Isolation in Frankenstein
Conrad Kramer
Mrs. Mack
Brit. Lit.
4-26-13
Isolation is something that everybody experiences at some point in his or her life. There are many different types of alienation and there are many different things that can cause someone to be solitary or lonely. Some people choose to be alone simply because they like to reflect on thoughts and their lives, while some people end up alone even if they don’t want to be. Isolation affects individuals in many different ways and can have many different effects and outcomes on a person, such as depression and loneliness. This is shown in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” through the monster, Victor Frankenstein, and Robert Walton. Mary Shelley often uses the narrative style of writing to show the devastating effects of isolation, from society, on individuals. Throughout this novel Shelley shows us what alienation can do to a person. All of the outcomes that we see in “Frankenstein” are negative, whether it is on the individual themselves, or on loved ones. When Elizabeth writes to Victor, she tells him how she feels about him removing himself from his family, and also about what it is doing to him. Elizabeth writes: “and even the constant letters of dear kind a Henry are not sufficient to reassure me on your account” (Shelley, 53). This shows that even though there is somebody trying to reassure her that Victor is ok, she still feels like what he is doing is bad. When the monster tells his side of the story to Victor, we see the effects of what isolation has done to the monster. One thing that comes from the monsters alienation is his uncontrollable rage that leads to the death of more than one person in Victor’s family. The monster says: “my enemy is no invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him” (Shelley, 122). With this statement, we are able to know that the monster knows that what he is doing will hurt Victor, but he does it anyway because he wants
Mrs. Mack
Brit. Lit.
4-26-13
Isolation is something that everybody experiences at some point in his or her life. There are many different types of alienation and there are many different things that can cause someone to be solitary or lonely. Some people choose to be alone simply because they like to reflect on thoughts and their lives, while some people end up alone even if they don’t want to be. Isolation affects individuals in many different ways and can have many different effects and outcomes on a person, such as depression and loneliness. This is shown in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” through the monster, Victor Frankenstein, and Robert Walton. Mary Shelley often uses the narrative style of writing to show the devastating effects of isolation, from society, on individuals. Throughout this novel Shelley shows us what alienation can do to a person. All of the outcomes that we see in “Frankenstein” are negative, whether it is on the individual themselves, or on loved ones. When Elizabeth writes to Victor, she tells him how she feels about him removing himself from his family, and also about what it is doing to him. Elizabeth writes: “and even the constant letters of dear kind a Henry are not sufficient to reassure me on your account” (Shelley, 53). This shows that even though there is somebody trying to reassure her that Victor is ok, she still feels like what he is doing is bad. When the monster tells his side of the story to Victor, we see the effects of what isolation has done to the monster. One thing that comes from the monsters alienation is his uncontrollable rage that leads to the death of more than one person in Victor’s family. The monster says: “my enemy is no invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him” (Shelley, 122). With this statement, we are able to know that the monster knows that what he is doing will hurt Victor, but he does it anyway because he wants
Bibliography: Brannstrom, Carina. "An Analysis of the Effects of Alienation in Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein." Lulea University of Technology, n.d. Web. “Themes and Constuction: Frankenstein.” EXPLORINGNovels. Detriot: Gale, 2003. Discovering Collection. Gale. Concordia Academy Media Center. 9 Apr. 2013 Shelley, Mary W., Lisa M. Miller, and Paul Moliken. Frankenstein. New York, NY: Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classics, 2005. Print.