Foreshadowing In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

When analyzing “Frankenstein,” it is apparent that Mary Shelley’s life is consciously filtered through her novel. Her literary work reveals a reflection of tragic deaths that plagued her life such as the death of her three children, Percy, her mother, and several others close to her. Unfortunately, Mary’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, passed away a short time after giving birth to her, she later on faced her father’s disapproval of her relationship with Percy Shelley, this left Mary feeling neglected. Anne Mellor says: “Mary Shelley unearthed her own buried feelings of parental abandonment and forced exile from her father.” (Making a Monster) While being the daughter, and wife of famous philosophers, Mary’s work was not given the proper recognition it deserved. Seeing as though …show more content…
In addition, the storyline is developed of constant foreshadowing, which allows the readers to comprehend Victor’s grief through the decline of suspense and a rollercoaster of emotions. The novel begins to disclose Victor’s life, his family, and how fortunate he has been to have had such a wonderful childhood. It is evident that the uninterrupted happiness in his life predicts the chaos that will soon occur throughout his adult life. The foreshadowing throughout the novel is exposed through the particular words chosen such as fatal, fate, and omen, which all propose a calamitous ending. While Victor defies nature by creating his new species through a scientific experiment, the suspense leads the audience to assume that his monster is to blame for Victor’s self-destructing life. Victor’s character encompasses characteristics from Mary Shelley’s life. Anne Mellor explains “Mary Shelley's anxiety about her capacity to give birth to a normal, healthy, loving child manifests itself in Frankenstein in forms other than the plot.” (Mellor, “My Hideous Progeny”) She placed her emotions onto Victor’s character which reflected all