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The Inside And Outside In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

817 Words4 Pages

Mary Shelley crafts Frankenstein with striking comparisons of the inside and outside. Shelley is able to describe characters with great detail to paint vivid pictures. These images lead the reader to thoughts about the character. At the same time, the characters are able to reveal their inner selves. Mary Shelley is able show characters' inward self and outward appearance in developing the theme of the inside and outside. There are two main aspects to virtually every main character, the inside and the outside. The theme of the inside and outside is complex in Frankenstein. The first part is that the outside does not always match the inside. Secondly, society regularly judges individuals for their outward appearance and not the inward character. Victor Frankenstein and his creation are the two best examples of this theme. …show more content…

Victor and others validate the theme that society looks upon the outside. Victor creates life in the form of his monster and is horrified by what he has done. He is horrified because of what he sees on the outside. For a majority of the story Victor judges the creature purely on what he can see. Victor is not the only one at fault for this quick judging. Everyone who the creature comes into contact rejects him not because of his characters flaws or an inner flaw, but because of his dreadful outward appearance. Victor described the creature with these words, "Oh! no mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished he was ugly then; but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived" (35). Victor has harsh words for his very creation. It can be said that Victor did not even give his creation a chance to share his inward

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