The Role Of Isolation In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, actually explores different causes of isolation and its effects in order to emphasize the theme of the consequence of ambitious science and the importance of parental responsibility. One of its prominent themes is the consequence of pursuing scientific discoveries, with the novel focusing on the repercussions of this desire, including isolation. The beginning of the novel introduces R. Walton, an ambitious young explorer sailing towards the North Pole who intends “...to discover the wondrous power which attracts the needle” (3). His letters to his sister reveal that “for the first fourteen years of [his] life [he had] read nothing but [their] uncle Thomas’s books of voyages” leaving him “more illiterate

As its creator, Frankenstein can be considered its parent, seeing as he believed that “no father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as [he] should deserve theirs” (34). It should have been his responsibility to take care of the creature. According to Saul McLeod, “Erik Erikson proposed a psychoanalytic theory of psychosocial development comprising of eight stages from infancy to adulthood” in which an individual experiences psychosocial crises that influence personality development (Erik Erikson, para. 1). McLeod explains the first stage in which “the infant is uncertain about the world in which they live” and so “looks towards their primary caregiver for stability and consistency of care” (1.Trust vs. Mistrust, para. 2) . This determines the level of trust the infant feels they can give. Judging by the creature’s recollection of its birth, in which “all was confused,” its mind was similar to that of a young child, one that Frankenstein abandoned (73). The creature quickly learns that his monstrous appearance is unwelcome, and is alienated as a result, “[remembering] too well the treatment [it] had suffered… from the barbarous villagers.” Left to survive on its own with no parental guidance, the creature is isolated unwillingly out of fear, and becomes lonely, as it “feels sensations of a peculiar and overpowering nature… a mixture of pain and pleasure” when it watches the interactions of a poor family from their cottage hovel in which it hides. One may argue that Erikson’s theory cannot be relied on, as the creature’s mental age and the rate at which it develops is uncertain. However, McLeod points out that Erikson considers the ages at which he assigns each stage flexible, varying with different individuals. Therefore, it can still be applied to the creature’s