Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus is a renowned novel done by Mary Shelley. It was finished on May 1817 at the time Mary was celebrating her nineteenth birthday. The novel was done while Mary and her husband Percey Bysshe Shelley were in a vacation in the Alps or what is known as ‘Frankenstein’ (Shelley, 2018, p. 100). Alongside great writers in England, Mary gave her contribution to the literary masterpieces, the legendary Frankenstein novel that became recognized in two genres: horror and science fiction (Cardin, 2017, p. 371) . This current paper will analyze in details the themes and discourses revealed in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
The novel Frankenstein focuses on four main themes: ignorance versus awareness, unfairness in the world, in a feminist perspective (equality between men and women), and murders described from the perspective of murdered. There also more themes that are revealed in the novel, but these four stand out. Through the analysis of the themes, the author seems to criticize the social circumstance created in the early phase of industrial revolution (Thomson, 2017, p. 14). The novel picks holes in the advancement of science and the acquisition of knowledge. The novel indicates that some type of knowledge should not be revealed to men as they contribute negatively to the society. On that basis, the author propose that ignorance is good, and knowledge is evil. For instance, Prometheus is a mythological character who gave men fire so that they could warm themselves (Shelley, 2018, p. 113). However, Zeus punished him for that. He even faced an eternal punishment. Knowledge is likened to fire, which is good for warmth, but has the capacity to kill as well.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The second reason of the character of the Monster in the novel reflects the theme of unfairness in the world. The Monster resulted from Victor’s time to study and experimentation, an expression of knowledge. The injustice that was first exposed is that Victor did not consider a companion for the monster. It complained, “…..Even Satan had his cohorts, fellow devils, to admire and inspire him; but I am alone and abhorred” (Shelley, 2018, p. 130). Victor denies this plea of the monster, expressing injustice even the more. In another scenario, the monster went through injustice in the world the moment it was ostracized based on its appearance. The villagers drew it away and forced it to be solitary, away from humans. In the novel, female chauvinism and murder are also themes evident when the Monster cries out to Victor to make him a lady monster, who attempts to do so but kills it. The novel did not suggest that the monster was intending to mistreat the lady monster since all it desired was just a friend whom “it shall feel affection to” (Shelley, 2018, p. 147). Even though murder is expressed, there is no negative attempt of crime since the murders were justified from the perspective of the murderers. That is, the murderers had moral grounds to commit the crimes that they exhibited. For instance, the monster killed the brother to Victor because of mentioning about a litany of epithets, which made the monster to over react. Victor also shattered the lady monster at the point he was about to give to it. Victor thought that the lady monster would give birth to more devils and begin that race to the world all-together, causing havoc.
Discourse theory of Foucault has also been expressed in this story of the Frankenstein. Foucault describes discourse as a type of thinking shared by a particular group of individuals at a specific region and time giving out truth, power and controlling engagements. According to Foucault, people become the subjects of discussions (Thomson, 2017, p. 21-30). The story epitomizes man as a god. Victor gives life to a lifeless object, which is an act that only God can do. It indicates an age where science has prevailed, in this respect, science can be a god. The novel suggests that the dawn of scientific revolution has come (Cardin, 2017, p. 371) . Frankenstein boasts that within a short while, the will be able to cheat death by creating life. He expresses that they will create a being that is stronger than they are, better and more intelligent than they will. In fact, the victory of science has been elaborated by the creation of the monster.
The story by Shelley also expresses very strongly that we will always remain to be imperfect beings. Regardless of our efforts to make everything, there is still incompleteness and imperfection. Victor, as a medical doctor and one who created the monster hated his very creation. In his effort to come up with a being that is greater than human race, he creates a monster instead. This indicates that man, in all his efforts, may never create a being than is beyond him. Even the monster itself was not satisfied with his condition (Shelley, 2018, p. 130). Because of the ridiculous appearance of the monster, the villagers could not condone it. Every village member was sickened by watching this monster. In return, the monster also became wicked to human beings. It exhibited the highest injustice from man who created it.
Another kind of injustice that is expressed in the novel is Victor’s destruction of the lady monster. Even with the assurance of the monster to live harmoniously with his wife in the wilderness, Victor could not spare it. The monster said: My vices are the children of an involuntary loneliness that I hate, and my values will unavoidably emanate when I stay in unity with a companion. I shall feel the love of a sensitive personality, and become connected to a series of existence and events, from which I am not debarred (Shelley, 2018, p. 147). It was inequality to empower life to one and let the other suffer, and disregard companionship. The monster really needed a friend, one who loved him, which was deprived from him (Cardin, 2017, p. 371) . Therefore, the book reflects these discourses: man can act like a god through science; man is always not perfect; and the world is so unfair and unjust.
In conclusion, Shelley has explained her characters who have realistic motives. The characters are motivated by logical grounds for doing anything. From the viewpoint of the murder, murder follows a logical reasoning. This is something outstanding about the novel. The novel is a horror science fiction and criticizes the social condition of the time when Shelley lived, specifically the beginning of industrial and scientific revolution. The novel is focused on four main themes, precisely; ignorance is sometimes good as knowledge is evil, unfairness in the world; equality of women and men compromised, and murders elaborated from the perspective of the murderers themselves. Frankenstein also narrates these discourses or lines of thinking: that man may be a god based on the experience of science and man can never match God just as the world is full of evils. Indeed, the novel proves that knowledge and science should be managed considerably as they instigate chaos to man.
References
Cardin, M., 2017. FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE OR POWER. Horror Literature through History: An Encyclopedia of the Stories that Speak to Our Deepest Fears [2 volumes] , p.371.
Shelley, M.W., 2018. Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus': the 1818 Text . Oxford University Press.
Thomson, R.G., 2017. Extraordinary bodies: Figuring physical disability in American culture and literature . Columbia University Press.
