Allusions In Frankenstein

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Mary Shelly added many allusions and references in her book Frankenstein. Specific works mentioned are a major part of what and how the monster experiences life, as this is the first time he has been able to learn about the world he has been rushed into. The books cited are Ruins of Empires, Plutarch’s Lives, Sorrows of Werther, and Paradise Lost. All four literary works have a bleak perspective on humanity. These are complete truths to the monster, consequently shaping how he now sees the world. This dark outlook influences his own identity and actions, leading to his ultimate demise. Had other works been in introduced, there would have been a positive effect on the monster’s emotions, actions, and thought-process. Writings like The Old Man and the Sea, To Kill a Mockingbird, Crime and Punishment, and the Bible would have given a more benevolent point of view, rather than the abrasive angle.

Ruins of Empires is an antiestablishment document written by Constantin François Chasseboeuf and declares that greed is always on the forefront on man’s mind. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway challenges that notion. The book tells the story of Santiago, an old fisherman who is down on his luck; persisting
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The poem tells of the fall of Satan and of Adam and Eve. The Monster sees himself as parallel to Adam and this instills a strong separation between him and humanity. The revelation that the Victor doesn’t love him is deeply damaging to the monster, “Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even YOU turned from me in disgust?” (Shelley 67). Reading the whole Bible would give the monster context for the poetic take of the story told in Paradise Lost. There are many more stories in the Bible that would have given the monster a different view of creation and free will. Even his relationship with Victor would be called into

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