Marilyn T.

Rocod Creative Writing

MAEd- English Final Paper

Frankenstein
by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

(A Novel Analysis)

I. Introduction

Human curiosity ignites daring pursuits. It commences every exploration,

investigation, and discovery. The innate desire for knowledge and inquisitive thinking

create a myriad of possibilities. Some of these bring about happiness; others result in

frustration and despair. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein, subtitled as The

Modern Prometheus and published in 1818, tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a

young scientist who dares to give life to non-living matter. Victor Frankenstein is the

modern Prometheus. In Greek mythology, Prometheus is credited with the creation of

man from clay. He steals the sacred fire that belongs only to the gods and gives it to

humanity. In Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor creates life from a corpse. He endeavors

to provide mankind what belongs only to God: immortality. The novel shows Victor’s

failure in his ambitious scientific pursuit and the tragic effects of his actions. It further

demonstrates a neglected responsibility that prompts a chain of morbid events.

Rejection and abandonment create a cycle of rage and revenge, and destroy human

relationships.

II. Analysis

The novel Frankenstein begins with a frame tale that introduces Victor

Frankenstein’s narrative. The initial setting of the story is at the expedition manned by
Captain Robert Walton, an explorer who aims to expand his scientific knowledge

about the North Pole. Walton and his crew find and rescue the scraggy man floating

on an ice, Victor Frankenstein. As Victor recovers from his exertion, he learns about

Walton’s obsession with knowledge and fame--- the same pursuit that destroyed him

and so he recounts the story of his life’s misfortunes and wretchedness as a warning to

Walton. During the voyage, Captain Robert Walton shares Victor’s tragic narrative

with his sister, Margaret Walton Saville in England through correspondence.

Victor belongs to a wealthy Genevan family. His parents are Alphonse

Frankenstein and Caroline Beaufort. He has two younger brothers, Ernest and

William and an adopted sister, Elizabeth Lavenza, who was raised as Victor’s

‘cousin’ in the Frankenstein home. Justine Moritz is an addition to the family; she

lives with the Frankenstein as a servant after her mother dies. Victor has also a

childhood friend named Henry Clerval. At a young age, Victor shows a great aptitude

for Science and later, strives for the study of chemistry and the human body at the

University of Ingolstadt. The death of his mother when he was seventeen leads to his

obsession with death. He devotes himself to the ambitious study of creating life from

death, pushing his intelligence to the utmost. It is his way to deal with grief. After

many months of study, research, and experiments, he eventually develops the creation

of a humanoid. The creature turns out to be the opposite of what Victor conceived it

to be. He brings to life a demoniacal corpse, an 8-foot-tall gruesome monster with

glowing eyes and translucent yellowish skin that barely conceals the muscle tissue

and blood vessels underneath. Disgusted by his hideous creation, Victor escapes and

abandons the monster. From this experience, Victor falls ill and is restored to health

by Henry. After months of recuperation, he returns home when he learns about the

murder of his youngest brother, William. Victor’s grief escalates upon learning that
Justine Moritz, William’s nanny, is convicted of the crime after William’s locket is

found in her pocket. She confesses falsely to the crime out of fear of going to hell, and

then later, executed. Victor is devastated by grief and guilt because he knows that

Justine is innocent, that the monster is responsible for his brother’s death, and that he

cannot do anything because no one would believe his story. He then flees to the

mountains where the monster finds him and implores him to hear his tale. From the

monster’s narrative, Victor confirms that the monster killed his brother and framed

Justine for the crime. The creature develops desolation and misery because people are

afraid of and hate him due to his horrendous appearance. He is consumed with rage

and he swears revenge on his creator for bringing him into a world that hates him. The

creature further demands Victor to create a female companion and argues of his right

to happiness. If Victor grants his request, he will vanish and never to reappear; but

should he refuse his request, the creature threatens to kill all of Victor’s remaining

loved ones. At first, Victor agrees with the monster’s desire reluctantly. As he

progresses with his work, he is bothered with horrible thoughts and premonitions of

disaster that may happen when he creates a female creature. The union of the two

creatures might lead to the reproduction of a ghastly race, which can cause mankind’s

destruction and misery. He then destroys his unfinished work. Consequently, the

monster is enraged, threatens Victor, and then initiates a series of morbid events as a

manifestation of his vengeance. The creature strangles Victor’s beloved best friend

Henry Clerval and frames Victor for the murder. Victor is put into prison in Ireland

and suffers from mental breakdown. After his release, he returns home with his father

and prepares to marry Elizabeth. But on the night following their wedding, the

monster murders Elizabeth. Victor tries to shoot the monster but he escapes. Victor’s

anguish is aggravated by the death of Elizabeth and his father. With the entire burden
in his heart, he seeks revenge and pursues the monster to the North Pole. Here, at the

end of the story, Victor dies in Walton’s ship; the monster mourns over his body and

vows to kill himself so that no one will ever know of his existence. He drifts away on

an ice raft and disappears.

The novel uses frame tale and different narratives to underline significant

details in the story, making it easier for the readers to understand. This literary

technique builds up the story and brings it much closer to the readers, as if it is being

told directly to them. There are three plot lines that contribute to the texture and

richness of the story: Robert Walton’s plot line, Victor Frankenstein’s, and the

monster’s. From the events in the story, it can be interpreted that one major theme is

revenge as a result of rejection. Rejection can occur in a variety of circumstances and

some instances may be more affecting than others. It must be understood that humans

are social beings, so people crave for acceptance from society. Being rejected may

incite unpleasant or negative feelings and emotions. In the case of Victor and his

creation, the feeling of revenge caused by rejection is evident throughout the story.

Upon seeing his finished work, Victor looks at it with disgust and abhorrence. He

abandons the creature and no specific name is given to it. “Devil! Do you dare

approach me! Begone, vile insect! Or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust!”

These words from Victor clearly suggest abomination and desertion. The creature

does not have even a name, but ‘devil’, ‘vile insect’, and the like. “Cursed, cursed

creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of

existence, which you had so wantonly bestowed? My feelings were those of rage and

revenge!” The monster implies that it is Victor’s fault that he is miserable, dejected,

and abhorred by humans. Both Victor and the creature have developed an antagonistic

feeling towards each other. Fueled by the feeling of rejection he gets from the people
around him even when he shows compassion and kindness, the monster seeks

vengeance. “Are you to be happy while I grovel in the intensity of my wretchedness?

You can blast my other passions, but revenge remains----revenge, henceforth dearer

than light or food! I may die but first you, my tyrant and tormentor, shall curse the

sun that gazes on your misery. Beware for I am fearless and therefore powerful.”

The above lines illustrate that the monster is determined to destroy every bit of

happiness and inflict misery in Victor’s life. On the other hand, Victor, after he has

lost everything dear to him, devotes himself to hunt for the monster and vows to kill

him. His creation is the source of all his misfortunes. The anger in his heart seeks

vengeance. “I was possessed by a maddening rage when I thought of him, and desired

and ardently prayed that I might have him within my grasp to wreak a great and

signal revenge on his cursed head!” It can be inferred that both the characters of

Victor and the monster have this insatiable desire for revenge, which ultimately

destroys them.

Relating the novel to the author’s life, Frankenstein illustrates Mary Shelley’s

own perturbed social and family relationships. Her inner struggles from childhood to

her becoming a young mother are demonstrated from the perspective of a number of

different characters. The melancholic ambience of the story is influenced by Shelley’s

anxiety. She never really knew her mother who died shortly after her birth. In her

novel, Victor’s mother died, too. The grief experienced by Victor from the death of

his loved ones parallels the sorrow felt by Shelley when she lost her children, half-

sister, and husband. Mary Shelley shows her own struggles as an outcast through the

character of the monster. When her father married Mary Jane Clairmont, Shelley was

neglected and had an unpleasant relationship with her stepmother, who brought her

own two children in the union. She was deprived of a formal education, but like the
monster in the story, she found a way to utilize the resources around her. She taught

her self and gained knowledge from reading.

In addition, Mary Shelley exposes how society relies on labels to judge

people. Misconceptions often lead to negative consequences and even danger. Like

what Shelley has exemplified in the characters of Victor and the monster. Victor is

perceived to be affluent, well educated, and superior; while the monster is looked

down upon by the society because of his outward appearance. It is scorned and

shunned on the assumption that he is actually a monster. The labels given to these two

central characters are the exact opposite. Victor’s irresponsibility makes him more of

a monster than his creation.

III. Conclusion

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein exposes a tragedy on the misuse and abuse of

knowledge. Every endeavor entails a great responsibility, whether this becomes a

success or a failure. Victor Frankenstein’s irresponsibility ---his negligence and

abandonment of his creation---produced negative consequences. This one mistake

generated a chain of catastrophes. The rejection experienced by the monster from his

creator and from other people gave birth to a cycle of rage and revenge. Throughout

the story, it was revenge that made the lives of the two central characters miserable

and sorrowful. Revenge ruined lives; it brought death to Victor’s loved ones, to him,

and to the monster.

In today’s society, where there are major breakthroughs in science and

technology, Frankenstein serves as a reminder to people about the proper and

responsible use of knowledge. Without interfering with natural elements and divine

plans, the advancement of science and technology offers many advantages that benefit
mankind. Otherwise, this pursuit leads to a humongous disaster. There is an ultimate

price to pay when one aspires to defy the laws of nature and become like God.