The Importance Of The Age Of Reason In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

During the mid to late 1700s, the Age of Reason was in full swing, which brought with it a torrent of new ideas, philosophies, and attitudes towards culture as a whole. The Age of Reason was one of the driving forces and influences in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein due to the fact that it was a very controversial book about the creation of life which was not readily accepted at the time. Frankenstein was a benchmark of eye opening possibilities and fear of the unknown which was reinforced by Shelley’s stress of God’s creation versus Man’s creation. Therefore, Shelley emphasizes the role of God’s creation and Victor’s creation which evokes the sense that the relationship and bond between the two plays a vital role in the development of the person or in this case the monster. On August 30, 1797, the world was gifted with one of the most influential writers, artists, and women the world had seen up to that …show more content…
As the monster begins to learn and develop while on his journey through the forest, his evaluation of good and evil became skewed. This can be solely related to how he was “raised”. One of the first lessons a child learns is what is good and bad or what is okay and not okay. In the monster’s case, Frankenstein banished him before he was able to learn these basic truths that are often taught by a parental figure. This is one example of how nurture is expressed or displayed in Frankenstein. O’Rourke says in one account that, “the monster as originally created corresponds to the natural man… The story would then show how civilization corrupts an essentially benevolent being into a demon.”. This further proves the theme that society and setting plays a large role in shaping a child or in this case the childlike