Comparing Frankenstein And Mary Shelley's Paradise Lost

Mary Shelley’s romantic novel Frankenstein evokes elements of revenge following the alienation of a seemingly sensitive character, and the return of his vengeance to seek out his creator and find his true home. Through Shelley’s use of ongoing metaphors and vivid, somber tones, the monster not only finds his creator, but he forms his own pathway to knowledge and acceptance of his true self. Shelley makes a plethora of parallels between her novel and the novel Paradise Lost; comparing the two characters of the monster and Adam as one. In this, Shelley creates a connection to the romantic era the novel was written in, where the true self is found by the naturalistic surroundings and self perseverance.

Shelley’s blossoming of the character

that the monster is all starts with Victor Frankenstein. He is the original creator of the monster, as he sees himself seeking new life and an involvement in the science and naturalistic world.
However, in Victor's creation the mindlessness that went into it was the ultimate reasoning for the violence and revenge seeked out upon Victor.

The monster had no real identity; seeing that he had no name as well as no true form for himself. The cartoon to the left correctly depicts the thought process put together by Victor to create a new life form. While it may have seemed like a great idea, one can not be made into the perfect human being simply by becoming like another. As well as the personal development that was lacked by the monster; even if he would have been an astounding look, if done perfectly, there is no possible way he would have had a developed personality without seeking his own self and not letting Victor’s abandonment get in the way of

him.

Within the creation of the monster; the bodily parts that Victor used were essentially all digged up out of graves, from different people and personalities. When all formed as one; it did not match. The life that Victor gave to the monster is essentially a gift; therefore, in the cartoon to the left, the quote about regifting is an indirect to the appreciation that the monster still has for Victor and the life he gave him, no matter the fact that he was abandoned. This is a direct representation of the humanistic qualities that the monster has, however Victor is still lacking in some forms. The sensitivity behind feelings and emotions is portrayed connects the novel to the romantic elements that Shelley has a basis for in the novel and the overall message. The factors that come into play as Shelley makes the monster a conflicting character with Victor are their different personalities; the irony that is in play as Victor doesn’t favor his own creation is a conflict with the monster’s desire to know more about where he came from and what he truly is. 
The monster’s desire for acceptance is a direct correlation with the abandonment that Victor placed upon him right at creation. The horrific scene that Victor was not expecting startled him, causing him to flee from his creation. Although, much thought went into the picking of the parts and the act itself of creating such a thing, the shallow nature of Victor shines through all parts of the story line. Not only does the cartoon to the left touch on the non acceptance of the monster getting to heaven since he is not his own person, it is a direct parallel to Victor’s abandonment.
Victor did not accept the monster for everything he had to offer, although he was the one who made the decisions. The wish of the monster is only to be accepted and loved, however he cannot do so if he has no knowing of his true self and what he has to offer.

In the cartoon to the left the portrayal of the monster is a parallel to the monster theory that is developed in the human nature today. The woman at the table next to him is horrified that the monster has a rather unpleasant visage.
Although the monster tries to have a rather accepting and understanding heart, the woman doesn’t quite grasp as to why the monster is like this. A direct pull from when the monster was wishing for a female companion, the monster in the cartoon is trying his hardest to impress the woman and inform her that he is more than just what you see upfront. Relating back to the monster’s humanistic qualities, he is very accepting and understanding; therefore, the monster expects all other beings to be the same way and withhold all of the qualities he does because he does not view himself as “scary”. The monster sees his inside qualities and what he has to offer; something we see in the novel when he tries to help the DeLacy family.

The failure of Victor to give the monster a true identity is carried out through the novel as he constantly searches for his true self, and a way to figure out his place in the world.

The monster feels alienated in the novel, as he goes on a search for his creator and along the way he develops not only from his own findings with the DeLacy family, but he finds letters that Victor had written and gets a glimpse of what he is really like and what his feelings were towards his creation.

The disappointment that the monster feels is constantly built up, causing anger and a desire for revenge against Victor. The monster has no idea where to find Victor, or where to begin finding his true self. Therefore, the personal development that the monster reaches is a symbol of independence and breaking free from the chains of a creator who actually doesn’t care about the well being of his new

life.

Ignorance can be blissful for some situations, however in the case of the creation of the monster it is not so. The mindlessness that Victor uses to create the monster is one that is not logical. In common worlds, this would be viewed as insanity. However, the monster’s ignorance the situation is blinded by the fact that he is not upset at the life that he is given at first; he is just happy to be thriving in the world around himself. The innocence of the monster is a barrier to the harsh world around him and the reality of all of the horrible things that Victor actually had to do to bring a new life form on to the planet. Victor does have a realization of the harm that he has done to his family and the community around him, however he does not confess that he understands or that he has done a deed to end more than one life in the close circle around his family. The compare contrast between the monster and the creator is of a child and a parent. The parent is all knowing of the situation at hand, while only exposing the child to things that can be kept innocent. 
The monster theory that comes along in the period of Shelley is one that will resonate with the readers of the book. It was a common fear to stay away from the ones with facial and bodily abnormalities, because they were corrupted and brought a sense of fear into the community around them. The monster itself doesn’t understand the reasoning that is behind the prescription drug handed to him; however it is a direct symbol of fear. The people that will encounter the monster will have the automatic shock. The fear of a human being that is not like you, singles out the ones different. The fact brought up by the monster’s attitude himself is that he has no desire to belittle anyone or make them feel bad for being different than himself; he only wishes to be like everyone else. This shines throughout the novel as he seeks all aspects of acceptance and doesn’t quite understand the fear placed in the people around him.
Depicted in the cartoon to the left is a scene where the monster has a lack of education and the surrounding world has a petty view upon him. The people at the desk at the DMV notice his lack of knowledge and in a sense belittle him, not knowing he has no understanding of what he is doing wrong. The abandonment placed on the monster by Victor is the monster’s reason for lack of development in all aspects, especially education. Understanding is an aspect that many humans lack for people that are different than them personally, as portrayed in the cartoon. Shelley provides many instances of the monster’s isolation from the modern world, at the time, in which develops his misunderstanding of the community around him. His desire not only drives his ability to learn, but it makes him grow in his personable qualities.