Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay Example for Free

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay In Mary Shelleys Frankenstein we are presented with more than just a story (which is how it began) but with a novel that raises deep philosophical questions. The tale of Frankenstein is much more than just a story; it is a cautionary tale which pays attention to moral values by presenting the reader with the character of Frankenstein and his toils. Mary Shelley is able to present us with more than just a horrific story but also with the moral ideas which form its fundamental basis. There are a variety of themes which run through the story of Frankenstein with the theme of friendship, nature, and most importantly responsibility. Victor Frankenstein was obsessed with creating life itself out of nonliving parts. This is shown where he refers to himself in third person saying, â€Å"So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein—more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation† (Shelly 49). Victor is so concentrated on the glory of being able to create a being from dead parts that he becomes consumed in his work and never even considers the affect this could have on society. He completely disregards this affect making this the first responsibility that Frankenstein failed to complete. He searched graveyards for material to fashion a new being, which he shocks into life with electricity. Although his creature was extremely big and being made from many different parts quickly combined together into a being was hideous. Once he had created this monster he states, â€Å"now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing my bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep†(Shelly 58). Frankenstein took no responsibility over his hideous creation here and instead decides to flee from the room in terror and leave the monster. This shows that he wants no part of what he created at this point so he is trying to escape the responsibility of creating the monster. Although inside he kno ws that he created the monster and anything the monster does will be on Frankenstein’s conscious. This leads to new events in the story that he feels responsible for. Frankenstein felt responsible for his younger brothers death when he realized that the monster he created murdered William. Frankenstein started to feel as if he himself had committed the murder because of his role in the monsters existence. Everything the monster did was Frankensteins fault because he was the creator. Rather than blame the monster for his downfall, Frankenstein blamed himself because he created the monsters life. He did not take actual responsibility for his brother’s death however because he did not want anyone to know about the monster. Frankenstein felt as if he murdered Justine as well as William because she was executed for a crime the monster committed of murdering William. If Frankenstein would have taken responsibility for his actions of creating the monster and told people what actually happened to his brother then Justine would not have been killed for a crime she did not commit. The chain of events that the monster set off with Williams murder began not with the monster, but with Frankensteins desire to create life. When the monster came to Frankenstein to plead his case and tell his story, Frankenstein realized that he had some obligation to the monster because he created it, in the same way that he bore responsibility for the monsters actions. Frankenstein was no longer simply responsible to humanity for the monsters actions, but he was also responsible to the monster for his happiness. Being the creator of a life was more responsibility than Frankenstein planned for when he was so eager to create the monster. The monster called upon Frankenstein to fulfill his obligation of providing for his happiness by creating a female companion to keep him company. Out of his sense of obligation to his creation and out of fear for his family (which the monster threatened to harm if Victor did not make a companion), Frankenstein agreed to make the female monster. His responsibility to his creation carried greater weight than the idea of his responsibility to humanity for the actions of the original monster and the new one he agreed to create. He hadnt yet realized the full weight of responsibility he would bear for the actions of both monsters. Before Frankenstein could marry Elizabeth, he had to complete his obligation to the monster so that he could be completely rid of him and the responsibility for his actions. As a result, Frankenstein postponed the wedding and took a trip to England to work without the danger of being discovered by his family because he had still not told anyone about the monster that he created and actually to responsibility for its actions. His obligation to the monster was not only to ensure the monsters happiness, which Frankenstein felt obliged to do as the monsters creator, but also as a way to protect his family from the monsters vengeance. Before he completed the female monster, Frankenstein realized the weight of responsibility he would bear if together the two monsters destroyed any other human life or reproduced, and the thought was just too much to bear. Rather than deal with the responsibility for two hideous, superhuman creatures, Frankenstein would rather deal with the wrath of one, so he destroyed his work on the female monster. This kept him free from the enormous feeling of responsibility of any actions of the two monsters. Frankenstein was responsible for Henrys death at the hands of the monster, and this grief rendered him ill for a long time. Frankenstein is once again in the position he found himself with William and Justines deaths. He didnt murder Henry, but his friendship with Frankenstein made Henry susceptible to the monsters wrath because he used Henry to get back at Frankenstein. Although the Irish magistrate acquitted him, Frankenstein knew that he was responsible for Henrys death because he had d efied the monsters wishes and the monster repaid him by killing his friend. The monster then did exactly as it said it would if Frankenstein did not create a companion for it and went to kill his fiancà ©e Elizabeth. Frankenstein, feeling responsible for Elizabeths death as well, vowed vengeance on the monster. The only way to absolve his responsibility for the monsters actions was to kill him, so thats what Frankenstein set out to do. He was responsible for the monsters creation and its actions, and he planned to be responsible for the monsters destruction as well which would free his mind from any new struggles. Frankenstein has already lost all of the friends that he was close with and really lost everything he has dreamed of at the hands of the monster. He believes without his friendships he has nothing to live for except the destruction of the monster. Friendship is important throughout the novel because it is the goal of Walton, the narrator, as well as the monster Frankenstein created. Loneliness and isolation are major conflicts throughout â€Å"Fr ankenstein†, and in this novel they motivate the monster to turn to destruction. The first sight of the theme of friendship we see is how Walton longs for a friend to share his excitement over the voyage to the North Pole. He is separated from his sister, whom he may never see again, and he has no one to buoy his courage or steady his heady excitement. Walton writes, â€Å"I have no friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavor to sustain me in dejection†(Shelly 19). Friendless in the cold, white blankness of Archangel, and preparing to sail into the vast and unknown frozen arctic, seems a desolate situation for Walton. He feels the need of someone of his same intelligence that he can share his thoughts with so that the friend could keep Walton positive when he feels as though failure on his journey is near. Without a friend Walton is just a lonely being among others that cannot sustain his need for a friend to help him find a bit of lig ht in the dark days of his voyage to sooth his soul. â€Å"Frankenstein† also uses Natural beauty as well as friendship for a soothing influence on the characters of the novel and it is an important part of the Romantic influence. This appreciation of beauty in a novel so filled with brutality seems an odd contrast, but it is part of what makes this story a Romantic piece. On Frankenstein’s trip back home he was anxious about the changes in his homeland since he had been away for six years, so he spent a few days resting in a small town and letting the landscape of his country ease his worry. â€Å"I remained two days at Lausanne, in this painful state of mind. I contemplated the lake: the waters were placid: all around was calm; and the snowy mountains, ‘the palaces of nature’, were not changed. By degrees the calm and heavenly scene restored me, and I continued my journey toward Geneva† (Shelly 76). The familiar landscapes, which seemed timeless when compared to the span of human life, calmed his worries. Nature makes us feel small and unimportant because we last such a short time in comparison to the mountains, rivers, and trees around us, so whatever we are experiencing must be miniscule as well. Gazing at the calm and relaxing place is helpful to ease the mind of struggles and to calm the mind. In conclusion, the theme of responsibility proves to be the most important in the novel â€Å"Frankenstein†. Although Frankenstein himself does not take responsibility over his action of creating the monster until it has destroyed almost everything he loved. If he had taken this responsibility from the beginning he could have avoided the tragedies that brought him into a depression. The only things that could help him through this terrible time would be friendships or nature. The fact that he lost all of his friendships through the destruction of the monster that he had not taken responsibility for led Frankenstein to have to find peace within nature. Works Cited Shelly, Mary W. Frankenstein. London: Penguin Group, 1992. Print.