Isolation In Frankenstein Research Paper

Isolation and separation from loved ones are commonplace in gothic fiction. The theme of desolated figures in the gothic forces characters to confront aspects of their life they would normally keep hidden from those around them, allowing us to see into the more isolated parts of the mind that we typically fear. Stephanie Craig asserts that a common theme in gothic literature is the theme of insanity, and that “occurrences of insanity may seem coincidental or unrelated, but a closer examination of the culture surrounding such literature tells a different story”. It is such insanity in The Bloody Chamber or Frankenstein that arguably derives from the isolation of characters. Shelley’s Frankenstein was written in the early nineteenth century when

The reptilian appearance of the marquis in the titular tale is suggested, alongside references to his ‘leonine’ name. His beastly, reptilian nature is what first acts as a representation of his cold-blooded desires. The bride in the tale is alienated by the Marquis into believing she exists as nothing but a rich man’s wife, an object existing solely for his pleasure. She arguably has no choice but to go and live with the Marquis due to his high social status, and his charming outward appearance masks his grotesque inward appearance, and she has no idea what she is getting herself into. She is then forced into isolation, living in a solitary area, cast away from society. Arguably, the Marquis should be cast out from society, but his characteristics make him so charming he cannot be placed into the category of an isolated figure because he does not act as such. It is argued that the Marquis in the tale is based off the real life figure, the Marquis De

The bride has no form of outside contact, forced to only interact with whom she is living with. At the start of the tale, she is excited and intrigued by the Marquis’ beastly nature and aggressive sexuality, but eventually her isolation leads her to be stuck in a lacklustre marriage with no way out. The bride recounts how her innocence was stripped away from her, and by the time she is married to the Marquis, she is only able to exist in his frame of vision, represented by the mirrors all around his bedroom. She is not the stereotypical isolated figure, not shunned by grotesque looks or hidden aspects of life, but is instead isolated in the marquis’ frame of vision and imprisoned in the role of a rich man’s wife. Angela Wright affirms that the gothic is a mode that engages consistently with the hermeneutics of isolation, stating that “where there is a castle, a monastery, or indeed an inquisition, there exists the threat of enforced isolation in a secret space, hidden from the scrutiny of