Industrial Revolution In Frankenstein Research Paper

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein at a time when the world was in the process of undergoing progress and change. With the arrival of new technology, the world began to become dominated by factories and assembly lines. This period of industrialization, known as the Industrial Revolution, began in Western Europe. Just as the Industrial Revolution had good intentions of helping people by making the process of production easier, Victor, the scientist in Frankenstein, had good intentions when making the creature. However, both the Industrial Revolution and Victor’s creation did not go as planned. The creation was ugly and destructive, resembling the results of the revolution which led to a society that valued mechanization and production. This proved

The Industrial Revolution helped to create many factories and led to a large gap between the wealthy owners and the poor working class. Looking further into the history of the Industrial Revolution, it becomes apparent that the working class, which made up over three quarters of the population, were not treated properly or given basic human rights. By 1820, textiles were the top industry in Europe, however, these advances in technology led to people working long hours in unsafe environments while receiving very low wages. Workers were severely underpaid, causing the development of labor unions, demands for voting rights, and a desire for a less demanding labor environment, which they believed to be basic rights deserved by the working class. When the Industrial Revolution began, there were no laws regulating new industries, and those who controlled the government liked it that way. At this time only the wealthiest people could vote in England. As the Industrial Revolution was getting started, British society became the first example of what happens to a country when free-market capitalism has no restrictions. It allows for unfair treatment to those who are not part of the elite class and deprives those people of their rights as

He demanded to have rights just as the poor class did during the Industrial Revolution. The people of this era were at a loss of basic human rights just as the creature was and they felt this was unjust. Frankenstein represents the upper classes, while the Monster represents the working class. As the government and upper class were terrified of a revolution by the working-class they had created, Frankenstein feared losing everything to the Monster he created. The working class believed the government was responsible for providing the basic rights to them. Similarly, Mary Shelley argues that Frankenstein had certain responsibilities to the creature. Frankenstein owes him the same basic rights the government owes the working class. Mary Shelley deliberately uses Victor and his creation to allude to the mistreatment of the lower class by the wealthy business owners during this