towards him caused him to feel out of place within the world, and he no longer felt accepted. Due to his appearance it was harder for minor characters to accept him or want to be around him. With the entire population of humans against him, the monster field alone, and completely casted aside from everyone’s everyday life.
Emotional and physical isolation in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are the most pertinent and prevailing themes throughout the novel. These themes are so important because everything the monster, Victor, and Robert Walton do or feel directly relates to their poignant seclusion. The effects of this terrible burden have progressively damaging results upon the three.
In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, both of the main characters undergo physical and emotional isolation. This enforced or chosen solitude causes Frankenstein to become over-ambitious and harbor secrets from his family and friends, leading to his demise. In the monster, isolation turns to misery, which causes him to become vengeful against his creator and all the world. Through these examples of total isolation, Shelley shows that when people have no connection to others in the world, their worst characteristics and flaws are brought out. Victor Frankenstein was the first character to show a major flaw while in isolation.
Mary Shelley's 1831 gothic novel Frankenstein demonstrates the negative impact of isolation through her depiction of its protaganist/antagonist Victor Frankenstein and The Creature, whose isolation is a byproduct of their nature. For Victor, his isolation is self-inflicted because he is unable to share his secrets with even his loved ones. For The Creature, his isolation is caused by who/what he is and his inability to ever be accepted by society. Victor's isolation is, more or less, self-inflicted. In the beginning of the plot, Victor spirits himself away from his loved ones in pursuit of his ambition: conquering nature and creating a new lifeform.
“Pain can be alleviated by morphine but the pain of social ostracism cannot be taken away.” (Jarman). Derek Jarman had a very good point when he said this. We all feel pain at some point in our lives and that pain is often altered by pain medication or other remedies but the pain of being pushed away from society otherwise known as Ostracism, that is pain that cannot be taken away. Ostracism is a problem that has been around forever and is still an unsolved problem today.
Isolation becomes a key component of the Frankenstein novel as it will be the driving force behind Victor Frankenstein's actions and the Monster's actions. When someone isolates themselves, they typically will leave or separate from family,
A prominent motif in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is alienation and how alienation sets the wheels of the plot into motion. In Frankenstein, loneliness due to its milieu and isolation from society make the creature dangerously capricious. Therefore, the creature’s isolation from society expresses a person's traits which are affected more by nurture (alienation) than by Nature. Frankenstein grounds its argument in a symmetrical pattern, with social
In the story Frankenstein, one certain theme that sticks out is isolation. Isolation is portrayed by many characters in many different ways. Victor's feeling of isolation revolved around his studies and the monster. The Monster felt the feeling of isolation from always feeling like an outcast as well as feeling like he is doing something wrong. The character's actions in this story were the main cause of them feeling isolated in the end.
Mary Shelley, in her book, Frankenstein, has a reoccurring theme of isolation, in which she isolates the main character, Victor Frankenstein, from the rest of society in order to create a creature. Likewise, the creature that is created is also isolated from the rest of society as he is rejected from his creator as to his appearance. The theme is present throughout the novel as it reinforces Victor’s downfall from a normal boy to a grown man intrigued with creating life as he slowly becomes a madman that everyone soon fears. Isolation causes a loss of humanity as it affects the mind and body. Isolation from society does not teach social interaction, causes regret about oneself, provides one with negative feelings, and causes regretful actions.
By denying both main characters the sensation of domestic affection, or any other kind of social belonging, Mary Shelley highlights the importance thereof. The resulting isolation became the driving force behind both Frankenstein and his creation’s abominable actions which, in turn, shows that trying to avoid isolation and seeking the feeling of social belonging is the primary message of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and of
His social deficiency causes him to become sad and lonely. Alas aboard Walton’s vessel appears Victor Frankenstein and Walton finds the companion that he longed for. Walton and Frankenstein are immediate companions when they meet aboard the vessel because they are both very lonely. They had common experiences and virtues that strengthened their unanticipated bond. From this, one can see that social poverty connects characters to each other and creates a need for people that causes loneliness and despair.
Isolation and abandonment can cause many different reactions from people. In the words of William A. Sadler Jr., a sociology professor, “We often do not know how to cope. It can make us confused, distraught, depressed, frightened, and even outraged” (Sadler 105). In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, several of these effects are presented in Victor Frankenstein and his creation. They both suffer from being isolated from their creator, society, and family units.
Victor created a monstrous and deformed being that was feared and rejected by the society; this made the society to shun away from the creature leaving him all alone. Both the creature and his creator were outcasts and lived in isolation from the rest of the