Frankenstein Isolation Essay

Everybody will at one point in his or her lifetime experience isolation or anger. Isolation can be chosen or forced, but anger is something that needs to be controlled. To control anger you need to be taught how to and time to practice it. This skill is usually taught to children by their parents; however, this is not always the case, as some children are abandoned by their parents. Abandonment can cause depression, anger, and the absence of valuable life lessons which upon further inspection are all interconnected. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this loop is represented by the story of Victor Frankenstein’s creature. Shelley shows how being forced into isolation can affect a human. Today there are television shows of human attempts to survive

This however, greatly differs from forced isolation. Forced isolation leads to anger and the desire to harm others. The creature’s story shows how the isolation Victor has forced him into has affected him. Therefore, Victor’s irresponsibility toward his creation leads to the creature’s thirst for revenge. When Victor finally finishes his creation he realizes the monstrosity he has built and instantly abandons it. This event is usually related to as the creature’s birth but, he is forced into isolation because not even the one human he has a connection to can provide him companionship. Author Steven Asher states that chronic loneliness is the result of maladjustment in youth and adolescence (75). This is the case with the creature from “birth” he is never taught how to do or handle anything leading to the inability to solve problems. In Frankenstein isolation always has a negative effect on the characters. For example, Robert Walton is constantly searching for a

According to Diane Papalia fathers are more influential on a child’s idea of gender identity and gender-typing. Fathers are also known to be more influential on their son's cognitive abilities than mothers (Papalia). This shows how important having a strong father figure is. Harriet Hustis writes, “Shelley's novel focuses on an aspect of the Prometheus myth typically overlooked in the more traditional version of the Titan's defiant martyrdom, namely, an offspring's need for sustained guidance, influence, pity, and support from its creator” (1). Without guidance a child is helpless and will never find ways to solve their problems which is without doubt necessary in life. Just as similar the creature has no guidance, influence, or pity from Victor. Without this guidance he has no way to predict outcomes of decisions except with guessing. This is very dangerous because the creature does not know what could cause himself harm or even more problems. He is left by Victor to learn for himself in a hostile environment with no life experiences usually displayed by parents. According to Barbara Newman, parents who help their children achieve their goals more set up their children to communicate more because of this interaction. If Victor would have helped the creature get off of his feet the entire plot of the book might have been different. Nardo writes,