Frankenstein Analytical Essay

586 Words3 Pages

Morality is the cornerstone of any society and can have a major role on how well that society develops and is run. Laws are based on these basic principles of right and wrong and they are what dictate the punishment for breaking these principles of right and wrong. The problem with this system is that it does not always work, especially when an individual has a flaw in their character. This predicament can be seen in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Candide by Voltaire, and The Stranger by Albert Camus. Each protagonist has his own flaw; Victor Frankenstein from Frankenstein has a desire to gain knowledge, Candide from Candide has an obsession with believing in optimism, and Meursault from The Stranger who has a complete lack of empathy. Each protagonist has a flaw in their nature which leaves them exposed to be corrupted by society. Meursault’s major flaw is that he lack empathy and this idea becomes apparent in the first chapter of the book. The story opens with, “ Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: ‘Mother deceased. Funeral Tomorrow. Faithfully yours.’ That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday.” (3). Meursault shows a complete lack of feeling when he …show more content…

This is the moment where Meursault truly feels alone and isolated from the world, but he hangs on to his memories of his girlfriend Marie. In this seclusion, Meursault learns that humans exist in a meaningless world that is only worth living due to the idea of love. He learns that he loves the possessions that he can not have such as cigarettes and swimming. It is through this loss that Meursault learns that love is what saves us from the world and that morality makes this idea more possible. (Mikics et al). Meursault’s lack of morality due to his corruption by society is what eventually lead to his isolation from the world and those he