In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses the novel as a means to convey her attitude on certain scientific and moral issues of the time. She utilizes the plot of the novel to express concern surrounding scientific achievement, to put forward the notion that God should not be a passive being, and to iterate the concept that beings are not born “good” or “bad”, but rather become “good” or “bad” based on their interactions with their surroundings.
In Victor Frankenstein Shelley creates a character driven by his pursuit of scientific discovery. He can be seen as an allegory to the industrial revolution that was changing the world in which Shelley lived in radical ways. Victor makes himself ill in his chase to create his monster, never stopping to think of
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The creature shows this perfectly, spending the early part of his life learning and absorbing knowledge from his surroundings. From the De Lacey’s he learns to be good and kind, and then attempts to make contact with them in an intelligent and kind fashion. He is rejected with violence, and then shot soon after for trying to save a drowning child. It is only after these negative events that his behavior begins to change, becoming more angry and full of rage. Before committing to becoming a true killer, he attempts one last time to solve his desire for companionship, and seeks out Victor. When Victor eventually betrays him, the only person who would consider being nice to him, the monster finally snaps.
Shelley was able to use her novel as a way to successfully point out what she saw as flaws or potential issues in the society of her time. She uses the scientific genre to provide a warning of things to come, and shows how feels common ideas about creation and morals are flawed with the monster’s interactions with humans around