The Meaning Of Criticism In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Just as it occasionally occurs in everyday life, the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, is a classic case of good intentions gone wrong. Consequently, this appears to make the novel itself a mecca for incredibly ironic situations that could not have been avoided. Ultimately, however, by analyzing the characters and the ironic situations that they encounter, an overall meaning of the novel can be interpreted. Among the chaotic emotions and actions of the two main characters in the novel, it is evident that the two are foils to one another, with the only difference being their outward appearance to others. While The Creature may appear to be a grotesque and heartless monster he surprisingly possesses many of the same human characteristics

While the meaning of the novel can vary from person to person, it is undeniable that Mary Shelley wrote this piece of literature to examine and explore the questions that philosophers of the 17th century have been asking for years. The one question that is examined throughout the entirety of the novel is the idea of what it means to be human and the harsh reality of living as a human. Considering the year the novel was first published, which was in the year 1818, the age of the romantic movement was still thriving. The romantic movement focused heavily on nature and human feelings rather than the ideas of the enlightenment, which focused more on human progress and reason. However, compared to the romantic literature of the time, Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, a gothic literature piece, was more focused on the destruction that nature was capable of and the destructive passion humans carry. With that in mind, it is no wonder that Victor Frankenstein's ambition had led to such a tragic ending. In Victor Frankenstein's eyes, his ambition lead him to experiment with unknown science beyond his knowledge during his university days, which lead to the creation of the monster. Despite, him abandoning The Creature and putting his whole family in danger, it didn't make him any less human than before. Frankenstein still felt emotions of anger and sadness, he even had thoughts of his own, but while Victor Frankenstein is still considered a human being, The Creature is not. The Creature, although not birthed naturally into the world, still had thoughts of his own and felt emotions just like Victor and the rest of humanity. So, in that context, the creature fits the description of a human, which is not shocking because they are each other's foil character. The only thing that was ceasing the creature from being accepted in the