Thesis on "Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Numerous People"

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Equally central to Shelley's Frankenstein is the monster, which Victor Frankenstein created. As opposed to the popular belief that Frankenstein is the name of the monster, it is in fact, the name of the creator of the monster. In fact, in Shelley's book, the monster doesn't have a name. Instead it is referred to as daemon, monster, fiend, devil, and thing among many others. At first, the monster was gentle, sensitive, loving, and curious as a child but it later becomes bitter and vengeful due to the cruel encounters it has experienced with humans. Since humans fear the monster's hideous appearance, the monster was forced to hide away from people. Due to its isolation, it grew lonely and became vengeful toward its creator.

According to Carina Brannstrom (3), "Mary Shelley's novel is above all about the theme of alienation and the innocent victims that are affected by it." For Brannstrom (23), "the theme of alienation is… one of the most important themes in Frankenstein." In her essay, Brannstrom (9) analyzed the theme of alienation in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein saying that "alienation is something Victor experiences his entire life in terms of his childhood and family, scientific work, and society."

Although the book presents Victor Frankenstein belonging to a family often described as perfect and spending his childhood with his close friends, adopted sister Elizabeth Lavenza and Henry Clerval, Brannstrom notes that during Victor's time at the university in Ingolstadt during which time he spent experimenting, he isolated himself from virtually everyone including his family and friends in his pursuit of knowledge. Victor also spent the end of his days in emotional isolation "trying to destroy the same creation he tried so hard to create." (Brannstrom 9)

In Brannstrom's analysis, Victor's isolation was said to be self-imposed due to his experiments. Brannstrom (10) wrote that "even if Victor chooses isolation, he many times insists that the only reason he is isolated, is because of the creature." In the end, Victor understood the consequences of his experiments that he was "forced to alienate himself from the entire world while attempting to destroy his creation. (Brannstrom 10).

Alienation is also illustrated through the monster. Though the monster did not choose to be isolated and is in fact is in dire need to belong, isolation is forced upon it due to its hideous appearance. Alternatively, isolation is also showed through Captain Robert Walton through whose letters to his sister, the readers come to know of Victor Frankenstein. According to Brannstrom (13), "Walton can be considered as the most important person in the novel." The reason for this is that he has been given "a well integrated personality and… READ MORE