Misconceptions of Society in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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Misconceptions of Society in Frankenstein

Societies have a tendency to classify everything relative to local "norms", and lables are generously applied. Typical lables are: good or bad, rich or poor, normal or aberrant. Although some of these classifications may be accurate, many of them are based upon misconception or misunderstanding. This is precisely the case in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

In Frankenstein, this act of erring by society is extremely evident. One example of this judgment is the way the family is looked upon. They are seen by society as the lower-class. They work every day on their garden to make food for meals because they do not have enough money to be able to buy food. They are viewed as poor and unfortunate, but are actually rich -- in spirit. They are good people. They do not complain with the status quo but enjoy what they have, which is an admirable trait for people in any standing. The old blind man sings songs to the others, plays a musical instrument, and adds a sense of experience and content to the family. The children do their daily work without griping as well. Just because they are looked down upon by society, it does not stop them from enjoying what has been provided for them.

Society itself, which is supposed to be good, is actually ignorant. They wrongly treat the oversized creation on the assumption that he is a monster. They scorn, attack, and shun him just because of his outward appearance. This is not justified by anything except his demeanor. They are also afraid of him because they are afraid of things about which they know nothing. Society also unjustly kills Justine be...

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...n the forest. This concern for human life, in addition to his feelings of love toward the family, is evidence to his kindheartedness. He does not even mean to kill the boy at first. If any character in this tale should be labeled as a monster, it is not this one.

Society has the most influence in a person's point of view on a given point. Mostly society causes misconceptions about people based on appearance and the unknown. This is especially evident in the novel Frankenstein, where labels placed on the main characters by society are skewed.

You did a wonderful job of using the plot to support your argument without simply giving a summary. There are just a few grammatical and structural errors. It might help to review the paper again or have a friend go over it with you.

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