Theme Of Emotion In Frankenstein

Student: Omnia Saad Kamel (Code: 351)

Emotions as a Feature of Romanticism in Marry Shelly's Frankenstein

The overflow of emotions in Marry Shelly's Frankenstein defines it as a Romantic work. Emotions unify the characters at various points in the story, portray their individual personalities, and contrast them against each other. The influence of nature on the thread of emotions and how the inner feelings of main characters are interpreted by others emphasizes the importance of emotions to the Romantics. The most shared emotion in Frankenstein is loneliness. Robert, the seafarer, writes in letters to his sister Margret: "You may deem me romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the want of a friend". This feeling of loneliness despite

Perhaps the emphasis Shelly puts on the childhood emotions of the characters emphasizes the importance of that phase in a person's life. Victor explains near the end of the story: "From my infancy I was imbued with high hopes and a lofty ambition; but how am I sunk". By contrasting Victor's core tendencies and emotions against those of his family and friends, Shelly also emphasizes how they can control the character's fate. For instance, Elizabeth and Henry, the similar contrasts for Victor's personality, shared the same fatal ending at the hands of the monster that is the product of Victor's

On the one hand, when people misinterpret the body language of the characters, which is supposed to reflect their inner emotions, the consequences are often fatal. For example, regarding the incident of William's death, the confusion that appeared on Justine's face when she was accused with the murder was misinterpreted as a proof of guilt and eventually led to her death. On a similar incident at the Irish island, Victor was almost accused of murder only for misinterpretation of his body language. As he relates that incident with the mention of fingers on the Henry's corpse he says: "I remembered the murder of my brother and felt myself extremely agitated [...]. The magistrate observed me with a keen eye and of course drew an unfavorable augury from my manner". On the other hand, interpreting emotions is a learning device for the monster. Initially it helped him in relating to the world and learning about his identity as he observed the De Lacey family and their interchange of "looks of affection and kindness" towards each other. However, in the end, those very beautiful emotions that the monster first observed and longed for turned to sour revenge for not being able to feel any of it.

Thus, Marry Shelly's Frankenstein asserts the importance of emotions as an essential element in human life that cannot be disregarded for the sake any pursuits. Emotions are a guide and