Major Themes in Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

Speaker: Walton

Excerpt: "... she was bathed in tears, and, throwing herself at his feet, entreated him to spare her, confessing at the same time that she loved another, but that he was poor, and that her father would never consent to the union... then himself solicited the young woman's father to consent to her marriage with her lover." (p.11)

Discussion: In this excerpt, Shelley incorporates the effects of an anecdote of relationship and loss. The man is "heroically generous" because the man willingly gives up his fiancé so that she, not him, might be happy (or at least happier). He grants her request to call off the marriage because she was in love with another. Furthermore, Walton's friend provides the financial benefits to allow for her to marry the other and even gives them the stock and farm. This greatly contrasts with future relationships in the book, which were destroyed by force. It also serves as a contrast between Elizabeth's death, who was taken from Victor by his repulsive creation. Her death drove him to seek revenge.

Theme: Relationships and loss

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl, who committed herself to his care, and after the interment of his friend he conducted her to Geneva, and placed her under the protection of a relation. Two years after this event Caroline became his wife." (p. 19)

Discussion: Many, if not all, of the relationships in Frankenstein end in pain and loss. This is especially true of those that are connected to Frankenstein. Perhaps by the inclusion of this anecdote of his parents, the author is attempting to illustrate that even though there is a chance of pain and loss whenever one enters a relationship, there is also a great benefit. The illustrations of Victor's father and Beaufort's relationship and then how Victor's father stepped in to not only save Caroline but eventually marry her serve to prove that even though there is a risk in any relationship, they are necessary and good.

Theme: Nature

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "As I stood at the door, on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak, which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump. When we visited it the next morning, we found the tree shattered in a singular manner. It was not splintered by the shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribbands of wood. I never beheld any thing so utterly destroyed. The catastrophe of this tree excited my extreme astonishment" (p.23)

Discussion: All science and natural phenomena are derived from nature. Nature is the ultimate creator of science. The problem is that as humans study and pick apart every aspect the bigger picture is lost to them, and nature no longer holds the prior beauty and amazement it once did. Throughout the book, all things connected with nature are depicted as innocent and sacred, whereas anything that man has meddled in comes out dangerous, abnormal, and abominable.

Theme: Power and dangers of learning

Speaker: Professor Waldman

Excerpt: "But these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pour over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles. They penetrate into the recesses of nature, and shew how she works in her hiding places. They ascent into the heavens; they have discovered how the blood circulates, and the nature of the air we breathe. They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even mock the invisible world with its own shadows. " (p.27-28)

Discussion: As Waldman gives his lecture at the university, he reveals that with more and more discoveries, scientists are continually picking apart nature. They have acquired so much knowledge that they have new and perhaps unlimited powers. Man thinks that because he has discovered how the universe works that that places him in a god-like position. Nature represents God's creation but man has advanced so much in technology and knowledge that he can begin to explain all the processes of nature and therefore thinks he is as wise and power as God. Shelley's social commentary here can also apply to today.

Theme:: Playing God

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "After days and nights of incredible labour and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter." (p.30)

Discussion: The power of giving and taking away life has always been a sacred one attributed to God. When Frankenstein becomes capable of giving life to lifeless matter, he has tread unto uncharted territories, both morally and scientifically. This gives him the ultimate power, one usually reserved for God. Thus begins his troubles, which may serve as a warning for what happens when man tries to play God.

Theme: Nature

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit. It was a most beautiful season; never did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest, or the vines yield a more luxuriant vintage: but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature." (p. 32-33)

Discussion: In this passage, Frankenstein comments on the beauty of his surroundings. The beautiful description is a contrast to his horrible and repulsive project with gruesome descriptions. The two items are juxtaposed to display the horrors of his creation. Nature is portrayed as innocent and sacred while things associated to man are abnormal and horrible.

Theme: Power of learning

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light onto our dark world. A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. No father would claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve their's." (p.32)

Discussion: As Frankenstein is able to cross the bounds of life and death, he steps into a god-like role, the role of the Creator. He talks of starting a new species, being the father to a new species. Once all this power gets into his head, he never even thinks of moral concerns or what could go wrong. He is just utterly consumed with getting more knowledge and more power. This is the danger to learning revealed. The rest of the book is hinged on this one desire and the trouble it causes.

Theme: Nature

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "I remember the first time I became capable of observing outward objects with any kind of pleasure, I perceived that the fallen leaves had disappeared, and that the young buds were shooting forth from the tree that shaded my window. It was a divine spring; and the season contributed greatly to my convalescence. I felt also sentiments of joy and affection revive in my bosom; my gloom disappeared, and in a short time I became as cheerful as before I was attacked by the fatal passion." (p.38)

Discussion: Nature serves to main functions throughout the book. It serves as beauty and as God's creation, capable of soothing the soul. It also shows the character's mood or a change in the character's feelings. In this case, it can be interpreted either way. Just as the young buds are coming forth, so also joy and affection are beginning in grow in Frankenstein's heart after a dormant "winter." It could also be said that because he was once again able to perceive nature as beautiful, he was able to heal.

Theme: Power of Learning

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "Could he be (I shuddered at the conception) the murderer of my brother? No sooner did that idea cross my imagination, than I became convinced of its truth; my teeth chattered, and I was forced to lean against a tree for support. The figure passed me quickly, and I lost it in the gloom. [...] He soon reached the summit, and disappeared." (p.48)

Discussion: This excerpt deals with the power of learning. Another danger with learning is that at one point, you lose control. Man was not made to play God. Even though Frankenstein was able to put life into his daemon, he could not control him. In fact, he had made the daemon faster, stronger, more adaptable. If anything, he made it so that he could not control it. His creation eventually leads to his own ruin

Theme:: Connection to Grendel

Speaker: Daemon

Excerpt: "Will no entreaties cause thee to turn a favourable eye upon thy creature, who implores they goodness and compassion. Believe me, Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity: but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me... I am miserable, and they shall share my wretchedness." (p. 66)

Discussion: The daemon and Grendel are similar in that they originally start kind but become warped due to man's hatred and misunderstandings and judgements. Both share similar feelings of rejection and wretchedness, which is ultimately channeled negatively as anger and destruction.

Theme: Connection to Grendel

Speaker: Daemon

Excerpt: "The vegetables in the gardens, the milk and cheese that I saw placed at the windows of some of the cottages, allured my appetite. One of the best of those I entered; but I had hardly placed my foot within the door, before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted. The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by bones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country, and fearfully took refuge..."

Discussion: Frankenstein is in many ways similar to Grendel. Both the Daemon and Grendel are rejected and feared by man because of their appearance. Even though they do not originally do anything wrong, at least not on purpose, they are punished and driven away. The daemon does not fit in anywhere and as he tries to enter a village, everyone physically rises up against him and hurts him. In both cases, the daemon and Grendel are scarred physically and psychologically by their experiences with man.

Theme: Belonging/Fitting in

Speaker: Daemon

Excerpt: "Other lessons were impressed upon me even more deeply. I heard of the difference of sexes; of the birth and growth of children; how the father doated on the smiles of the infant... But where were my friends and relations? No father had watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with smiles and caresses" (p.81)

Discussion: The daemon desires to fit in but he does not because he is not human. Furthermore, he does not share any common experiences with them like being raised by a mother or father, learning the rules of society, and growing up. He did not go through any stages of development or life because he was made in a certain form and has always been that way. He does not even share the common experience that links all animals, birth.

Theme: Playing God with a little bit of belonging

Speaker: Daemon

Excerpt: "Hateful day when I received life!' I exclaimed in agony. 'Cursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God in pity made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of your's, more horrid from its very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and detested." (p.88)

Discussion: A major theme in the book is playing god. Playing god is not a simple task and when man tries to play God, he messes up the process. He creates something vile, something made for destruction, something uncontrollable. Man's creation is so disgusting that it is shunned from everything else. It has no other companion in the world to match it. When Frankenstein made the daemon, he created something that only brought chaos upon his life.

Theme: Playing God

Speaker: Daemon

Excerpt: "We may not part until you have promised to comply with my requisition. I am alone, and miserable; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species, and have the same defects. This being you must create." (p. 97)

Discussion: A situation that parallels this situation is the story of Adam and Eve. God created both so they would have companions. In a similar demand, the Daemon wishes for Frankenstein to create an Eve for him because he has been shunned by humans. He desires for a place where he can fit in and a place of belonging. Frankenstein accepts this offer to "play God," but he fails miserably as he cannot go through with creating another horrible creature which might wreck havoc upon the world.

Theme: Power and dangers of learning

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "I enjoyed this scene; and yet my enjoyment was embittered by both the memory of the past, and the anticipation of the future ...the sight of what is beautiful in nature, or the study of what is excellent and sublime in the productions of man, could always interest my heart, and communicate elasticity to my spirits. But I am a blasted tree; the bolt has entered my soul; and I felt then that I should survive to exhibit, what I shall soon cease to be - a miserable spectacle of wrecked humanity" (p.111)

Discussion: This except refers an earlier mention of a tree struck by lightening. He feels that before, he could enjoy the simplicity of nature but after all that has happened, he is like a blasted tree that only serves as a warning to others. This is a result of his learning and pursuit of knowledge. Because he had acquired all of this scientific knowledge, he picked apart nature and studied it. He ruined for himself the point of nature and the simple enjoyment. Learning comes with a lot of power. One must choose, however, how that knowledge and power will be applied. If wrongly used, it may result in something like a "blasted tree" or a "miserable spectacle of wrecked humanity." This is because the future and consequences are sometimes impossible to foresee; this shows that knowledge needs to be used carefully.

Theme: Relationships and loss

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "The human frame could no longer support the agonizing suffering that I endured, and I was carried out of the room in strong convulsions. A fever succeeded to this. I lay for two months on the point of death: my ravings, as I afterwards heard, were frightful: I called myself the murderer of William, of Justine, and of Clerval. Sometimes I entreated my attendants to assist me in the destruction of the fiend by whom I was tormented; and, at others, I felt the fingers of the monster already grasping my neck, and screamed aloud with agony and terror." (p.122)

Discussion: This excerpt shows the intensity of Frankenstein's sufferings and the guiltiness he feels. His guilt is driving him crazy. Frankenstein's relationships are cut off, and ultimately he drives him insane until he snaps and becomes filled with a need for revenge after his wife's death. Interestingly, it is at these times, when he is most helpless and desperate, that he is most like the daemon. He feels like he does not belong anymore because all of his friends and family are trying to tell him it's not his fault, but he knows it is; he is living a lie. He does not sympathize with the daemon even in his most desperate of situations.

Theme: Nature

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "The wind, which had hitherto carried us along with amazing rapidity, sunk at sunset to a light breeze; the soft air just ruffled the water, and caused a pleasant motion among the trees as we approached the shore, from which it wafted the most delightful scent of flowers and hay." (p.134)

Discussion: In this excerpt, nature is portrayed as beautiful and seemingly heavenly. The beautiful appealing nature greatly contrasts with Shelley's other descriptions of nature, which depict rough and undesirable conditions. God's creation, which is shown as beautiful and alluring, contrasts with man's creation, which is monstrosity, repulsive, and murderous. When men obtain too much knowledge, they gain too much power. As a result, they lose control and no good could ever come from it. Simply put, some things are better left alone rather than intensively analyzed and studied.

Theme: Revenge

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "But liberty had been a useless gift to me had I not, as I awakened to reason, at the same time awakened to revenge. As the memory of the past misfortunes pressed upon me, I began to reflect on their cause-the monster whom I had created, the miserable daemon whom I had sent abroad into the world for my destruction. I was possessed by a maddening rage when I thought of him, and desired and ardently prayed that I might have him within my grasp to a great and signal revenge on his cursed head." (p. 138)

Discussion: In this powerful excerpt, Frankenstein clearly expresses his desire to seek revenge for the deaths of his loved ones. The daemon's actions propel Frankenstein to seek revenge and inflict harm upon the daemon. This is the critical moment when he devotes the rest of his life, energies, and resources to tracking the pitiful daemon that so mercilessly took the lives of his beloved ones. From this moment on in the book, Frankenstein possesses the sole desire to destroy his creation, the creation that destroyed his loved ones.

Theme: Nature

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "A ground sea was heard; the thunder of its progress, as the waters rolled and swelled beneath me, because every moment more ominous and terrific. I pressed on, but in vain. The wind arose; the sea roared; and, as with the mighty shock of an earthquake, it split, and cracked with a tremendous and overwhelming sound. The word was soon finished: in a few minutes a tumultuous sea rolled between me and my enemy, and I was lefty drifting on a scattered piece of ice, that was continually lessening, and thus preparing me for a hideous death. (p. 144-145)

Discussion: Throughout the book, Shelley utilizes the theme of nature to convey a character's mood or present God's work, or relaxation. In this passage however, nature is used to emphasize the extremity of this near capture of the daemon before a the ice split with a "tremendous and overwhelming sound". The intense nature descriptions are used to exemplify the importance of Frankenstein's closest effort to catch the daemon be destroyed. It also represents his critical breaking point because he has exerted all his energies and came within arm's reach of the daemon before it escaped once more.

Theme: Relationships and loss

Speaker: Frankenstein

Excerpt: "...but when you speak of new ties, and fresh affections, think you that any can replace those who are gone? Can any man be to me as Clerval was; or any woman another Elizabeth? Even where the affections are not strongly moved by any superior excellence, the companions of our childhood always possess a certain power over our minds, which hardly any later friend can obtain. " (p.147) Discussion: In this excerpt, Frankenstein mourns the loss of his most beloved Clerval and Elizabeth. Though his words, Shelley exemplifies that relationships are irreplaceable and have the most detrimental effect on a person if they are destroyed. A relationship, if destroyed, is a void that can never be completely filled once it is gone. Frankenstein realized this the moment Elizabeth was taken from him and he vowed to seek revenge. His childhood friend, who provided constant companionship, was also taken from him. Because all that he loved and cherished were stripped from him, Frankenstein had little reason to live except to seek revenge and destroy the daemon that brought suffering upon his loved ones. This powerful excerpt clearly supports the concept that relationships are a necessity which people need to survive. The have the potential to provide and aid in human development and self-realization.

Sources:
http://www.literature.org/authors/shelley-mary/frankenstein/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein