Mary Shelley's Use Of Biblical Allusions In Frankenstein

In this column, choose five quotations from the text, one focusing on each of the following literary elements:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a gothic novel that tells the story of scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his obsession with creating human life. This leads him to creating a gruesome monster made of body-parts stolen from grave yards, whom upon discovering his hideousness, the monster seeks revenge against his creator, causing Victor to regret the creation of his monster for the rest of his life. Shelley uses the literary elements of personification, imagery, and similes to give a vivid sense and visualization of Victor Frankenstein’s thoughts and feelings as well as to allow us to delve deeper into the monster’s actions and emotions.

Eyes are a lens of how we perceive and interpret the world around us. Eyes are beautiful, entrancing, and mesmerizing. However, eyes can also blind us to the harsh realities of society and they can deceive us in unthinkable ways. Throughout the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the symbol of eyes represents the blindness that characters face in regards to their relationship with Victor’s horrendous monster. Eyes represent curiosity which leads to a disastrous creation, innocence which leads to death, and finally the overall realization that creating life can lead to catastrophic results.

In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Robert Walton is on a voyage to discover unexplored knowledge. While on this journey he finds Victor Frankenstein, who tells the reader of his own journey to discover the unknown. In this novel, Mary Shelley employs literary devices such as repetition, imagery, and rhetorical questions to provide meaning to the audience. For example, the author uses repetition to emphasize Elizabeth’s confidence. Expressing her frustration with the situation Elizabeth repeats, “But she was innocent. I know, I feel, she was innocent” (Shelley 63). The repetition used in this phrase shows how Elizabeth feels very irritated with the circumstance she is currently in. Another way Shelley uses literary devices to convey

The presence of biblical ideas can be seen throughout the Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. Whether it be Victor Frankenstein acting as god as he creates life or the comparison of the creature to the fallen angel or devil, the bible has a strong partnership in the novel. In chapter nine of volume two, there is once again an allusion to The Bible as the creature embodies Adam, from the creation of man in genesis two. The creature can be seen asking Frankenstein for “a creature of another sex”(170) to “free [him] from the misery”(170) he feels from being so lonely. This request the creature is asking for from Frankenstein mirrors the same desire Adam had in the second story of creation in Genesis two. Adam is seen lonely and looking for companionship

Frankenstein’s creature places himself in a submissive position when he begs his creator to have mercy on him and asking the creator to “create a female for [him] with whom [he] can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for [his] being.” The monster continues by reassuring the creator of his independent intelligence and power over the creature by telling Frankenstein, “This you alone can do”. Here, the creature assumes a role of submissiveness and reliance on Frankenstein. Frankenstein’s monster gains the sympathy of the reader who, despite condemning the murder of innocent people, commiserate with the lonely creature who is in search of an acquaintance, which he will likely never find. The monster also displays power and aggressiveness over Frankenstein; “You are my creator; but I am your master; obey!” The monster wants to desolate Victor’s heart, not by killing him directly,

The classic novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley in 1818, displays the use of literary devices, foreshadowing, allusions and figurative language, which aid the reader in understanding the authors opinion on scientific exploration. These techniques are used to arouse anticipation within the reader, therefore engaging them throughout the text. Along with providing a greater understanding of the novel, by referring to other books, and using the novel to portray the authors own perspective on scientific exploration. All these devices are effectively used within the novel to provide a deeper understandings of Mary Shelley’s work.

Frankenstein and his monster begin with opposite lives: Frankenstein has everything and the monster has nothing. However, in creating the monster, Frankenstein’s life and feelings begin to parallel that of the monster’s life. Frankenstein is incredibly intelligent with a fascination for science, but ultimately his thirst for knowledge leads to his undoing. Similarly the monster is determined to understand the society around him. But once he does, he understands that he will never be able to find companionship, which leads him to pain and anger. Following this both characters feel sorrow and regret in their own ways, the monster through guilt for the people he hurt and Frankenstein because his family were hurt by the being he created. By the

As a society we all seek answers to how God did it or question how we all got here, in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the key theme is the thirst for knowledge. Throughout the novel there are three prominent characters that seek for the understanding of life, including Victor Frankenstein, the creature, and Walton.

Ozymandias is a poem written by Percy Bysshe Shelly also Ozymandias is an Egyptian King. Ozymandias’ real name is King Ramesses II; he is known as Ozymandias by the Greeks. Percy Bysshe Shelly hears about a finding of Ozymandias’ statue near his funeral temple and this basically motivates him to write this poem. The statue is completely demolished, leaving only a few pieces from the statue on the ground and there is no other form of life near it, everything around the statue is deserted. Percy Bysshe Shelly basically describes what is at and around the statue in the poem Ozymandias.

In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Genesis 2) Adam and Eve had the option everyday to choose the Tree of Life (to lead a life of innocence and endless supply) or choose the Tree of Good and Evil (seeking knowledge that only God and his angels had). “‘You will not certainly die,’the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” From the serpent’s words, Eve was tempted by the knowledge that could bring her closer with God. Similarly, Frankenstein had the options to remain ignorant and have an endless supply of life-feeding off of the Delacey family, or seek the same knowledge of his creator’s kind. “I endeavoured to crush these fears and to fortify myself for the trial which in a few months I resolved to undergo; and sometimes I allowed my thoughts, unchecked by reason, to ramble in the fields of Paradise, and dared to fancy amiable and lovely creatures sympathizing with my feelings and cheering my gloom;” (Shelley, 156) Frankenstein wished to be united with the Delacey family by impressing them with his knowledge and eloquence, in hopes that those qualities would outshine his physical appearance. He chose this over his own security, living a plain life observing humans from the shadows, but still being fed enough. Frankenstein's monster couldn’t have made

After Frankenstein created the abomination, he was sickened to his stomach and had to have Henry take care of him. Instead of dealing with this creature he shut it out and made him leave into a world he knew nothing about. The creature even says,” I ought to be Adam, but rather I am the fallen Angel,” this is a biblical allusion to Adam (God’s first human creation) and Satan, this means you could’ve taught me everything and given me the world, but rather you casted me out like Satan. Frankenstein then blinded by his rage tears apart the

Frankenstein as both a gothic and romantic novel is brimming with excessive loads of allusions that impacts the view of major characters in the novel, like The Creature and Victor Frankenstein. The novel is a gothic one as it deals with the theme of loneliness and frightening settings. It is also a romantic novel as the whole novel is generally based on the idea of nature. An allusion is an expression designed to call something to mind without acknowledging it explicitly. Frankenstein has various types of allusions; biblical allusions, historical allusions, poetic allusions and a lot more in the text. Allusions in the novel include; allusion to the Mariner from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the poem Mutability, another poem Orlando Furioso,

The actions of an individual defines the boundary between sympathy and wickedness. Their behaviors and thoughts change the plot of the story and character identity. Mary Shelley uses moral ambiguity to overlook the unrealistic nature of her story. In Frankenstein, this concept incorporates itself into Mary Shelley’s characters. Ambiguity invokes an attachment between the figures and readers. One such figure is the creature. Victor’s creations is morally ambiguous, visible through his desire for affection, and inherent kindness.

Mary Shelley the author of the book Frankenstein completed the book in April/May 1817. The novel frankenstein has many gothic features in it to make you look at it in a different way. The supernatural and gloomy feeling you get from frankenstein is a way that Mary uses a gothic theme in her book to show mysteriousness in different ways.