Family, Society And Isolation In Frankenstein By Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

The blood curdling story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is often cited as one of the most intricate and symbolistic novels of all time. Throughout the story there are recurring themes that subliminally pervade important messages to the reader. A dominant theme in the novel is that of family, society and isolation. Through the use of the characters Robert Walton, an Arctic seafarer chasing after a “country of eternal light”; Victor Frankenstein, the doomed scientist and his creation the monster, Shelley proves that isolation from family and society is a terrible fate, and the impetus for hatred and evil.

The index example of isolation from family and society is seen at the outset of the novel in the letters sent by Walton to his sister.

However the damage caused by his period of solitude had already been done and the pathway to evil and hatred became inevitable, and in the ensuing months, led to the demise of his entire family and his friend Clerval. This resulted in his bereavement, another example of how isolation is a terrible fate. Then Frankenstein dedicated the rest of his days to the path of evil by seeking vengeance against the monster. As a result, his isolation from society and family ultimately became the root of his evil and hatred.

Frankenstein’s isolation resulted in his creation of his monster. From the very beginning of his life the monster had been isolated. By nature, the monster was kind and loving, however his isolation directly led him to evil “Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good -- misery made me a fiend.” Throughout the story the monster is often seen in situations where he attempts to associate with man with the hopes that man will acclimate to him despite his horrifying appearance. Regardless of his good intentions and actions, the monster was isolated from society as well as Frankenstein- his

As a result, the monster can be described as the epitome of the fact that isolation from family and society leads to a pathway of evil and hatred.

The catalyst to evil and hatred is isolation from family and society. Shelley successfully proves this in many instances with different characters. With Walton, she showed how his emotional isolation was letting his excessive ambition get the better of him, which ultimately would have resulted in evil and hatred. She evidently proved with Frankenstein that isolation leads to a terrible fate; that being his monster destroyed his family which resulting in him falling onto the roads of evil and hatred by dedicating his last days to seek revenge against the monster.

Undoubtedly Shelley proves through the monster that there exists a direct causal relationship between isolation from family and society causing hatred and evil; even though he was kind hearted and had good intentions, his isolation caused him to bereave and turn evil and vow hatred towards mankind, particularly his creator Frankenstein. Through these characters, Shelley shows the reader that association with family and society is important and deprivation very well can lead to an individual becoming evil and vowing internal