Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay Example for Free

bloody shame Shelleys Frankenstein EssayIn Mary Shelleys Frankenstein we are presented with more than than just a story (which is how it began) but with a apologue that raises deep philosophical questions. The tale of Frankenstein is lots more than just a story it is a cautionary tale which pays attention to moral value by presenting the reader with the character of Frankenstein and his toils. Mary Shelley is able to present us with more than just a horrific story but excessively with the moral ideas which form its fundamental basis. There are a variety of themes which run through the story of Frankenstein with the theme of title-holdership, nature, and most importantly responsibility. Victor Frankenstein was obsessed with creating smell itself out of nonliving parts. This is shown where he refers to himself in third person saying, So overmuch has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankensteinmore, out-of-the-way(prenominal) more, testament I achieve treading in the step s already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of intro (Shelly 49). Victor is so c erstntrated on the glory of being able to acquire a being from dead parts that he becomes consumed in his work and neer even considers the affect this could have on society.He completely disregards this affect making this the first responsibility that Frankenstein failed to complete. He searched graveyards for material to fashion a new being, which he shocks into livelihood with electricity. Although his creature was extremely big and being do from m both different parts quickly combined in concert into a being was hideous. Once he had created this the Tempter he states, now that I had finished, the beauty of the aspiration vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a long fourth dimension traversing my bed-chambe r, unable to compose my drumhead to sleep(Shelly 58). Frankenstein took no responsibility over his hideous creation here and instead decides to flee from the room in terror and leave the monster. This shows that he wants no part of what he created at this point so he is trying to escape the responsibility of creating the monster. Although inside he knows that he created the monster and anything the monster does will be on Frankensteins conscious.This leads to new events in the story that he feels trusty for. Frankenstein snarl answerable for his younger brothers demolition when he realized that the monster he created hit William. Frankenstein started to feel as if he himself had committed the murder because of his role in the monsters existence. Everything the monster did was Frankensteins fault because he was the creator. Rather than blame the monster for his downf exclusively, Frankenstein blamed himself because he created the monsters life. He did non take actual responsi bility for his brothers death however because he did not want anyone to know about the monster. Frankenstein felt as if he murdered Justine as well as William because she was executed for a abuse the monster committed of murdering William. If Frankenstein would have interpreted responsibility for his actions of creating the monster and told people what actually happened to his brother wherefore Justine would not have been eradicateed for a crime she did not commit.The chain of events that the monster set off with Williams murder began not with the monster, but with Frankensteins desire to create life. When the monster came to Frankenstein to plead his case and tell his story, Frankenstein realized that he had some compact to the monster because he created it, in the same way that he bore responsibility for the monsters actions. Frankenstein was no longer simply accountable to humanity for the monsters actions, but he was also responsible to the monster for his happiness. Being the creator of a life was more responsibility than Frankenstein planned for when he was so eager to create the monster. The monster called upon Frankenstein to fulfill his obligation of providing for his happiness by creating a female companion to keep him company. Out of his sense of obligation to his creation and out of fear for his family (which the monster threatened to harm if Victor did not make a companion), Frankenstein concur to make the female monster.His responsibility to his creation carried greater metric weight unit than the idea of his responsibility to humanity for the actions of the received monster and the new one he agreed to create. He hadnt yet realized the full weight of responsibility he would bear for the actions of both monsters. earlier Frankenstein could marry Elizabeth, he had to complete his obligation to the monster so that he could be completely rid of him and the responsibility for his actions. As a result, Frankenstein postponed the wedding and took a trip to England to work without the danger of being discovered by his family because he had still not told anyone about the monster that he created and actually to responsibility for its actions. His obligation to the monster was not only to ensure the monsters happiness, which Frankenstein felt obliged to do as the monsters creator, but also as a way to protect his family from the monsters vengeance.Before he completed the female monster, Frankenstein realized the weight of responsibility he would bear if together the deuce monsters destroyed any other human life or reproduced, and the thought was just too much to bear. Rather than deal with the responsibility for two hideous, superhuman creatures, Frankenstein would rather deal with the wrath of one, so he destroyed his work on the female monster. This kept him free from the enormous whimsey of responsibility of any actions of the two monsters. Frankenstein was responsible for Henrys death at the hands of the monster, and this grief rendered him ill for a long time. Frankenstein is once again in the position he found himself with William and Justines deaths. He didnt murder Henry, but his relay stationship with Frankenstein made Henry susceptible to the monsters wrath because he used Henry to get back at Frankenstein. Although the Irish magistrate acquitted him, Frankenstein knew that he was responsible for Henrys death because he had defied the monsters wishes and the monster repaid him by killing his friend.The monster then did exactly as it said it would if Frankenstein did not create a companion for it and went to kill his fiance Elizabeth. Frankenstein, feeling responsible for Elizabeths death as well, vowed vengeance on the monster. The only way to absolve his responsibility for the monsters actions was to kill him, so thats what Frankenstein set out to do. He was responsible for the monsters creation and its actions, and he planned to be responsible for the monsters destruction as well which would free his approximation from any new struggles. Frankenstein has already lost all of the friends that he was close with and really lost everything he has dreamed of at the hands of the monster. He believes without his friendships he has nothing to live for except the destruction of the monster. Friendship is important throughout the novel because it is the goal of Walton, the narrator, as well as the monster Frankenstein created. Loneliness and isolation are major conflicts throughout Frankenstein, and in this novel they motivate the monster to turn to destruction.The first sight of the theme of friendship we see is how Walton longs for a friend to mete out his excitement over the voyage to the North Pole. He is separated from his sister, whom he may never see again, and he has no one to buoy his courage or steady his heady excitement. Walton writes, I have no friend, Margaret when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be no(prenominal) to participate my jo y if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavor to mystify me in dejection(Shelly 19). Friendless in the cold, white blankness of Archangel, and preparing to sail into the vast and unknown frozen arctic, seems a desolate situation for Walton. He feels the need of someone of his same intelligence that he can share his thoughts with so that the friend could keep Walton positive when he feels as though failure on his journey is near. Without a friend Walton is just a lonely being among others that cannot sustain his need for a friend to help him find a bit of light in the dark days of his voyage to sooth his soul.Frankenstein also uses Natural beauty as well as friendship for a soothing influence on the characters of the novel and it is an important part of the Romantic influence. This appreciation of beauty in a novel so filled with brutality seems an odd contrast, but it is part of what makes this story a Romantic piece. On Frankensteins trip back home he was anxious abou t the changes in his homeland since he had been off for six years, so he spent a few days resting in a midget town and letting the landscape of his country ease his worry. I remained two days at Lausanne, in this painful state of mind. I contemplated the lake the waters were placid all around was calm and the snowy mountains, the palaces of nature, were not changed. By degrees the calm and heavenly scene restored me, and I continued my journey toward Geneva (Shelly 76).The acquainted(predicate) landscapes, which seemed timeless when compared to the span of human life, calmed his worries. Nature makes us feel small and unimportant because we last much(prenominal) a short time in comparison to the mountains, rivers, and trees around us, so whatever we are experiencing must be miniscule as well. Gazing at the calm and relaxing place is helpful to ease the mind of struggles and to calm the mind. In conclusion, the theme of responsibility proves to be the most important in the novel Frankenstein.Although Frankenstein himself does not take responsibility over his action of creating the monster until it has destroyed almost everything he loved. If he had interpreted this responsibility from the beginning he could have avoided the tragedies that brought him into a depression. The only things that could help him through this terrible time would be friendships or nature. The fact that he lost all of his friendships through the destruction of the monster that he had not taken responsibility for led Frankenstein to have to find peace within nature.Works CitedShelly, Mary W. Frankenstein. London Penguin Group, 1992. Print.