Frankenstein Essay

The idea of love is multifaceted and cannot be encapsulated by a single definition. It is considered to be both a universal concept and a personal experience or emotion. Love has been a topic of philosophical discourse dating back to ancient Greece. Simon May brings forth Socrates’ theory of what he thought love was in his book Love a History (2011) stating that love is “What we lack,” and “I [Socrates] find beautiful or good in what I lack” (46). Socrates’ definition of love can be seen as quite simple for something as complex as “love”, that: love is a desire for what we yet don't possess.

The creature in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1952) lacks love and acceptance from society and his creator. He is rejected and dehumanized, leading to

When the creature, at last, confronts his creator he tells him “Oh, Frankenstein, be not equitable to every other, and trample upon me alone, to whom thy justice, and even thy clemency and affection, is most due.” (Shelley 1952, 100), the creature feels that if no one would love him, then at least his creator, that put him in this world, would. The creature was created with a pure heart and he tells Frankenstein “Remember, I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.” (Shelley 1952, 100). Further, he asks Frankenstein to create a mate for him, someone that “could” love him and see him for what he is: “I am alone, and miserable; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species, and have the same defects. This being you must create.” (Shelley 1952, 144) the creature has desperately been searching for love but time after time has been rejected by humans leading to the emotional void inside him growing and he is yearning to fill it. If his creator would create another one, like him, that is as horrible and deformed as he is, he would finally have the thing he is lacking, to feel love and to be able to love

However, due to the conditions of slavery, this relationship is also characterized by a lack of agency and autonomy, as enslaved individuals were not allowed to make their own choices about whom they would love and marry. Sethe’s and Halle's relationship is affected by the constant threat of separation, as families were frequently separated through the sale of enslaved individuals. This forced separation, coupled with the physical and emotional trauma of slavery, hinders their ability to form a healthy and fulfilling relationship. Furthermore, Halle is not present in the novel and his absence is a reflection of the fact that enslaved individuals were also often denied the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with their spouses and children, and that they were not allowed to have control over their own lives. Moreover, Sethe's trauma has also affected her ability to be a mother, as she struggles to show love and affection to her children. She is distant and cold towards Denver, and Denver struggles to form a connection with her mother. Sethe is preoccupied with her own trauma and is unable to give Denver the love and affection she needs. This leads to Denver in turn also having to seek what she lacks, love from her