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Loneliness And Social Isolation In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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Approximately sixty percent of Americans report that they feel lonely regularly which is a societal complication (Santos). Humans are social creatures and they require contact with others . Loneliness can be described as the feeling of being alone regardless of the amount of social contact with others while social isolation is the lack of those social connections completely (CDC). The two go hand in hand and can often lead to each other causing deeper rooted issues. Novels such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, short stories like George Saunders “The 400-Pound CEO, and websites including the CDC all demonstrate or examine the effects of loneliness and social isolation on an individual. Loneliness and social isolation can hinder a person's ability to form connections with …show more content…

In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, both Victor Frankenstein and his monstrous creation experience depression through social isolation. They encounter these issues differently however as Victor willingly “deprived [him]self of rest and health” as well as answering letters from his loved ones, while his creation must endure “fatal prejudice [that] clouds [the] eyes” of the humans around him, they only see him as a “detestable monster” leaving him with no one but himself (Shelly 43,122). As Victor purposefully pushes away from others, his creation longs to be with them but must adhere to the wishes of society and hide away as well. Extreme social isolation leaves one with only their thoughts which can be harmful to the mind and cause them to succumb to

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