The Role Of Parenting In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

The Duties a Parent Has Towards Their Children

What gives humans the right to create life? Moreover, what responsibilities does a parent have to his child. Multiple philosophies have been formulated that address this question; communism and Christianity being two of the most prominent in the western modern world. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses Frankenstein’s monster to convey her belief that a parent's most basic duty to their child is to be present in their live while caring and nurture them. She does this through a multitude of literary devices. By using a metaphorical child, foreshadowing torment that will result from abandonment, and telling a story within a story to show the importance of parenting Mary Shelley presents

Frankenstein's monster is a child, as evidenced by his birth and the manner he acquires knowledge. The first evidence that Frankenstein's monster is a metaphor for a child is he is born after nine months of work. Frankenstein works “winter, spring, and summer” before his monster comes to life in November (Shelley 46, 48). Every month in a traditional calendar last three months, therefore in three seasons nine months will have passed, the traditional amount

Immediately after the monster comes to life Frankenstein experiences grief and horror, causing him to abandon the monster and “[rush] out of the room” (Shelley 49). Immediately after, Frankenstein dreams that his kiss transforms Elizabeth into his dead mother (Shelley 49). Had Frankenstien never left his monster he would not have had this dream, thus Shelley foreshadows the horrific scenes to come as a result of Frankenstein's abandonment of his monster. By leaving his monster Frankenstein experiences a nightmare, foreshadowing the actual nightmare Frankenstein will live through for the rest of his life. Just a few pages later Shelley uses foreshadowing again when she has Frankenstien fall into a “nervous fever” (Shelley 53). When Frankenstein had his initial nightmare his abandonment from his monster was not yet concrete. When Frankenstein awoke from his nightmare he still had the chance to reclaim his creation and nurture him. However, once the separation is complete between the monster and Frankenstein, a worse fate lies before Frankenstein. Soon after realizing “the apartment was empty, and [Frankenstein’s ] bedroom,” making it virtually impossible for Frankenstein to raise the monster, as he will never find it, Frankenstein enters into his nervous fit. The