Isolation And Abandonment In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Isolation distances people from society emotionally or physically. As people, this road can become a dark point in our lives. From time to time we have chosen this path. However, others have been forced to live in the shadows of society due to their appearance, actions and social status. In Mary Shelly's novel ‘'Frankenstein'' the theme of isolation and abandonment is the most developed throughout the novel. Victor Frankenstein and the creature share different experiences; however, they are linked by one underlying bond of self-isolation and abandonment.

Firstly, we are introduced to the main protagonist Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein is obsessed with the idea of bringing the dead back to life. The desire of his dream becomes his own

‘' After days and nights of incredible labour and fatigue...My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement. The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit. And the same feelings which made me neglect the scenes around me caused me also to forget those friends who were so many miles absent, and whom I had not seen for so long a time.'' This quote looks into victor's self-isolation, pushing himself away from the people he loved to complete his task. He has begun to lose who he actually really is anymore... His dream of making life has become a weight, dragging him lower and lower into self - isolation. No more those he finds excitement, in creating life, but becomes very ill in the process of doing so. Furthermore, we can also add that victor didn't want anyone to see what type of work he was doing, afraid that they would reject him from society to be recognized as a mad man. ‘'Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave or tortured the living animal to animate the lifeless clay?'' (35). the secrets that the protagonist keeps to himself influences his isolation and fear of someone discovering his obsession as an illness or

He anguish he faces daily is heavy on the heart and mind, which makes you question what society is really made up of. As we transition to the creature we will compare the creatures' abandonment, self- isolation to Frankenstein's experiences. To see what bond to they share with each other, what the author wants us to understand….

The creature has one of the saddest existence in the novel; he is introduced to the reader as a horrid monster who was born out of curiosity and ignorance. At the moment of his first words, actions, and sight he is already abandoned and alone with no concept of the world he is brought into. ‘'I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing my bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep''. (-) This was the first moment of the creature's existence; he is already an impediment to society. His own