Family Weakness In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Family is Weakness in Frankenstein Family is often regarded as an essential part to the development of an individual. Throughout Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, the repeating motif of family arises, and she successfully shows that family is not the strength that it is always pertained to be. Although many believe family helps you cope with death they worsen the effects of loss. Victor and Ernest, two characters from the novel, illustrate family is one’s biggest weakness. Therefore, Victor and Ernest’s experiences demonstrate that family makes individuals more emotionally vulnerable. To begin, Ernest is at his weakest point after the death of his brother, William. The day Victor receives the news of his brother’s passing he decides to return back to his family to help lessen he pain of the loss. Once he arrives he hears the cries of his brother and sees the melancholy in his face (60-61). Although Ernest is a strong man, willing to go to the military, he is brought to tears just by the loss of a loved one. The moment he realizes the death of his dear brother, he is brought to a place of desolation and vulnerability. If he were not attached to his family he would not …show more content…
After Victor received the news of his mother he expresses, “… the void presents itself to the soul, and the despair that is exhibited on the countenance”(29). Victor was filled with misery after the news of his mother’s passing, which shows his true weakness as family. Even though Victor has been through many hardships, his overall powerlessness could be seen as his loved ones because it’s what the monster used to break him down mentally. If Victor didn't have a connection to family he would not have been revengeful against the monster because the creature would not have had an advantage over Victor. Therefore, without loved ones in his life, Victor would have been harder to destroy