Essays on Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley in her novel Frankenstein raises many social problems and topics one of which is our responsibility towards others as global citizens. Using the example of the protagonist of the novel, Victor Frankenstein, the author shows what awful consequences rash decisions can cause and...

In Mary Shelley’s classic horror story Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is an ambitious scientist who is fascinated by the creation of life. In his studies, he discovers “the secret of life.” Dr. Frankenstein makes a scientific breakthrough in his creation of the monster, but at what...

To create a living being, one must teach and guide them through life. Victor Frankenstein put together parts from formerly living people to create a new life form. Throughout the book, the monster is getting constantly pushed away from society getting put further into isolation...

Frankenstein, the name of a monster, we do not know who the monster is. Frankenstein is a novel written by British writer Mary Shelley in 1818. Frankenstein is a biologist with a passion for the origin of life. He haunts the morgue with a criminal...

The story begins when a sea captain named Walton saved Victor Frankenstein’s life, then Victor Frankenstein starts remembering in flashback what happened to him. As a young man, Victor left his home to achieve his aspiration in studying science. During his studies, he decided to...

The creation of life is a cautionary metaphor for the advancement of science in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Today, however, this type of life-generating science is commonplace. It does not take place in the laboratory of a mad scientist, but in sterile and advanced research facilities....

Elizabeth Lavenza is a woman who is constantly commodified throughout Shelley’s work. Elizabeth is objectified by Shelley as an object of Victor’s, since she is only ever discussed in terms of her significance to others. To Victor, Elizabeth is “the beautiful and adored companion of...

Humans are emotional and fears, anxieties, desires, and ultimately become monsters. In all societies, people organize themselves and others into groups or categories based on the social classes, physical features, languages, religions, etc. Along with categories, society comes with a set of social norms as...

As the subtitle of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein implies, the tragic tale of Victor Frankenstein and his creation takes elements of classical myth and reinterprets them through the advances of “modern” science. Against the backdrop of the Scientific Revolution, Shelley’s novel confronts perennial dilemmas that have...

In the early 1800s, tense relationships between Europe and the rest of the world greatly impacted modern world history. In 1803, the newly formed United States nearly doubled its domain after purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France. Soon after, in 1804, Haiti won its independence...

Different authors have different intentions for authoring their books. Whereas some write to expand literature and demonstrate literal techniques, others write to communicate on a specific issue either directly or indirectly. In a way, therefore, although writing is an art it is more or less...

From its outset, Frankenstein establishes a link between the procuring of knowledge, or the uncovering of secrets, and evil. Walton’s sister’s ‘evil forebodings’ that surround his attempt to reach the North Pole, pointed out in the very first sentence, signal immediately not only the dangers...

Blame vs. Pity: Why Victor Frankenstein’s Monster Deserves Sympathy The classic 1818 novel Frankenstein, written by author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, is without a doubt an essential piece of literature. This critically acclaimed novel presents the monster, one of literature’s most intriguing and influential characters. The...

Karl Marx’s “The Communist Manifesto” informed the world about the political and economic conflict of the proletariat against the bourgeois and by extension, the aristocracy. Marx disputes that the proletariat should possess the means of production and that united, they are able to overthrow both...

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the novel is the view of Robert Walton. Walton uses his letters during his journey on the Pacific Ocean to allow the reader to understand the tragedy of both the Monster and Frankenstein from an unbiased perspective, giving mankind a ray...

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein reveals the uncanny defamiliarization of the natural part of the general public. The creature, a making of Victor Frankenstein’s frenzy is utilized to affirm this. The monsters ghastly appearance is the reason of society’s loath towards it, thus it is addressed with...

The moment in which Frankenstein attempts to conceive his own creation is a fundamental allegory within the novel. This passage – the conception of Frankenstein’s monster – in fact represents Victor’s botched attempt at bypassing the role of women in society. Similarly, his fear of...

If a child committed a crime against someone else, is the child culpable for his or her actions, or should the child’s parents being responsible for failing to educate their child on what is right and wrong? The theme of individual responsibility appears throughout the...

Forgiveness is to grant pardon for or remission of. Forgiving is key to a happy and unregretful life. Some people lack the ability to forgive, which can make them depressed, isolated, regretful, or even suicidal. In Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein, the monster’s lack of forgiveness...

Frankenstein consists of various literary devices and describes different qualities and social perspectives. The tale intensely rotates around various individual aspects in Mary Shelley’s life. Perusing the novel through a women’s activist lense, it’s intriguing to break down how this perspective identifies with Mary Shelley’s...

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was destined to be an enigma. She was born August 30, 1797 in Somers Town, England to two highly intellectual, unorthodox, but profoundly influential parents. Her father, William, was a historian, journalist, and philosophist. He was a champion of utilitarianism, an advocate...

Exclusively raising opposition to commonplace phenomena can only go as far as just that: talk of a new contrary, and usually unwanted, opinion. The crucial ingredient in making a significant impact with a foreign idea is to make a claim so inconspicuous, that a person...

In the very act of composing a novel, a writer sets out on a quest, in many ways, to discover some fraction of their true self, whether large or small. Within each novel readers indulge in attempting to uncover these shreds of the authors actual...