Comparing Obsession in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Aldous Huxley’s After Many A Summer Dies the Swan
Authors leave fingerprints on the works they write. Underneath the story, hidden
amidst the words, lies a worldview, a concept of humanity, a message. Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein is an entertaining story meant to give the reader goose bumps late at night,
but the telling of the story also reveals Shelley’s concept about the basic fabric of human
nature. In the same way Aldous Huxley in After Many A Summer Dies the Swan weaves
a tale that is part story and part commentary on how humans interact and think and self-
destruct. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley portrays obsession as an anomalous aspect of
human behavior resulting when people move away from their basically good nature,
while Aldous Huxley portrays obsession as the most intrinsic of all human qualities. This
paper will contrast the basic views presented in each book about the origin of obsession
and its relation to human nature, giving examples of how the authors’ views are
embodied in their characters.
In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley presents a view of human nature that is
largely positive so long as it does not wander into the dangerous realm of obsession. She
speaks of human endeavors and discoveries as being valuable and good. The young
Victor is enchanted by scientists who have “performed miracles” by “penetrating the
recesses of nature” (45). The discovery and contemplation of the natural world is a means
by which characters find serenity and calm, and thus come in tune with the beauty of
their humanity. In the midst of the sublime wilderness, even Victor contemplates “divine
ideals of liberty and self-sacrifice” (1...
... middle of paper ...
...nts human
nature as basically good aside from the selfish obsession perpetuated by withdrawal from
normal society and human behavior. Huxley offers a bleaker view, portraying self-
obsession as an innate quality ensnaring all of his characters unless they are freed to
transcend their
humanity and seek another level of consciousness. If Shelley and Huxley were here
today, debating the merits of their stance, Shelley may might utter the
words of Pete Boone, “I suppose I’ve been too optimistic.” And Huxley, adjusting his
thick glasses, might reply as Propter did, “Too optimistic in certain directions, and at the
same time too pessimistic in others” (188).
Works Cited
Huxley, Aldous. After Many a Summer Dies the Swan. Mattituck, New York: American
Reprint Company, 1976.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics. 2003.
In society, most people have an obsession to some extent, these may include such things as a hobby – collecting antiques; or even as simple as having to have things a certain way. For others though, obsession has a different meaning, they might become obsessed with one special object, or possibly attaining a certain goal. They might go about achieving this goal no matter what the consequences to others might be. Mordecai Richler’s book the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, illustrates one such case of obsession, the title character, Duddy Kravitz becomes obsessed with his grandfather’s saying, “ ‘ A man without land, is nothing.’”, thus starting Duddy on his quest to attain a piece of land. Throughout his quest, Duddy has no regard for the feelings or the relationships he destroys in the process, weather it in his family relations, business relations, or even his personal relations to those that are closest to him.
Preoccupations…are fixed ideas, not necessarily false (like delusions) but overvalued. They take on extraordinary importance and take up an ordinate amount of thought time. One idea often returns and returns…Characteristically, the worry grows and becomes unrealistic (par 16).
Storment, Suzanna. "Frankenstein: The Man and the Monster." Commentary page. October 2002. Washington State University. 8 April 2003. http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/frank.comment3.html.
Mary Shelley’s novel arises several questions relevant to the present day. A question that arises from the novel is whether man is born evil or made evil from his life experiences. The debate on whether how far man should pursue knowledge exists today as well as other questions challenged in the novel therefore “Frankenstein” is a popular novel at present as much as it was in the past.
...10) K101 An introduction to health and social care, Unit 4, 'Developing Care Relationships', Milton Keynes, The Open University.
Shelley presents two characteristics of mankind in order to prove her case. The first example is Frankenstein’s creation. Upon first being introduced to his creation, the reader initially labels him as a monster because of his physical appearance. He is portrayed as a man with “.yellow skin scarcely cover[ing] the work of muscles and arteries beneath.watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set.shrivelled complexion and straight black lips” (Shelley 58). Not only does the reader view him as a sort of horrifying being, but his deformed exterior also causes society to reject him; they brand him the title of a monster.... ...
The idea for the novel of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein came to her one night when she was staying in the company of what has been called ‘her male coterie’, including Lord Byron and her husband, Percy Shelley. Mary Shelley’s whole life seems to have been heavily influenced by men. She idolised her father, William Godwyn, and appears to have spent a good part of her life trying very hard to impress both him and her husband. There seems to have been a distinct lack of female influence, her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, having died weeks after her birth, being replaced by a neglectful step-mother. These aspects of her life are perhaps evident in her novel. The characters and plot of Frankenstein were perhaps influenced by Shelley’s conflicting feelings about the predominately masculine circle which surrounded her, and perhaps the many masculine traits that we see in novel were based upon those of the male figures in Shelley’s own life. In this essay I will attempt to show some of these traits.
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