Frankenstein Study Guide
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Many authors have pondered upon the future industrial revolution was going to bring to Europe and whole world. Mary Shelley was one of them. Even though she wrote her signature novel, “Frankenstein”, as a part of an informal writing competition, it later became a best-seller and a classic of all times.
Some might say that the book teaches people not to be selfish about our own abilities. The protagonist, scientist Victor Frankenstein decided to test his skills and capability to discover the secret of life by creating an artificial man. After seeing the monster he created, Victor is horrified and runs away from his laboratory. He doesn’t know that the story isn’t over yet and he will long after experience the consequences of his actions.
Made of different body parts, the creature bears no resemblance to being handsome or at least normal. He is condemned to be lonely and always persecuted because no society accepts difference. He doesn’t demand blood and cruelty, but he has no chance to avoid it. His only hope is that his creator repeats the experiment and shapes another creature.
But life is never easy and truth is never simple. The monster becomes too persistent in trying to persuade Victor. The story gets more and more confusing. What if it’s the monster that has killed Victor’s brother? And if he did, does he deserve forgiveness? Did Victor murder his friend and will he survive the tragic health implications of his remorse?
Being a typical gothic novel, “Frankenstein” novel is full of somber scenes and tragic events. But the story leaves a more complex feeling than just a thriller. The resemblance of creator and its creature as well as double morals make the reader wonder long after finishing the last page of a book.
Author: Jared Russell
New Essays
In 1818, The British Critic, a British literary magazine, assessed Mary Shelley's new novel, Frankenstein, The Modern Prometheus. The reviewer wrote: We need scarcely say, that these volumes have neither principle, object, nor moral; the horror which abounds in them is too grotesque and bizarre...
As society changes around us, we spot things we never noticed before: high divorce rates, murder rates, and drug use just to name a few. James Riddley-Scott and Mary Shelley noticed and had a fear of child abandonment. In Frankenstein, Shelley explores this subject through the viewpoint of a man...
The term Gothic refers to a genre that came about in the late eighteenth century. It can be a type of story, clothing, or music nowadays. In this paper it will refer to a style of literature. A very good example of this type of literature is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. There is a sense of...
There are obvious similarities between Victor and his creation; each is abandoned, isolated, and both start out with good intentions. However, Victor's ego in his search for god-like capabilities overpowers his humanity. The creature is nothing but benevolent until society shuns him as an outcast...