Historical Context of Frankenstein
Frankenstein is more than just a horror novel. Like any work of literature, it is a window into the times in which it was written. An individual with enough skill to closely read for evidence can gather a plethora of information by reading between the lines of text. The story of Frankenstein reveals a lot of the thoughts and fears of people during the early 1800’s. Reading between the lines, and analyzing the characters of Frankenstein and his tragic Monster, reveals a lot about the mindset of the author, Mary Shelly. An effective way to do this is to consider the era these characters reflect. The ultimate goal is to find out how these characters fit into the context of their time.
Victor Frankenstein fits …show more content…
Victor Frankenstein created the monster in an attempt to achieve his ambition of discovering the secrets of life. However, Frankenstein rejects his creation, showing that he was not mentally prepared for the result of his ambition. The Monster’s destruction of everything Frankenstein loved is an obvious reference to the fear that humanity could lead itself to ruin through its own ambition. The Monster is the personification of the dangers of mankind attempting to influence the world around them, and therefore, achieve things greater than nature would allow. “Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries” (Shelly, …show more content…
It shows the fear of human ambition during the early 1800’s. It shows that during revolutions and movements in history, not everyone wanted to go along with these changes. The truly fascinating thing to take away from this assignment is that Shelly was right. The creation of weapons of mass destruction is comparable to the creation of the Monster, only immensely more terrifying. If Mary Shelly were alive today, I have no doubt that she would say, “I told you
Frankenstein is more than just a horror novel. Like any work of literature, it is a window into the times in which it was written. An individual with enough skill to closely read for evidence can gather a plethora of information by reading between the lines of text. The story of Frankenstein reveals a lot of the thoughts and fears of people during the early 1800’s. Reading between the lines, and analyzing the characters of Frankenstein and his tragic Monster, reveals a lot about the mindset of the author, Mary Shelly. An effective way to do this is to consider the era these characters reflect. The ultimate goal is to find out how these characters fit into the context of their time.
Victor Frankenstein fits …show more content…
Victor Frankenstein created the monster in an attempt to achieve his ambition of discovering the secrets of life. However, Frankenstein rejects his creation, showing that he was not mentally prepared for the result of his ambition. The Monster’s destruction of everything Frankenstein loved is an obvious reference to the fear that humanity could lead itself to ruin through its own ambition. The Monster is the personification of the dangers of mankind attempting to influence the world around them, and therefore, achieve things greater than nature would allow. “Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries” (Shelly, …show more content…
It shows the fear of human ambition during the early 1800’s. It shows that during revolutions and movements in history, not everyone wanted to go along with these changes. The truly fascinating thing to take away from this assignment is that Shelly was right. The creation of weapons of mass destruction is comparable to the creation of the Monster, only immensely more terrifying. If Mary Shelly were alive today, I have no doubt that she would say, “I told you