frankenstein essay themes

Frankenstein Themes

‘ Theme ’ is a central idea present in a literary piece. It serves as an essential ingredient that makes a story appealing and persuasive. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley has various themes woven together to complete a narrative which teaches value, warns of possible consequences of abusing science or intelligence, highlights a futuristic outlook. Some of the overarching themes of the novel are given below.

Themes in Frankenstein

The theme of creation is at the center of the novel, Frankenstein. The story shows how Victor creates a monster and instills life in it after gaining scientific knowledge of life at Ingolstadt. Victor plays God or pretends to become one to create life. His ambition of creating life and emulating his own creation fails. The creature, he has created, forces him to create a companion. When Victor denies he turns into a real monster. In other words, Victor’s secret toil, as Mary Shelley had stated, was an unnatural and irreligious act which costs him dearly. The theme also signifies that interrupting natural order may cost lives and sanity and it is important to stay within boundaries.

Although depicted at the secondary level, the novel also explores the theme of alienation. It might be possible that Victor creates the monster to end his isolation. However, in the process of doing an unnatural thing, he creates a creature, who is also his enemy. The creature, who is innocent feels alienated. Hence, he asks for a companion. When humans hate him for the way he looks, he begins to kill to persuade his creator, Victor Frankenstein. Another alienation is of Robert Walton who seeks his sister’s love and writes her letters. Victor, too, seeks Elizabeth’s and his family members’ love as he alienates from them and immerses in the world of science.

Although several characters are trying to align themselves with one another. For instance, Robert Walton with his sister through letters and Victor Frankenstein with his family, they feel quite isolated from the world. Victor is engaged in his experiments, and Robert Walton goes on expeditions, where he meets Victor. In the same way, the creature, Frankenstein’s Monster tries to seek the companionship of the poor family to end its isolation.

Crossing Boundaries

Mary Shelley has very beautifully woven the idea of the crossing limits in this novel. Through Victor Frankenstein, she explains that humans have certain limits despite grand ambitions. When these limits are crossed, the natural order is destroyed. This interruption rebounds when the limits are crossed. Victor’s attention to Waldman’s lectures and his obsession with the idea of creating a new life is equated to the crossing of boundaries set by nature. Victor eventually pays the price as he loses his family members and friends until he dies while chasing the Creature.

Under the overarching theme of creation, the theme of ambition also runs parallel in the novel. Although since the ancient period, ambition is associated with negative passion, here Victor’s ambition leads him to create a human deemed as a monster physically. It proves that ambition is not good when it comes to unnatural directions. The creation of a new life defying the natural order of life and death is clearly an incorrect ambition. Later, it proves to be fatal when the Creature begins to kill Victor’s closest family and friends.

Another secondary theme in Frankenstein is an injustice. Mary Shelley has demonstrated this theme in two ways. The first is Justine’s trial in the court on the accusations of murdering William. The court awards her death sentence even though Victor has clear hints of the creature having killed William and Justine was framed for the murder. The second example of injustice is when the Creature request for a companion Victor denies. The Creature was helpless and innocent turns into a killer.

Responsibility

The novel, Frankenstein, highlights the theme of individual responsibility as well as social responsibility. Victor’s ambitious project of the creation of a new life reflects the lack of realization of the individual responsibility and the lack of government control. Victor does not show any fear in creating a new life and playing with the laws of nature until it takes the lives of several of his family members. Justine’s death signifies that entire the judicial process lacks responsibility when they punish an innocent. In other words, individuals and society often fail to respond to their duties and responsibilities toward the family and community .

Natural Laws

Although this is not an explicit theme, the theme of natural laws is implicitly put into the mouth of characters and the narrator in Frankenstein. Natural laws keep the balance of life on this earth. ‘Life and death’ cycle is a natural law. However, when Victor Frankenstein uses science to create life using dead human organs and chemicals, he violates the natural law of life and death. The result is the birth of innocent yet monstrous creature who turns violent when his needs aren’t met.

Parental Responsibility

The parental responsibility is another theme apparent in the upbringing of Victor Frankenstein. His father, Alphonse Frankenstein, has done his best to educate him in the top university Ingolstadt to study science. Victor whole-heartedly completes his education which shows his good upbringing. However, when Victor creates the Creature, he forgets to give this monster the moral and social education about how to live and behave in a society. In other words, he forgets his parental responsibility towards his creation.

One of the secondary themes that stay in the background is the theme of revenge. Victor Frankenstein creates the monster but stops short of creating its companion which leads the Creature to take revenge on him. The Creature kills his family members to make him realize the pain of loneliness. In the same way, Victor runs after the monster to exact revenge of his family members but dies during the chase.

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Frankenstein

Mary shelley, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Frankenstein: Introduction

Frankenstein: plot summary, frankenstein: detailed summary & analysis, frankenstein: themes, frankenstein: quotes, frankenstein: characters, frankenstein: symbols, frankenstein: literary devices, frankenstein: quizzes, frankenstein: theme wheel, brief biography of mary shelley.

Historical Context of Frankenstein

Other books related to frankenstein.

• Full Title: Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus
• When Published: 1818
• Literary Period: Switzerland and London, England: 1816–1817
• Genre: Gothic novel
• Setting: Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, and the North Pole in the 18th century
• Climax: The Monster's murder of Elizabeth Lavenza on her wedding night to Victor
• Antagonist: The Monster
• Point of View: Frankenstein is told through a few layers of first person narratives. Walton is the primary narrator, who then recounts Victor's first-person narrative. In addition, Victor's narrative contains the monster's first person story as well as letters from other characters.

Extra Credit for Frankenstein

A ghost story. On a stormy night in June of 1816, Mary Shelley, her husband, and a few other companions, including the Romantic poet Lord Byron, decided to try to write their own ghost stories, but Shelley couldn't come up with any ideas. A few nights later, she had a dream in which she envisioned "the pale student of unhallowed arts" kneeling beside his creation—the monster. She began writing the story that became Frankenstein the next morning.

The Tale of Two Frankensteins. Shelley published the first edition of Frankenstein anonymously, perhaps due to her concern that such a grim and violent tale would not be well received by her audience if they knew her gender. She revised the novel and published it under her real name in 1831. Some key differences exist between the editions, namely that in the first edition, Elizabeth is Alphonse's niece and, therefore, Victor's cousin. (In the 1831 edition, the more popular version and the one used in this Outline, the Frankensteins adopt Elizabeth from another family).

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Frankenstein — Analysis Of Major Themes In Frankenstein By Marry Shelley

Analysis of Major Themes in Frankenstein by Marry Shelley

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Frankenstein

Themes in frankenstein: the modern prometheus anonymous 12th grade.

Good intentions with horrible consequences is a thread which ties the classical story of Prometheus, the Greek Titan, to Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, a 19th century Romantic novel by Mary Shelley. The ancient story of Prometheus goes as follows, Prometheus saw human suffering on the cold and barren earth and, pitying them, stole fire from the Greek God of Gods, Zeus, to help them. Zeus, furious at Prometheus for helping the humans, punished both Prometheus and the humans. He created Pandora, the first woman, to unleash evils upon the world and disrupt mankind. Prometheus was chained to a rock by Zeus’ servants, Force and Violence. In literature, fire and light often symbolizes knowledge, which it does in both the cases of Prometheus and Frankenstein. Prometheus may have physically given the humans a spark, but with that came knowledge. They gained knowledge of how to build houses, harvest crops, and survive. This knowledge proved detrimental to them as it often does. The idiom, “ignorance is bliss,” means that without knowledge everything will be peaceful. Knowledge corrupts. Excess knowledge destroys. This holds true for Frankenstein as well. With his knowledge he created the Creature. He created the Creature with...

GradeSaver provides access to 2312 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 10989 literature essays, 2751 sample college application essays, 911 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.

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Responsibility as a Theme in Frankenstein Essay

Introduction, thesis statement, frankenstein’s personality, works cited.

The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley appeared in 1818. It describes the problems of modern science and its consequences for humanity. The uniqueness of the novel is that Frankenstein has literary merits to ‘frighten and amaze’ (Mellor 45). There is much historical interest in the work as an example of various strains and aspects of Romanticism (Mellor 45).

Through the character of Victor, Mary Shelley portrays different stages of personal development. He underlines that real maturity is when the person accepts full responsibility for his actions, scientific discoveries, and their impact on humanity.

From the very beginning, Victor, the main character of the novel, is depicted as an immature personality, unable to accept responsibilities for his actions and researches. Only when the creature disappears, Victor jumps to the conclusion that his monster is the murderer of his brother. “I considered the being … nearly in the light of my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave and forced to destroy all that was dear to me” (Shelley 2007).

At this point, the unfortunate Victor faces a moral dilemma: should he reveal to the authorities the existence of his dangerous crea­tion? He decides not to and offers two reasons. First, he will be thought mad; second, the creature is too agile to admit capture.

It is worth considering whether these reasons seem adequate to explain Vic­tor’s silence, which protects both the monster and himself (Peterfreund 79). “His position is rendered still more reprehensible when he returns to his family and discovers that the innocent Justine is accused of the murder, that she will be tried that very day and that the evidence against her looks damning” (Mellor 75). Still, Victor does nothing to save Justine and unveil his terrible secrets.

Fears and lack of courage are the main factors that prevent Victor from accepting responsibility for his actions and behavior. In general, a mature personality can answer for the consequences of his actions and behavior. In contrast, Victor finds his task increasingly revolting and begins to think of argu­ments against the responsibilities of a scientist. He fears that his creatures might breed and people the planet with monsters.

He speaks of the false but persuasive arguments. For instance, Justine is condemned to death, and after the trial, it is revealed that she has confessed her guilt (but she is not guilty) (Mellor 38). Victor explains: “I at once gave up my former occupations, set down natural history and all its progeny as a deformed and abortive creation” (Shelley). When things go wrong, Victor understands that he cannot control his creation and is helpless to prevent his murders.

The turning point of the novel comes when Victor destroys his new creature, horrified by unpredictable consequences. When Victor feels ill, he confesses himself guilty of murdering William, Justine, and Clerval, thus associating himself yet again with the deeds of the monster.

He is in prison, but Mr. Kirwin is a good-natured and under­standing man who does his best to help the sick man (Mellor 40). He brings Victor’s father to him, and Victor is at length acquitted of Clerval’s murder. “I shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning miseries will be extinct” (Shelley 2007). He speaks of his original benevolence and the miserable loneliness of his condition.

In sum, through the character of Victor, Shelley portrays that a person matures when he can accept responsibilities for his actions and their consequences. When Victor ‘matures’ and admits his guilt, he understands that freedom has no value to him, the world has no comforts for any unfortunate soul who bears guilt and remorse within him.

Mellor, Anne Mary Shelley: Her Life Her Fiction Her Monsters. New York: Routledge, 1989.

Peterfreund, S. Composing What May Not Be “Sad Trash”: A Reconsideration of Mary Shelley’s Use of Paracelsus in Frankenstein. Studies in Romanticism 43 (2004): 79.

Shelley, M. Frankenstein, 2007.

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IvyPanda. (2020, March 11). Responsibility as a Theme in Frankenstein. https://ivypanda.com/essays/responsibility-as-a-theme-in-frankenstein/

"Responsibility as a Theme in Frankenstein." IvyPanda , 11 Mar. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/responsibility-as-a-theme-in-frankenstein/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Responsibility as a Theme in Frankenstein'. 11 March.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Responsibility as a Theme in Frankenstein." March 11, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/responsibility-as-a-theme-in-frankenstein/.

1. IvyPanda . "Responsibility as a Theme in Frankenstein." March 11, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/responsibility-as-a-theme-in-frankenstein/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Responsibility as a Theme in Frankenstein." March 11, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/responsibility-as-a-theme-in-frankenstein/.

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