Mary Godwin's Influence On Frankenstein

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The life of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, author of the story Frankenstein, was a story in and of itself. A number of conflicts, a cast of characters, times of joy, and times of deep disparity contributed to Shelley’s life and influenced her writing. Despite living only fifty-four years, Shelley experienced many lifetimes worth of monumental incidents. Her afflictions nonetheless inspired her to focus her writing on horror and personal loss, themes which would make Frankenstein one of the most terrifying and renowned novels of its age. Mary Godwin was born on August 30, 1797 in London to Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin. Mary experienced the first tragedy in her life at just ten days old: the death of her mother. Although Mary was left …show more content…

Constantly, he feels envious of the humans he encounters for the normality that they take for granted. This feeling begins to prevail and affect the monster’s actions after the scene of his turning point, when his feelings of gentleness quickly “gave place to hellish rage” as well as “eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind” (Shelley 148). The monster not only changes his attitude towards mankind, but also towards himself. Whereas before he could not understand why everyone fears him, he now begins to recognize himself as “deformed and horrible,” and he wishes to be a normal human (Shelley 151). Even after drawing similarities between himself and Adam, the monster conversely says he considers Satan the “fitter emblem of [his] condition” because they both share the sin of envy that makes them demonic (Shelley 135). This shift in thinking is also indicative of an intense external conflict growing between the monster and his creator. Their relationship becomes that of a master and a slave when the monster uses the lives of Victor’s family and friends as leverage, and Victor vows to exterminate the monster (Shelley 171). This demonstrates how the monster’s growing envy increases tensions and conflicts in the story, including his own internal conflict between wanting to torture Victor and feeling remorse for killing. His envy is evident even in the final moments of the story, when he feels that the “bitter sting” of regret is a superior agony to that felt by Victor, who has been relieved by death (Shelley 243). Envious of his creator’s peace, the monster resolves to consummate his being. Finally, the monster has the power to satisfy his desire to be like Victor, only this time in

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