The Relationship Between Reason And Romanticism In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

In the absence of human nature, where must an individual find solace in society? Mary Shelley ponders the answer to this ceaseless question in the novel Frankenstein. In doing so, she unveils the original conception of evil and the perils of societal rejection. While "the instruments of life" may promise existence, Shelley asserts that "a spark of being" cannot imbue a lifeless creature with the ability to civilize itself (Shelley 58). The scientific realm of thought will always fail without the sublimity of the natural world. This notion evokes a potent novel of ideas and an illustration of the boundary between reason and Romanticism. The paramount idea of Frankenstein involves the relationship between Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who seeks to create life, and his anonymous creation. While Victor possesses the knowledge to create life, he does not possess the ability to foresee what will become of his creation. Moreover, he does not view his creation to be human. Rather, he states that he must "infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing" (Shelley 58). Victor does not reveal what he will infuse within his …show more content…
Victor 's monster continues to seek respect and adoration from a human being. He endeavors to befriend William Frankenstein and suspects that his naivety signals a pure and "unprejudiced" heart of gold (Shelley 144). This additionally denotes that he believes instinctive prejudice is a learned trait induced by society. William is not receptive to the monster 's invitation to friendship and labels him a "hideous monster" (Shelley 144). Though William is young, he embodies instinctive prejudice. Undoubtedly, Victor 's monster is unable to find acceptance within the human community. His yearning for love cannot be quenched within a society that relishes in uniformity. Knowledge and reason led to his creation, but cannot inhibit his