ipl-logo

Frankenstein And His Social Life In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

2011 Words9 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Focus on individuality in frankenstein

Frankenstein and the creature are similar in that they both begin their journey with goodness and dreams and that they allude to Paradise Lost in the same context of a fallen angel although they are also different in that Frankenstein blames the creature for all the bad that has happened while the creature blames it on his misery, and that Frankenstein has rejected his social life while the creature craves for it. Frankenstein and the creature are similar in that they have a moment of dreams and goodness in their beginnings. Frankenstein began his studies in hopes of becoming famous. The whole reason for the creation of the creature was to become famous for being able to bring the dead to life. In the story he says, “I believed …show more content…

In the story, Frankenstein was born into a rich family, had many friends like Henry Clerval, went to college, and was pretty much given a soon to be wife at a young age. All these social relationships he began his life with, however, it seemed he deemed them insignificant due to his studies. He went to college to begin his studies in science at Ingolstadt. There he spent much time doing research and was so involved in his studies that a lot of times he stayed up late and didn’t eat much. Because of this, he didn’t send any letters back to Geneva for his family because he simply seemed to like his work more. He states, “the same feelings which made me neglect the scenes around me caused me also to forget those friends” (75). Frankenstein was so caught up in his studies that he didn’t even pay attention to his surroundings. He didn’t pay attention to his friends, and he didn’t pay attention to his family back in Geneva. He was so blinded by this desire to bring the dead to life and felt this scientific breakthrough was more important than his social relationships. In contrast, the creature was born an abhorred being and wasn’t allowed into society. He lived a life of isolation, was always kicked out of villages, and never given a chance to live among humans. In fact, the only real way he got some social relationships was by observing the De Lacey family although not confronting them. So in reality, he had no chance to be given a good social life from the start and craved for it. Even when attempting to join the De Lacey family, he was kicked out of their house. In the story it says, “My protectors had departed, and had broken the only link that held me to the world” (251). He has been constantly rejected by people and is forced to live in isolation. He even mentioned that the only way he had a connection to the

Show More
Related
870 Words | 4 Pages

When Frankenstein attempted to join society, he was rejected and chased out due to his differences, but he wasn’t as interested in joining the society as Grendel was. The monster was content staying away from humans until he happened upon the family of

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a great comparison is shown between Victor Frankenstein, the main character, and Prometheus, one of Greek mythology’s greatest Gods. Shelley borrows from the tale of Prometheus a consequence resulting from searching for a great source of enlightenment and power. In creating a being and giving it life, Frankenstein seems to take on the remarkable role of God which leads him to thinking that a power that is so heavenly cannot be played with by mankind. During his quest to expand his creative knowledge, abilities, drive, and ambition to know the origin of life, he puts himself in conflict. Frankenstein gambled his way into the godly realm without realizing he committed a sin by creating the monster, and

Read More
1278 Words | 6 Pages

Frankenstein did not take into account the feelings of the creature. Frankenstein wanted to be the first to create the life, but did not think ahead. His initial ambition is to help the people, and perhaps his creation will benefit the humankind, however, he lets his ambition take over, and does not think of what the creature will act like or do. He creates the creature but only to suffer and in return he suffers as well. Frankenstein’s actions to not take care of the creature causes the death of those around him.

Read More
291 Words | 2 Pages

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein presents important social criticism. Shelly focuses, in particular, on importance of forgiveness, betrayal, acceptance in society. Learning to forgive yourself and others is an important thing to know how to do or you’ll be holding on to useless hatred and pain all of your life; the same way the monster, Frankenstein, was doing. “Forgive me. Everywhere I go, they hate me”.

Read More
994 Words | 4 Pages

„I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me; whose eyes would reply to mine. You may deem me romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the want of a friend” (Shelley 163-164). This is the wish of the scientist Robert Walton whose letters start Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Unlike the first thoughts coming to mind when hearing the title, friendship is one of the main topics in the story and the wish Walton expresses in the beginning stands for the desires of all the main characters. Not only Walton feels to be in need of companionship, the central character Victor Frankenstein does so too and even the Creature he brings into being expresses its strong wish to belong to someone.

Read More
1088 Words | 5 Pages

Once noted, the parallels between Frankenstein’s fears and desires and the reality the monster experiences are many. Now that Victor is in university, he no longer has family and friends to fall back upon in the unknown territory of his university. Frankenstein voices is that “[he] believed [himself] totally unfitted for the company of strangers,” irrational as it may be, and believes himself solely dependent on his family and childhood friend for companionship. Without the love guaranteed to him by his family, Victor believes he is unfit to make companions by himself and destined to a life of loneliness. He places much importance on the fact that his father and Elizabeth love him and are concerned with his well-being.

Read More
987 Words | 4 Pages

Whereas Frankenstein does not properly value the domestic affection he is given until it is violently taken from him, his creation learns that this is what values most in life and yet is not able to gain this affection from others. Francis Bacon says in his essay Of Friendship “I have given the rule, where a man cannot fitly play his own part; if he have not a friend, he may quit the stage”. Shelley highlights the need for a sense of belonging and companionship by letting both her main figures suffer the pain of not having this need fulfilled and, in consequence, they both “quit the stage” (Bacon) and turn their backs on humanity. Social isolation, although through different circumstances, was the predominant cause for both Frankenstein and his creature’s demise. Even Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley’s husband, wrote in his preface to Frankenstein about the “amiableness of domestic affection” (Shelley 9).

Read More
395 Words | 2 Pages

Childhood is a time in a person’s life where the most growing occurs, not only physically but also mentally. The human brain is nourished and maintained by the love and affection children receive from both parents and it continues to do so for the rest of their lives. The creature’s inability to build up courage and try to interact with society as well as his constant questioning of his existence is a direct result of an inexistent childhood as well as the absence of a loving family. Frankenstein’s mother and Elizabeth were both orphans so he was well aware of the importance of love and nurturing for people of all ages, yet he denied the creature the opportunity to receive affection of any sort. “No father had watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with smiles

Read More
1432 Words | 6 Pages

Frankenstein conjures up an image of a mindless, green monster running and grunting with its arms straight out! Readers that study Frankenstein by Mary Shelley do find a monster like and frightening creature, but it is definitely not mindless. This creature, created and rejected by victor Frankenstein, teaches himself human language and thereby comes to understand and experience human emotions. The most prominent emotion, which directs the choices he makes, is loneliness, and this has tragic results. Then there is victor Frankenstein who is plagued by the secrets he keeps and therefore leads a joyless life.

Read More
924 Words | 4 Pages

Perhaps, if a human such as Frankenstein had accepted the creature, onlookers would have had an easier time welcoming someone with his appearance into their presence. Society’s false perception of what makes someone “normal” is what altered their first impression of The Creature. People had a hard time distinguishing the difference between mind and body, which resulted in The Creature’s undesired abandonment and a gut filled with hatred towards his creator. In contrast, Victor Frankenstein refers to his family in a positive way several times throughout the novel.

Read More
582 Words | 3 Pages

In his second letter to his sister, Margaret Saville, he wishes for a friend he could bond with. “You may deem me romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the want of a friend. I have no one near me, gentle yet courageous, possessed of a cultivated as well as of a capacious mind, whose tastes are like my own, to approve or amend my plans.” Robert Walton was pleased to have Victor on board and connect with him. Frankenstein is intelligent and well educated, like Walton, and took Robert’s interest.

Read More
1724 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More
918 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley there are many similar characteristics between Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he creates. Victor and his creation both let their emotions get in the way of their actions, act revengeful, are isolated from society, and are very intelligent. From the beginning, the lives of Victor and the monster are very similar. They both grow up without a strong role model figure, and are forced to quickly grow up. Since they both grew up in similar settings, they react similarly to different situations.

Read More
1073 Words | 5 Pages

Due to this, he was isolated from the society and he started creating his creature. His isolation persisted especially after he created a hideous being that brought destruction and pain to the people. Similarly, just like Victor, the creature lived in isolation because he was left alone by his creator after he created him. The monster never got a chance to experience a mother or fatherly love just like his creator. Moreover, he also lived in isolation because of his monstrous appearance that made people to reject him.

Read More
1213 Words | 5 Pages

Once the creature begins to go out on his own and learn about life and society, during his first interaction with other people he learns that he will be immediately judged based on how he looks. To start, when Frankenstein first sees the creature, he quickly runs away without any interaction and exclaims “no mortal could support the horror of that countenance” (Shelley 36). This interaction made the monster realize that even his creator could not avoid the habits of the society he lived in, and immediately ran away from him in fear because he didn’t believe he was attractive. Then after that, the creature still has enough hope to go into a village and meet other people, but he is immediately met with children that “shrieked” and one woman who “fainted” just at the sight of him (Shelley 74). In every situation where the creature attempts to interact with others, he is shunned immediately, before even being able to say a word.

Read More

More about Frankenstein And His Social Life In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Related Topics

Open Document