Essay Four

INTRODUCTION

Written against the backdrop of fear concerning the dangers of a society plummeting rapidly into an Industrial Revolution, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein addresses the overarching tensions between knowledge and progression, and nature and emotion. Through the inception of the Creature as a simulacrum of industrialised technocracy, Shelley is able to condemn the attempts of Victor Frankenstein to usurp God’s omnipotence for his own creative progression. In conjunction, Shelley is able to criticise society as an entirety for their treatment of the Creature, and more broadly individuals who fail to conform to societal expectations, to suggest that whilst Victor is responsible for the Creature’s actions, society also played a role in inspiring his malicious nature.¹

PARAGRAPH 1

Shelley attempts from the outset to draw attention to the way in which an unbridled ambition can lead to a betrayal of nature’s immutable laws and consequently the inception of that which is unnatural and uncontrollable. In this manner, she is able to use Frankenstein to direct her castigation of those in her own era who were endeavouring to bring about societal progression with little consideration for the consequences of their actions.³ In subtitling her text ‘The Modern Prometheus,’ Shelley invites her audience to draw an association between her own antagonist, and the plight of the Greek God who gave fire to humans, betraying his ruler’s wishes in the process. Thus, Shelley highlights Victor’s actions as betraying the order of a higher power in God. This is intimated via his allusions to the Genesis story and Milton’s Paradise Lost.⁴ Through Victor’s “eager desire” to discover the “secrets of heaven and earth,” he adopts the role of God to bring about a “species who will bless [him] as its creator.” However, critically, the Creature is able to reveal that whilst “God made man beautiful after his own image,” he was a “filthy type” of Victor’s form, suggesting that Victor did not have the capability or power to successfully act as God did.⁵ Furthermore, the Creature is able to credit Victor with his eventually “Satan[ic]” actions, through lamenting that he “ought to be thy Adam... but was rather the fallen angel.” Through such lamentations, Shelley is able to direct the culpability for the Creature’s “murderous machinations,” onto Victor who was unable to temper his ambition to within human bounds and thus betrayed God’s rule to produce a Creature that he did not have the omnipotence to control. The ultimate inversion of the master-slave relationship⁶ between the Creature and Victor, as the Creature declares “slave... remember that I have power,” allows Shelley to warn readers of her era against acting against God’s rule, through exposing the potentially dangerous consequences that may arise from doing so.

3. A very intimate understanding of the authorial intent is depicted here, as Shelley’s writing is considered within the context of her setting.

4. Here we have a link between a number of intertextual references that enables a smooth transition into the accompanying example.

5. Demonstrates an understanding of the effect of Shelley’s writing and elicits consideration relating to the overarching purpose of Shelley’s decisions.

6. The use of such an alternative textual example is great. That it is accompanied by such complex interpretations and consideration of the historical and cultural context of the time is fantastic!

PARAGRAPH 2

In addition to this critique of unnatural aspiration,⁷ Shelley reveals the patriarchal dominance of the 19th century in exploring the male tendency to exert and remove power from females. She indicates that Victor, in assuming the role of birth giver, fails to uphold the duty of a maternal figure.⁸ Shelley employs pathetic fallacy to highlight the perverse and unnatural actions of Victor in bringing the Creature to life. That it was a “dreary night in November,” and “rain pattered dismally against the window” allows Shelley to imply that nature opposed Victor’s actions. Indeed, this idea is more or less confirmed when Victor recounts a dream he had the following night that when he kissed Elizabeth, her lips became discoloured “with the hue of death.” In this manner, Shelley attempts to evoke consideration as to whether Victor’s actions not only betrayed God as creator, but also females as creators, reinforcing the idea that Victor was therefore unsuitable to parent the Creature and did not possess the ability to successfully introduce him into society. Shelley draws a stark juxtaposition between Victor’s abandonment of his Creature and the actions of his own parents⁹ who had “inexhaustible stores of affection, from a very mine of love.” He was able to reflect on himself as a child being a “helpless creature bestowed on [his parents] by heaven, yet is unable to view the “vile insect” of his creation as similarly innocent. Instead, he shuns the Creature at birth, out of a misconstrued fear for his own life, revealing his inability to show either maternal or paternal qualities and uphold his responsibility to teach the Creature the lore of humanity. Therefore, Shelley condemns Victor’s actions, holding him accountable for the Creature’s lack of morality and in a broader sense castigating those within society that fail to take responsibility for their actions, and the consequence of these actions.

7. Ensures that a link is established between the first and second paragraph, so that the new idea for the second paragraph does not come across as unrelated or disjointed.

8. Although women don’t play a major explicit role in the text, there are many interesting ideas you can explore by using female characters as starting points for your analysis, so it’s definitely worth attempting to integrate these thematic ideas into relevant essays.

9. Again, incorporation of minor characters provides another layer of analysis that really reinforces and legitimises the ideas you are exploring.  

PARAGRAPH 3

However, poignantly, readers are positioned by Shelley to acknowledge the undeniable tendency for humans to approach individuals who fail to conform to societal norms with hostility. In so doing, she speaks not only to readers of her era, but to a modern audience¹⁰ to reflect her dismay toward their treatment of ‘others’ within society. Notably, the Creature shows an intrinsic desire to be and do good, coupled with a desire for companionship that ultimately serves to reveal his inherent capacity to co-exist within human society. In observing Safie and the De Lacey’s, he “longed to join them,” and expressed an “ardour for virtue” and “abhorrence for vice.”¹¹ It is in this way, therefore, that Shelley elicits a sense of sympathy for the Creature¹² and evokes a shared sense of indignation toward those who reject his attempts for companionship. The Creature’s initial confrontation with the patriarch of the De Lacey’s family, contrasted with Felix’s merciless beating of him, reveals a saddening tendency for humans to judge based on “visage,” rather than character. Yet, this is contradicted through the character of Justine,¹³ who despite being described as “exquisitely beautiful,” is condemned for a crime that she did not commit. The commonality between Justine and the Creature is their low status on the autocratic social hierarchy of their time. It is in the Creature’s acknowledgement of society’s refusal to accept him, typified by William’s fear of his approach, that acts as the catalyst to the “malice of the fiend” being revealed. Hence, Shelley challenges her readers to consider, and potentially re-evaluate, the manner in which they treat those who they perceive to be different or less fortunate, encouraging an attitude of understanding and inclusion.

10. Considers the timeless nature of the text and therefore decodes Shelley’s overarching intent through applying it to a modern setting.

11. There are quite a few quotes embedded here, as the previous sentence made multiple points, so it can be useful to include a variety of evidence to support this range of ideas.

12. Continued recognition of the intended effect of Shelley’s writing on her audience.

13. We’ve also managed to seamlessly incorporate yet another minor character into the essay, without it reading as through we are just trying to pack in as many examples and ideas as we can think of to show off!

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein serves as a critique of her 19th century society and the Enlightened pursuits that shaped the era. Through the plight of the Creature and his creator, Victor Frankenstein, Shelley evokes consideration as to how a blind pursuit of personal glory can lead to a betrayal of God’s omnipotence, and the immutable law of nature, to denounce those individuals who attempt to exceed the boundaries of their human capabilities. However, despite primarily positioning Victor as responsible for the Creature’s malevolent actions, Shelley aims also to direct culpability toward society in general. It is society’s fear of that which is different, and inherent prejudice toward such difference, Shelley implies, that inspires the Creature to “declare everlasting war” both “against the human species” and against his creator.¹⁵

14. The willingness to add complexity to your own contentions can show that you are very thoughtful and prepared to evaluate the text from different angles and perspectives. This once again assists in creating a more sophisticated analysis.

15. Generally, you don’t want to finish with a quote, as it can seem like a missed opportunity for analysis. However, since the Creature is explicitly referenced in the question, it is acceptable to conclude with a quote from him, as long as it is still meaningful and relevant to your overall point, and as long as your conclusion still addresses the broader themes and the author’s views and values.