literature

Mary Shelley: Frankenstein

There are a number of authors that have used supernatural beings in their books to pass across their message. Mary Shelley is among the elite authors that have incorporated this style of writing in their works. She is most famous for her book Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus. Frankenstein is a story about a young scientist called Victor Frankenstein who created a creature from his lab through an experiment that some people have deemed was one that went wrong (Thornburg, 2007). This grotesque creature ends up being his master’s tormentor as he kills his loved ones as a revenge for Victor not creating for him a companion that he could live with. The supernatural element made the story more interesting to readers that followed the novel from chapter one to the end.

In Frankenstein the role of the supernatural creature is to show the evil that is in society. The monster shows the elements of jealousy and hatred as it endeavors to destroy the happiness of its creator – Victor. The author wanted to depict the evils that are in society that can prove great harm to human beings if they are not monitored. Another role that the supernatural creature serves in the story is that just like any other person there is the need for having a companion to help a person get through life. Thus, in a way the creature is used by the author to show the importance of having a partner in life. Without Frankenstein’s monster there are elements of the story that would not have had as much clarity as what it had (Shelley & Gibson, 2000). Use of supernatural creatures is therefore a parody that helps readers to better understand the gist of any author’s written material.

The message that the Romantics were trying to convey by infusing their works of art with supernatural elements like monsters and ghosts is that they mostly acted as the villains in their stories. Frankenstein was substantial in Mary Shelley’s story. It is through him that the evils in society such as jealousy and murder are advanced. Since the monster felt betrayed by his master he felt it was necessary to inflict pain on him through murdering his loved ones. The monster needed to show that he required the attention of his master. It did so in crude ways such as killing his brother. It felt betrayed due to the fact that the Victor had created him but was now afraid of him. This are elements that could not have been advanced if the monster was not in the story.

Another role that the monster plays is the importance of being accepted in society. The fact that the monster had physical deformities show how human beings look at themselves. A person that has a physical deformity is deemed in society as disabled and not have the ability to thrive or grow. This is why most disabled people are not empowered to stand for themselves and rise above how the society looks at them or classifies them as people. It is unfortunate that there are people who do not grow because of the labels that the society has put on them. This was especially prevalent in the day and age of Mary Shelley.

Companionship is another key element that is prevalent in The Modern Prometheus. The monster retaliates as it feels that it is lonely. The love and companionship it expected from its master is not given. Instead its master shuns it away and makes it feel unwelcomed. It runs away and keeps away from the town (Shelley & Gibson, 2000). The monster plays a role of showing the importance of having a partner to help go through life together. After killing Victor’s brother the monster begs for forgiveness and pleads with Victor to make him a companion that they can go through life together. It strengthens the thoughts that the writer had to show how significant it was for her to have a companion that they can share life’s challenges together. Frankenstein is a story that helped Mary Shelley pour her heart out to the public. It was a tool that she used to communicate how she viewed life.

References

Shelley, M. W., & Gibson, D. (2000). Frankenstein. Madrid, España: Edimat Libros.

Thornburg, M. K. P. (2007). The monster in the mirror: Gender and the sentimental/gothic myth in Frankenstein. Ann Arbor, Mich: UMI Research Press.