Comparison Of The Cultures In Frankenstein And Mary Shelley's Metamorphosis

Analysis of the cultures in Frankenstein

In this essay I will analyze both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and how they use similar techniques of inquisitive questioning and unjust rejection throughout their stories in order to show how two strange “monstrosities” try to come into a culture. For instance, how seeing Gregor’s reaction to his sudden transformation, in metamorphosis, where instead of shock at how unreasonable it is, he simply remarks at the new tendencies the transformation has come with. We can better see the purpose on why Frankenstein’s monster was so obsessed with trying to integrate itself into human society. While these details at first glance might seem to be nuances of a much bigger picture

Although, he did succeed in creating life the monster he created only served to disgust him. He abandons his creation to its own devices and although the monster is a kind gentle soul, the repeated rejections by society and his creator only cause it pain and eventually it lashes out, first by murdering Victor’s brother, than his best friend, and finally his wife. The creature however finds no solace in any of this for even though he has gained his revenge he also destroyed the only connection to society he ever had. The creature leaves society and travels towards the north pole, where victor per sues to his death causing the monster to weep for his creator before also traveling to his

The scene of the monsters creation isn’t about the monsters coming to being more or less, but rather Victor’s success in giving life to an abomination “but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart”(Frankenstein Chapter 5). This is similar to how Gregor’s scene of waking up isn’t about Gregor’s transformation but rather the worries he has for his job and providing an income for his family. The feelings of the outsider, the monster in Frankenstein, and Gregor in the metamorphosis, are highlighted through the fact that they are ignored. So ignored in the case of Gregor he is actually himself completely unaware of the transformation. This focus in metamorphosis, where Gregor even after realizing he has transformed, is to wonder what’s going to happen to his family after losing his job. Which leads us to Frankenstein, he has literally just been created his life is something completely new to the world and his feelings and thoughts on his creation seem like something that might be important and yet they are not the focus, these feelings like with Gregor are expressed by the fact that they are ignored in favor of the human characters in Metamorphosis, Gregor’s family and in Frankenstein, Frankenstein