How Does Mary Shelley Influence Frankenstein

Anthony I. Najera Ms. Wilson Honors Sci-Fi Literature 04 March 2024 The Frankenstein Influence... Mary Shelly in her novel “Frankenstein” uses descriptive language to let the audience imagine the world that Frankenstein and the Creature are brought up in. Although this novel was written in the early 1800s, it is similar to and draws many parallels to our society today. The creature contemplates “Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous, and magnificent, yet so vicious and baseless? He appeared at one time a mere scion of the evil principle, and at another as all that can be conceived of as noble and godlike” (118-119). There are many ways in which this quote can be applicable to the creature. The creator of the creature is the principle

The creature clearly looks different and has an appearance that causes many to shun him out. When the creature interacts with the blind old man from inside the walls, we can see that he isn’t as monstrous as Victor made him out to be. He is kind and gentle. It isn’t until the old man’s family comes back into the House that we see the harsh judgment of other Humans towards the creature (p. 108-115). This is important as it shows the people in the world Mary Shelly has created are closed minded and judged based on appearance. Although this is an exaggerated interpretation, it can become applicable to the real world. how others treat individuals who may look different. This alters the creature’s perception of himself and the world around him. Because of the creature’s physical features, he was perceived to be a danger to society and would harm others. This is evident when the creature tries to save a little girl from drowning in the lake. He sees a young girl playing in the woods. She slips and falls into a stream, and he rushes to save her. However, she was not alone; one of the men she was with immediately grabbed her from the creature's arms and fled. He runs after them, and the man shoots the creature in the shoulder. (p. 137-147) Although this heroic act would be praised by many, it is instead dismissed and disregarded due to the creature’s appearance. It is important as it shows a man’s

Although the creature’s actions are not justified, it is also important to understand the creature’s motivations and how it happened. One of the main perceptions in Mary Shelly's novel, was because of the monster's physical features he was thought to be a danger to society and would harm others. Man is just as responsible for creating the creature as the creature is for the harsh actions it has taken. in my opinion (in my