Frankenstein Enlightenment Analysis

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was written during the peak of the Romantic Era, 1798-1832, a rebellion against Enlightenment ideas. The Enlightenment (1685-1815) stressed emotional restraint, order, balance, and prestige. The sublime, the nature of existence, the importance of emotion,and a focus on common folk defined the Romantic Era. While it is considered a Romantic novel, Frankenstein was a forewarning for the horrors of the Industrial Revolution. Moving away from farming and rural areas towards factories and cities, the Industrial Revolution began in England in 1780 and lasted until 1850. Many people fail to see Frankenstein as part of the retaliation against the Enlightenment and an omen of the Industrial Revolution.

Frankenstein is

People of the Romantic Movement were revolting against ideas proposed by the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment is best summarized as order and emotional restraint. If the reader looks at writers of the Romantic Era, they believe in the importance of emotions and common folk. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, strongly characterizes this time period. Frankenstein exhibits emotion, personal liberty, and the importance of common folk. A motif in this work is misery, shared by both Victor and his creation. The monster states, “...I felt cold also, and half frightened… finding myself so desolate… I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch...” (119). The creature's misery after leaving Victor’s apartment following his abandonment is crucial to the events that occur later in the novel, such as the death of William, Victor’s brother. Shelley stresses the importance of the two main characters’ feelings, as they are central to the development of the plot. Victor is miserable following the murders of William, Justine, and Henry. He tells his father, “...poor, unhappy Justine… was as innocent… I murdered her… by my hands” (227-228). Three people, close to Victor, have been murdered by his creation. He caused great pain and agony to himself, his family, and the families of the people killed. Frankenstein also values commoners, like farmers, as important.

They ignore the links between the two; this results in an incomplete analysis of the work. Without this analysis, the creature’s demands to be treated like a person is out of place. During the Industrial Revolution, advancements lead to a wider gap between the rich and the poor. As a result, the poor demanded to be given better pay, fewer hours, and be treated like humans by their employers. The creature has the same desire. He wants to be loved like Victor loved his family. To quell his feelings of desire for love, the creature demands that Victor creates him a wife, or else. “Shall each man… find a wife… and I be alone?” (205) the creature asks of Victor. The monster does not want be treated like a lesser being, which is also felt by the workers during the Industrial Revolution. Without seeing these similarities between the text and the historical events surrounding it, the reader fails to fully understand