Frankenstein

Frankenstein is an interesting novel that really followed the gothic style of horror. One of the most interesting elements of the book was that it was told through the account of Frankenstein himself, also being partially narrated by Robert Walton. Through his letters, we are able to place in the perspective of the readers in the role of his sister and are able to view his story objectively through her eyes. This allows the reader to view the tale of Victor Frankenstein objectively, which means that there are no preconceptions of the characters in the story.

The tone of this novel was also very interesting, because throughout the novel Shelley has foreshadowed events using the dread and melancholy nature of Frankenstein. Frankenstein often goes into a monologue throughout the novel that hint that an event will likely occur (not a very good one usually) and the amount of sadness he says it with often tells of the severity of the future misfortune. Not only does this create a great sense of mood throughout the novel, it creates a little suspense and curiosity upon the reader to really want to know what’s going to happen to Frankenstein in coming chapters.

            Shelley throughout this novel, points out many motifs told throughout the story of Frankenstein. Probably the most persistent of them all is the idea of knowledge being dangerous. Both Frankenstein and Walton have had a thirst for knowledge where Frankenstein created a monster and Walton having the aspiration of being the first man to reach the North Pole. The story actually blatantly is trying to tell the reader that the certain seeking of knowledge can lead to the destruction of ones life as in Frankenstein’s case. His whole story to Walton was an actual plea to Walton that the thirst of the North Pole may actually end up destroying his life. One other motif that was quite strong in this novel is the idea of the monster.

This motif is by far the most interesting part of the novel because it plays with our preconceptions of what a monster truly is. When Frankenstein’s monster was created, he wasn’t a true monster in the sense of his nature. He was created almost like a newborn child, and spent much of the months when he first was created to understand the world around him and experience the splendor of human and environmental nature. As time roles by he see him being corrupted by the hearts of humans (especially that of Victor and the French family) and in turn takes on the role of the “monster”. In Frankenstein, Shelley has revealed to the readers that a monster may not just be a bump in the night being, but a product of human corruption. In a way, we also can argue that the true bump in the night monster in Frankenstein is Victor himself that tries to play god and alienates him from society.