Frankenstein Complicated Grief

Many people, after experiencing the loss of something they love, experience a period of grieving, as they learn to cope with the loss. No two people will grieve the same, and learning how to not let the sadness of the loss consume one’s life is necessary to live with the loss. However, in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” the narrator, Victor, never truly processes the death of his mother, instead pushing his grief aside and burying himself in his school work, as a result of his complicated family dynamics.

The complex relationships in Victor’s family complicate his grieving process for his mother, causing him to completely neglect his emotions. Victor was an only child, showered with his parents' attention and love during his early life, until

Those who are suffering from normal grief will find that the intensity of their emotions surrounding the loss will gradually fade over time, whereas those suffering from complicated grief will either linger or continue to worsen as time progresses. Common indicators or symptoms of complicated grief include numbness or detachment, distrust in other people, inability to live in the moment and enjoy life, social isolation, and depression (Mayo Clinic), all of which are applicable to Victor after his mother’s death. Victor dedicates himself to his schoolwork, specifically his project surrounding the creation of the creature, but in the process completely isolates himself from everyone in his life. He stops reaching out to his family, and completely devotes himself to this one project for two years. Over the course of these two years, he is still struggling with the death of his mother, and has trouble expressing his grief. He hyper focuses on his studies in an attempt to suppress his emotions, and as a result, goes further and further down a lonely path, completely isolated and trapped with his ideas and thoughts. Victor doesn’t feel quite right, but continues to work on his project, but when it is completed, and the creature comes to life, “the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled [his] heart,” (Shelley 58). Victor completely neglects everything except his creation, due to his prolonged grief, but his devotion blinds him to the monstrosity he has been creating. After Victor abandons his creation, he suffers through a deep depression, unable to reconcile his guilt, grief, and other painful emotions. He struggles to find joy in his life, constantly stricken by the weight of his decisions, unable to forgive himself or take any steps toward stabilizing his mental health. The inability to process his