The biggest theme in Frankenstein is secrecy. There are multiple reasons to believe this in the book, and the movie Frankenweenie. In Frankenweenie Victor is forced to show Edgar how he brought his dog back to life to be able to keep Sparky a secret. When Victor first created the monster he was so scared he just left it alone, giving away that he doesn’t want to take responsibility for it or let anyone know that he was the one who created him. Victor could have avoided Justine being hung if he would have spoken up about the monster.
The New York Sun: This newspaper was started by a businessman by the name of Benjamin Day, with its first issue hitting newsstands September 3, 1833. Unlike newspapers prior to The Sun, this paper would not be published by the elites of society for the elites of society to push a particular political agenda, but this paper was purely to turn a profit for Day. He wanted to publish this paper and make it accessible for the common man, and he did so by selling the paper for the cost of everyday items (a penny). Day’s ability to turn a profit would be based on the selling of advertisements and selling the paper en masse because a larger group of people could afford to purchase the paper.
Frankenstein has acted in secrecy many of times throughout the book. One of Victor Frankenstein's first act of secrecy is when he was making his monster. He did not tell anyone that he created the monster. Frankenstein did not tell anyone that he believed his monster killed William, his little brother. Victor did not tell Henry, his life-long friend, that he was creating a female monster.
Victor was afraid of having his friends and family knowing about what he has done with making the monster. So, instead of telling them he was the one who made the monster who killed William, he let the town and family believe a poor innocent girl did it. In the book Frankenstein, Mary Shelley shows Victor have an internal conflict. “... except I, the creator, who would believe, unless his sense convinced him, in the existence of the living monument of presumption and rash ignorance which I had let loose upon this world?” (Shelley 63).
Frankenstein: Analysis of Scenes and Songs Caroline Frankenstein’s death marked a pivotal event within Frankenstein’s life that sparked the tragic series of events that plagued his life. Despite his mother having “...died calmly...” and being described with a “...countenance expressed affection even in death...” (Vol. I, Chapter 2), it still created a stain on Frankenstein’s heart. This event set up a feeling of suffering within Frankenstein that he learned to cope with initially but foreshadowed his hellish fate.
There is a long time between the killings of Victor’s friends and family, however; in the meantime Victor is confronted by his monster. This "being" then demands for the creation of a female monster to reduce his loneliness. It wasn't until Victor destroyed the semi-created female monster, that the monster himself grew especially angry with Victor. Because of his anger towards Victor, the monster killed Henry, Victor's closest friend. Throughout the novel thus far it is obvious who the monster is truly after, however; Victor does not see this.
Keeping that in mind, why did Victor leave his creation, not knowing, if he could harm anyone or thing close by? Victor never thought about the repercussions of his act and acted in defence of himself, leaving the monster to defend for himself and experience things without the help of his creator. All Victor says is, “He might of spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs” (Shelley 36). He fled from his creation leaving the monster by itself before he knew what the monster was doing.
Frankenstein Trial The trial begins with Victor accusing the monster of first-degree murder of Elizabeth to ensure justice is given because he believes he is guilty to Elizabeth’s death. The facts that were presented were that Elizabeth’s body was dumped in the ocean, and Victor’s side argues that only the monster’s finger prints could have been used. Once the monster is called to the stand, the monster blames Victor Frankenstein, and at that point is arguing that Victor abandoned him. The monster is arguing that he did not have anyone available to guide him, and all Victor did was leave his side.
Victor does not handle his monster, or his fears, well. When Frankenstein first sees his monster, he immediately “escaped, [from the room the monster was in] and rushed down stairs. p50” As the monster is an externalization of Frankenstein’s fears, this escape, this inability to so much as look at the monster, can be interpreted as Frankenstein’s inability to acknowledge his fears and anxieties. Like with anxiety, denying the monster’s existence only causes him to grow more destructive.
All the monster wanted to do was make friends and be apart of a family, but Dr. Frankenstein kicked him to the curb and abandoned him. Victor was trying to hide the creature that he made because he was afraid of what people were going think of him. He also began to fear what type of bad things they thought that he was going to do. These were the main reasons that prompted the creature to reach his boiling point and become evil. This lesson just shows how selfish some people in the regular world can be towards things of the unknown.
The novel, Frankenstein, ultimately ended the way it ended due to the one vital secret that Victor kept to himself. This critical secret that Victor kept private was his creation of the monster. This monster caused a scene of carnage, and this lead to many tragic happenings throughout the story. Secrecy can torture people’s souls because when Victor kept an immense secret from everyone, it lead to deaths of many innocent individuals. Victor’s tortured soul exacerbated due to the death of William and Justine.
A Key Passage Analysis: The Ascent is Precipitous… This passage taken from Mary Shelley’s horror novel, Frankenstein, on page 66-67 describes the atmosphere and ponderings of Victor Frankenstein as he solitarily ascends to the summit of Montanvert. After feeling grievance and despair as he blames himself for the death of both his brother, William and his servant, Justine, Victor attempts to find solace in the majesty of nature to repair his emotional state. However, his descriptions of the environment are somewhat grim and bleak, contrasting the pleasant and peaceful mood that being in the natural world typically evokes.
The Department of Justice has a long history of enforcing the law and defending the interests of the United State. Starting out as the Office of the Attorney General in 1789, the one person position was responsible for prosecuting and conducting all suits brought to the Supreme Court and giving advice and opinions on all questions of the law (“About DOJ”, n.d.). When the work became too much for one person, Congress passed an act to establish the Department of Justice in 1870. Increasing litigation prompted the hiring of more private attorneys to handle all criminal prosecutions and civil suits with the Attorney General as the head of the agency (“About DOJ”, n.d.). Today, the agency is comprised of 42 separate components including U.S. Attorneys
Frankenstein’s Message for the Modern Age Frankenstein’s message for the modern age is to do experiments with caution, and to not mislead others about scientific matters. Discussing the issues that it raises for the society; scientists should try to minimize any effect their work can have on people, animals, and the environment. We will learn about the many lessons that can be taken and applied to the 21st -century world, which will help us as global citizens to know our responsibilities for others. The lessons we can take and apply to this 21st-century world are that knowledge comes with risks and we should understand and know the downfall that comes with science.
Mary Shelley (1797-1851) born as Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, the daughter of philosopher William Godwin (1756-1836) and well known feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (1759- 1797), is credited as a great revolutionary in the field of literature. With influences of family guests such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1843) and William Wordsworth (1770- 1850), and access to an extensive family library, Mary Shelley is believed to have developed great imaginative skills and fondness for literature at a very young age. She went on to marry the famous English romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1816 after his first wife committed suicide. During her lifespan she went through the tragic death of her infant son, suicide of her half-sister and the drowning
