The Role Of Abandonment In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

A Tale of Two Tragedies A tragic hero is a character with a great flaw; this flaw, once realized, will be the downfall of the character and the eventual destruction of themselves. Poisonwood Bible, by Barbra Kingslover and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley both have perfect examples of tragic heroes. Nathan and the monster both are considered tragic figures in these novels. Each of them has given up their life to continue with one reason to live. The monster has realized that he cannot be accepted into the world because of his looks and Nathan believes that God despises him for being a coward.

In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, understanding the biblical allusion of Satan and how he relates to the monster will give the reader a deeper insight into the Romantic element, the Byronic hero, along with the theme of isolation. When the monster says “‘You, my creator, abhor me; what hope I can gather from your fellow creatures, you owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me’”(Shelley 87) it shows the theme of isolation. No human accepts him, which leaves him left in the dust alone. Even his own creator doesn't accept him.

This quote conveys the monster was angry with Victor for creating him then abandoning him. Distinctly, Victor left the monster and the monster is not happy about it. The monster feels as though he should atleast know who he is as a person. There is no one to tell him who is, why he was created, and how to behave. Similarly, When he thought all day of how he was to seek revenge on Victor.“ but allowing myself to be borne away by the stream, I bent my mind towards injury and death.” ( Shelley 165 ).

Frankenstein, due to his emotional disconnect with his family, perceives the target of this threat to be himself, but instead on the fated night finds Elizabeth, his own companion, “lifeless and inanimate…[with the] mark of the fiend’s grasp on her neck” (165-166). Elizabeth’s murder causes Frankenstein “the agony of despair,” to the extent that he is made to feel “the heat of fever” in recollection of the event (166). In killing Elizabeth, the monster effectively mirrors onto Victor the pain felt at a lack of companionship, thus ensuring that Victor’s emotional isolation from his family becomes absolute—just as the monster is absolutely alone with the abortion of his own companion. It is

Hamlet feels betrayed by his mother and feels like he can 't trust anyone. Shakespeare gives Hamlet these struggles in the play to amplify the mental and psychological events that make the reader feel bad about what all happened to Hamlet. Hamlet eventually kills Claudius like his father told him to, but only did it after his mother, Gertrude, drank the poison that Claudius meant to give Hamlet. This is a result of external action from all the sorrows that was building up in Hamlet’s life. This brings us to our next character, Gertrude, Claudius’s wife and Hamlets

It is clear that Dr. Frankenstein is in a regretful mindset when he states, “I suffered living torture.” Meaning that he knew it was never Justine who killed William. However, he would never be able to speak up because he is fearful that he will be perceived as mad by his family and by the public. This was just one of the consequences that Frankenstein has to face due to his creation. Frankenstein also recognizes the fact that it is ultimately his own fault that William has died and that Justine will be wrongly sentenced for his death. Thus the reason he states that the trial is a “wretched mockery of justice.” The death of both William and Justine then lie on Victor Frankenstein’s shoulders.

He anguish he faces daily is heavy on the heart and mind, which makes you question what society is really made up of. As we transition to the creature we will compare the creatures' abandonment, self- isolation to Frankenstein's experiences. To see what bond to they share with each other, what the author wants us to understand…. The creature has one of the saddest existence in the novel; he is introduced to the reader as a horrid monster who was born out of curiosity and ignorance. At the moment of his first words, actions, and sight he is already abandoned and alone with no concept of the world he is brought into.

Both choose to isolate themselves from society in order to gain this power. While in isolation, both lose site of their moral responsibilities in life: Victor by abandoning his creation and Kurtz by participating in the horrific rites and ceremonies of the natives, which include killing. Further, the monster in Frankenstein and the Russian in Heart of Darkness define how evilness overpowers Victor and Kurtz respectively through isolation. The monster is fully capable of love and compassion but isolation and complete abandonment by his creator results in vengeful evilness, for which Victor is responsible. The Russian, by all accounts, should despise Kurtz for demanding his ivory and threatening his life.

Frankenstein hesitates on this quest due to past experience while creating the current monster. The monsters goal is to be happy and to feel love by another, but his goal is unattainable because the mate might have a different mindset than the creature; she could possibly hate the creature or turn him down in disgust. Frankenstein rejects the favor and the monster, in anger, swears to his creator that he will make him miserable since he failed to make him happy. For instance, The monster’s selfish ways determines him as a fiend because he says “ Your hours will pass in dread and misery, and soon the bolt will fall which must ravish from your happiness forever. Are you to be happy while I grovel in the intensity of my wretchedness?

The central passage in Volume 2 Chapter 8 of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel “Frankenstein” is the. The subsequent rage in his rejection by the De Lacey’s plunges the Creature into a fit “of utter and stupid despair” as he loses “the only link that held [him] to the world”. As the human emotions of “revenge and hatred fill [the Creature]”; his memories of the De Lacey’s converge in his conscious, their benevolent attributes and characteristics combating his revelling anger at their reaction to his plea for acceptance albeit not for long. The Creature eventually turns his “fury towards inanimate objects”; Shelley demonstrating the Creature’s capability for benevolence as he is “unable to injure anything human”. As the moon sunk and “night advanced”,

Frankenstein’s lack of feminine nurture leaves the creature in abandonment, demonstrating the isolation caused from lack of nurture. Because Frankenstein abandons him, the monster searches for nurture, finding a family to watch from afar. However, the monster believes he “requires kindness and sympathy” and attempts to converse with them in hopes to receive nurture (118, Shelley). Yet, as he speaks with the De Laceys, he gets “dashed to the ground” and “struck violently with a stick” (121, Shelley). This depicts male violent tendencies that dominate feminine nurture.

After learning he accidentally drives the Delacey’s apart from him, causing great depression and anger (Frasait). The monster is said to be a replica of Frankenstein. The monster has no control over his aggression and continues to murder his master’s loved ones. Although, this aggression is spurred on from the rejection and sorrow that humanity has placed on him (Cantor 117). The creature’s ultimate sorrow is caused by the denial of a companion