Jasmine Smith
Period 6
3-6-13
“Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours - more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow demons to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and abhorred.” This is the cry of Frankenstein's monster in the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Throughout the book, Shelley’s work reflects her personal psychology, along with her psychological states. Shelley’s psychological matters such as repressions, dreams and desires float consciously and unconsciously throughout the book. Therefore, in some ways, Frankenstein can be viewed as an autobiographical work rather than a novel.
Growing up,Shelly never had a stable home. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, a philosopher and feminist, died when Shelley was only eleven days old. This is where we see the book’s first relation. Shelley and Frankenstein's mothers both died at a young age, and were practically non-existent in either lives. This causes Frankenstein’s lack of warmth, love and insight - something his mother never gave him. This left Frankenstein with a gap in his heart, always searching for a love. Frankenstein was also born without a mother, leaving the two main characters without a second parent or “Creator”. Growing up without a mother is difficult. Mothers have different views and perspectives. Losing your mother at an early age rips the very fiber of life apart. It may have long term damage on the child and can affect their overall feelings of security. This is something Mary, Frankenstein and his creation never had. This relation with the author reveals her psychological state as a child. Later on in life, Mary was left with her older half sister Fanny Imlay and her father William Godwin. At the age of four, her father remarried a woman named Mary