ipl-logo

The Theme Of Isolation In Frankenstein

669 Words3 Pages

Mary Shelley, in her book, Frankenstein, has a reoccurring theme of isolation, in which she isolates the main character, Victor Frankenstein, from the rest of society in order to create a creature. Likewise, the creature that is created is also isolated from the rest of society as he is rejected from his creator as to his appearance. The theme is present throughout the novel as it reinforces Victor’s downfall from a normal boy to a grown man intrigued with creating life as he slowly becomes a madman that everyone soon fears. Isolation causes a loss of humanity as it affects the mind and body. Isolation from society does not teach social interaction, causes regret about oneself, provides one with negative feelings, and causes regretful actions. Frankenstein's description of the creature present him as disgusting and horrifying. The description of the creature makes him feel as if he is unwanted, his father rejected him, so he became an outsider and was isolated from the rest of society, since he believes no one cares for him. In society nowadays, there is a large fear of social interaction due to the overprotection of parents. For example, psychiatrists are concerned with child development patterns of adolescents who were overprotected during their childhood and do not know how to properly interact with …show more content…

His drive for knowledge drove him to create the creature, and after it was created he soon came to regret his thirst for knowledge. For instance, after the creature came to life, he could not stand to go back into his laboratory as it would remind him of his regretful creation. The creature also came to regret himself as his, ‘father’ regretted creating him. The creature tells Walton, that he deeply regrets having become an instrument of evil and that with his creator dead, he is ready to die ( chapter 24). Anyone who has come to regret themselves or their actions, will inevitably lead to their

Show More
Related

  • Frankenstein God Quotes

    614 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dr Frankenstein isolated himself from all other life and civilization so he could create his ideal creation, being the monster. When finished, he realized how ugly death was. He then realized that he had not

    Read More

  • Isolation In Frankenstein Essay

    758 Words  | 4 Pages

    Emotional and physical isolation in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are the most pertinent and prevailing themes throughout the novel. These themes are so important because everything the monster, Victor, and Robert Walton do or feel directly relates to their poignant seclusion. The effects of this terrible burden have progressively damaging results upon the three.

    Read More

  • Seclusion And Disruption In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    793 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the tale of a mad scientist is told who surpasses the limits of science and what is typically considered to be possible for man to achieve. One of the many underlying stories, though, can be seen in the monster who is created and then brought to life at the beginning of the novel. The monster’s development throughout the novel begins with initially being rejected and neglected by his creator Victor Frankenstein. The monster turns aggressive soon after and seeks revenge on Frankenstein’s family, killing off each one, one at a time. These actions are obviously very unlike that of an average human child, but when you look at his horrendous acts as being in response to negligence by a parental figure,

    Read More

  • Examples Of Ostracism In Frankenstein

    855 Words  | 4 Pages

    Society is well-known for pushing those who are outsiders or strange away from society. This is prevalent to the examples in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein. The monster who was created by Victor Frankenstein who wanted to be the first to create life was appalled by the sights of the his creation. Frankenstein’s monster is judged based on his appearances and is often ostracized by society, just as anyone in modern day society can be shunned or pushed away due to their looks or how they think. The most outstanding example of ostracism that occurred throughout the novel is based on the monster’s physical features and structure.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Selfishness In Frankenstein

    751 Words  | 4 Pages

    Selfish Desires Selfishness has caused the downfall of countless characters throughout a multitude of literary works. This selfishness is also what usually precedes a character’s isolation due to the consequences of their actions. One example of this can be found in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein when Victor Frankenstein defies the natural order to accomplish his personal goals. Likewise, in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Mariner makes a fatal mistake of performing a selfish action without thinking of the consequences. These works use the character’s actions and the main characters to explore how selfish decisions leads to one’s own isolation and the destruction of those around them.

    Read More

  • Victor Frankenstein Knowledge Quotes

    1594 Words  | 7 Pages

    Children have never been very good at listening, but are very good at intimidating. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor, after obtaining an abundance of knowledge unknowingly created a creature that would soon seek revenge due to his feeling of rejection. Victor had been loved unconditionally by his parents. However he was not given the direction and reinforcement he desired while he was growing up. Victor was allowed to quarantine himself by his parents, rather than being educated to a better life.

    Read More

  • Frankenstein: Selfish And Selfishness In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1135 Words  | 5 Pages

    The creature becomes defensive. "Life...is dear to me, and I will defend it" (Shelley 96), this is ironic because not only does the creature kill others showing his selfishness, which he is mirroring Victor 's earlier selfish intentions for creating the creature, but earlier he was suicidal. Now the creature has to ask permission for a better life from a person that doesn 't even seem to value it. The creature also reminds

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Jeffrey Jerome Cohen's Monster Culture

    1088 Words  | 5 Pages

    The monster is spurned by society because of his horrific appearance, his body, alone and hated, unfit for the company of strangers, just as Frankenstein fears he is. He is miserable which makes the hatred grow, as he says, “all men hate the wretched; how then must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things!” In fact, this wretchedness and enforced isolation is the monster’s main character trait, parallel to the isolation being Frankenstein’s biggest fear. Now that Victor is in college, he does not have his family to fall back upon for affection.

    Read More

  • Ambition For Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1278 Words  | 6 Pages

    The ambition for knowledge is a dangerous thing, especially if that knowledge is kept a secret. The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, follows Walton who, while searching for new land, helps Victor Frankenstein and listens to his story. Victor Frankenstein is a wise character, but his passion for knowledge, his ambition, and his decision to keep his past a secret drives him and others around him to a short life. Frankenstein’s passion for knowledge drives him to isolate himself and make those around him worry. Frankenstein has a lonely life due to his pursuit of knowledge.

    Read More

  • Social Belonging In Frankenstein

    987 Words  | 4 Pages

    By denying both main characters the sensation of domestic affection, or any other kind of social belonging, Mary Shelley highlights the importance thereof. The resulting isolation became the driving force behind both Frankenstein and his creation’s abominable actions which, in turn, shows that trying to avoid isolation and seeking the feeling of social belonging is the primary message of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and of

    Read More

  • How Does Victor Change In Frankenstein

    1530 Words  | 7 Pages

    First, the creature reveals emotions of his “Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust. God in pity,

    Read More

  • The Monster And Exile In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    672 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Monster and Exile Every person in life is created with a strong sense of belonging. Whether the belonging is to a person, a place, or a moment in time, they still feel connected and influenced by it. Exile is an action that separates a person from this connected belonging, and can suffer great consequences, but can also enrich their lifestyle. In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the creature creaked by Victor Frankenstein is forced, from the very beginning of his existence, away from his creator and society as a whole. This type of exile turned the creature into what he is, shaping his ideas and mentalities.

    Read More

  • Parent Child Relationship In Frankenstein

    1465 Words  | 6 Pages

    According to Edward Kruk, P.h.D. “(85 percent of youth in prison have an absent father; fatherless children are more likely to offend and go to jail as adults)”. Frankenstein’s Creature is not only fatherless, but has also committed multiple murders, fitting the typical fatherless child perfectly. Kruk also wrote “behavioral problems (fatherless children have more difficulties with social adjustment, and are more likely to report problems with friendships, and manifest behavior

    Read More

  • Theme Of Isolation In Frankenstein

    1724 Words  | 7 Pages

    They ways in which they are affected by this abandonment proves that isolation has grave effects on human interaction and social development. One way that the theme of isolation negatively affecting social development is presented in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is through the character’s separation from their creators. The creature is abandoned by Victor, his creator, as soon as he awakes.

    Read More

  • Isolation In The Monk And Frankenstein

    1499 Words  | 6 Pages

    It is clear that alienation and isolation affects the way that characters behave and the choices that they make throughout each of the respective narratives of Ambrosio from The Monk by Matthew Lewis and Victor Frankenstein from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Ambrosio and Frankenstein are the ones to blame for their choice of alienation and isolation which has caused Ambrosio to commit crimes of murder, rape and witchcraft and Frankenstein to utilise dangerous knowledge to create a destructive creature. These choices affect issues such as gender, sexuality and the surface and substance of the protagonist’s characters. Furthermore, their alienation and isolation has caused them to turn into monstrous figures, therefore making poor or ill fated

    Read More

More about The Theme Of Isolation In Frankenstein

Open Document