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Mary Shelleys Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus is a true classic, one which has passed the test of time. The story of Frankenstein has been told and retold, generation after generation. Not only is the story line itself intriguing but the story has many underlying themes that invoke thought and controversy. Depending upon your individual perspective one might see the underlying theme as a warning to the scientific community to question the morality of their scientific advancements in light of the betterment of mankind and society as a whole. Another reader, might view the underlying theme as referring to interpersonal relationships between men and women. From my own perspective as a parent and mother of two children, I perceive the most prevalent underlying theme to be that of parenting.
This novel illustrates and confronts many issues involving the dynamics of parent-child relationships. Such as child abandonment, child neglect, the dangers of spoiling your child, and their resulting influences on the childs emotional and psychological development. Mary Shelleys Frankenstein clearly demonstrates the importance of attachment and bonding between the mother and the child for normal childhood development... Shelley does this by identifying the negative effects of depriving a child of a nurturing mother. Without mothering a childs capacity to trust others and commit to loving relationships diminishes resulting in social isolation later in life. More important, the lack of a loving education deprives a child of developing a clear and comprehensive understanding of human morality.
A child that does not possess an adequate moral understanding often dissociates themselves from their feeling of anger and guilt resulting in unrepenting violence. This is validated in the story by the demons inability to form any type of loving relationship and the demons subsequent moral failings resulting in violent outburst which legitimizes societies condemnation of the demon as a social outcast. Thus, Mary Shelley suggest that a rejected and un mothered child can become violent and even a killer, a monster so to speak. The Monster is not the only character in Frankenstein to find themselves motherless. There is a conspicuous absence of mothers throughout the book.
Victors best friend, Henry Clerval, is motherless and spends most of his formidable years reared by the Frankenstein household as Henrys father had little time for him. Victors mother, Caroline who is herself orphaned, dies a few months before he goes away to study at the university in Ingolstadt. Elizabeth, Victors fianc? , is adopted by the Frankenstein family after she is orphaned due the death of her mother. William Frankenstein's nursemaid, Justine, is not only wrongfully executed, but is not even introduced into the Frankenstein household until after her mother abuses and neglects her and abandons her to Elizabeth's good graces. Even the De Lacey family that the Monster spends two years observing through the peek hole of his hovel is motherless. Many of the characters are lacking a mothers love and guidance as part of their own childhood environment.
Consequently, they maybe lacking the experiences in life that implant good parenting skills. Such is the case with Caroline who passed on a mothers love the only way she knew how. Ignorant of any harm she maybe bestowing on her children. Child abuse is not always as blatant as the nose on your face or as scornful or intentional as out right physical abuse or child abandonment. As Shelley corroborates in the case of Victor.
As a child, Victor was overly indulged and spoiled, which in itself is a form of child neglect. Victors parent showered him with love and affection but did not set limits as to acceptable behavior. As a result Victor grew into an manipulative self-centered adult who was incapable of accepting responsibility for his own actions and showed little or no concern for others. The disastrous effects of spoiling Victor became obvious when he could not control his impulse to meddle with the creation of life. Victor was so overwhelmed with fulfilling his own personnel ambitions and his childhood experiences were so lacking that he never considered that there is a difference between wanting and needing. As a result, Victor was so consumed with whether or not he could create life he never stopped to consider the consequences of his experiments.
In Victors rush to create life he did not give any deliberation as to the quality of life he would be bestowing upon his creation. Frankenstein's reckless disregard for the power he was wielding is manifested in the outward appearance of his creation. From the onset the monsters hideous body sickened Victor. As a scientist or a father, Victor never prepared himself to face the repugnant embodiment of his creation. Victor did not consider how his creation would fit into society or how this frightening creature would be able to overcome the prejudice of his being. It was obvious that Victor never intended to parent his creation or assume responsibility for his actions.
From the moment of the creatures birth, Victor thought of it as demonical and abused it. Victors eagerness to abandon his creation demonstrates that Victor never considered the creation to be of his birth. He did not see the creature as his child but instead no more than an ill fated adventure. Symbolic of Victors intentions to abandon his responsibilities and alienate the monster from his lineage becomes poignant when Victor fails to provide his creation with a namesake. The absence of a name denies the monster the knowledge of who he is or any family origins. The monsters lack of a name and place in society, caused him great distress, as depicted in the following passage. " But where were my friends and relations?
No father had watched my infant days, no mother blessed me with smiles and caresses. I had never yet seen a being resembling me, or who claimed any intercourse with me. What was I? (Shelley, 117) Abandoned by his farther and shunned by society the monster tries to conceive his humanity and find his place in the world. Yet for all his toil it leads to but one conclusion butI possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endowed with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; When I looked around, I saw and heard of none like me " I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections inflicted upon me; I tried to dispel them, but sorrow only increased with knowledge.
Oh, that I had ever remained in my native wood, nor known or felt beyond the sensations of hunger, thirst, and heat! " (Shelley 116) The monster having received a moral and intellectual education was still lacking the warmth of a nurturing and loving parent as well as companionship and acceptance from society which led him to reject morality in favor of blind justice. The monster is a classic story of an abused child turned abuser. Cite Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus (the 1818 text).
Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1982.
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