Loneliness And Isolation In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Mary Shelley wrote her groundbreaking novel Frankenstein at a time of social and political upheaval in Europe, when the newly emerged industrial revolution was upsetting the social balance of the continent. Shelley saw before her a world of immense change as familiar social constructs fell into disarray when factories replaced farms. It was also at this time that new research in medical science and anatomy was promoting an increasing understanding of the mysteries of life, something that had previously eluded human understanding. Shelley combines the social change and technological progress of her time in an extended allegory in Frankenstein. She uses the danger of unchecked science combined with the loss of family ties to warn us of a threat facing society. The separation of parents from children served as an especially worrying issue that faced Shelley in this time. This combined with technologies and concepts like Galvanism to create a perfect avenue for a cautionary tale. She explores the dangers and ideas facing her

Throughout the novel loneliness and isolation both serve as the places and reasons for immoral or evil acts. The most impactful action of the novel, the creation of the Monster results because of Victors isolation at university without a family or friend to temper his madness. Again, isolation plays a role in the Monsters ultimate scorn of humanity when he finds that only another monster will grant him companionship. Ultimately in his pursuit to destroy the Monster, Victor falls in total isolation, only ever encountering other people in the twilight moments of his life. This isolation was a fear of the materialism that was sweeping society at the time, creating a sense that possession and wealth took over the life of most people. Shelley feared that this was the direction civilization was headed and feared its terrible