Themes of Shelleys Frankenstein Essay - 1421 Words

Mary Shelley discusses the themes of birth and creation, appearance and the necessity of companionship, love and acceptance in her novel Frankenstein. The themes that are explored in Frankenstein are relevant to today’s modern world. Shelley challenges readers by endorsing and confronting attitudes and values in her text through the events, circumstances and outcomes that take place in the novel, thus causing the reader to reflect upon their own lives and in turn the society around them. Shelley raises in her text an issue that is on the forefront of discussion in the modern world, that of man taking the place of God and the role of woman in the creation of life. The modern world is currently grappling over the concerns of cloning,†¦show more content†¦One of the main themes in Frankenstein is appearance and acceptance. In today’s society and the society in which Frankenstein is set, people often judge one another solely based on appearance. Social prejudice is often based on looks. Be it the colour of ones skin, the clothes they wear, facial features or even ones body expressions. People make snap judgements based on what the eye beholds. Today’s schools are a prime example of this as people are classified instantly and almost unknowingly. â€Å"There’s a lot of hate around here, Gentry Robler, 16, a sophomore at Santana High. He reels off the high school cliques: the gothics, the freaks, the dorks, the jocks, the Mexican gangsters, the white supremacists.† Time March 2001 pg. 24 This example of the significance of appearance in modern society is also echoed in Frankenstein. The parallel between the society in the novel and modern society is that of snap judgements based solely on appearances. In the novel, Victor Frankenstein is a perpetrator of such judgements. Victor â€Å"selected his features as beautiful.† Here it is seen Victor’s shallowness as he picked the most perfect body parts and beauteous features, all to be pieced together in great anticipation. However as one can see, the result is horrific and due to the hideousness of the wretch that he has created, he abandons him. This same shallowness of judgement due to appearance again surfaces when Victor accuses the creature of murdering WilliamShow MoreRelatedMajor Themes Of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein1077 Words   |  5 PagesMajor Themes of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Many have heard of and read the classic novel Frankenstein in high school or maybe just for pleasure reading. Shelley was influenced to write Frankenstein by a discussion about the nature of life and the possibility of creating a creature between her husband and Lord Byron. Shelley used this idea to write a story for a ghost story contest. Frankenstein is full of themes in the novel shown in the character’s lives. Shelley uses the themes of appearancesRead MoreTheme Of Baptism In Mary Shelleys Frankenstein964 Words   |  4 Pageshowever, portrays the opposite in her novel through the use of literary devices. Throughout Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, she uses shifts in point of view to develop the theme that people are born good but are then turned evil by society. By changing the point of view in Frankenstein, Shelley shows that the creature is turned evil by those that surround him in society. She begins by using Frankenstein as a narrator, which illustrates his rejection of the character based on its appearance. He hatesRead MoreThe Themes Of Allusions In Mary Shelleys Frankenstein1096 Words   |  5 Pagesworks of former notable authors? Did she disregard her youth as she hoped others would and just naturally filled her masterpiece with allusions for deeper meaning? Or did she use allusions for all of these reasons? Either way, she has contorted Frankenstein into a time transcending novel that will be a classic for all literary eternity. 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