Forbidden Desires In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

The reoccurring theme of repressed or forbidden desires in Frankenstein mirror those of the gothic literary style, specifically the ways in which it leads to the decay of the protagonist’s psyche. Mary Shelley’s gothic science fiction novel, published 1818, presents a male protagonist whose obsession with scientific discovery leads to his own mental and physically destruction. Frankenstein, on first glance, is a sexless novel, which is peculiar for a gothic novel. However, the ways in which Shelley explores the absence of maternal figures suggest imbalance on Victor Frankenstein’s psyche that not only results in an inability to objectively make good decisions, but also a sexual nature towards the maternal or unnatural. This ultimately leads …show more content…
To say that this was the only implication of incest would be false. Previously Victor has mentioned Elizabeth as being his, ‘more than sister… till death she was to be mine only.’ This is to suggest that Victor already thought of Elizabeth as family, but still a sexual object whose purpose was to be his. However, this could simply be a subconscious desire, causing repressed dreams that are conflicted with his desire and social acceptance. In chapter 5, Victor dreams of Elizabeth transforming into the corpse of his dead mother; ‘a shroud enveloped her form, and I saw grave-worms crawling in the folds of flannel.’ The fact that he sees one woman transform into another suggests that in Victor’s mind they are one in the same, yet the ‘grave-worms’ reflect the horrific and unnatural nature of his desire and self-disgust. The nurturing qualities of Caroline become a forbidden obsession for Victor resulting in his need to obtain them in any means necessary, and is therefore likely the cause for his …show more content…
This is also not clearly stated anywhere in the novel, yet Shelley’s portrayal of Victor Frankenstein would suggest that it is not simply solitude he craves, but solitude from women. Throughout most of the novel Victor is venturing across Europe in search of knowledge, but also to avoid his impending marriage; ‘Alas! to me the idea of an immediate union with my Elizabeth was one of horror and dismay’. Although this comment is said due to the threat of the creature the repetition of the term ‘union’ and ‘marriage’ suggest not only a lack of sexual feelings but a lack of intimacy towards Elizabeth. Victor is also described as being more enthusiastic towards seeing his friend Clerval then that of his future bride. Furthermore, these feelings towards Clerval seem excessive for a friend, yet accurate towards a loved one; ‘I loved him with a mixture of affection and reverence that knew no bounds’ . In comparison, Victor is distant to Elizabeth even on her death bed. When she first screams he does not immediately run to her instead he remains in ‘this [frightened] state lasted but for an instant; the scream was repeated, and I rushed into the room.’ It could be said that it was shock that caused the pause, if not for the fact that Victor was given fair