How Does Mary Shelley Use Family Conflicts In Frankenstein

Within Mary Shelley’s work Frankenstein, the concept of “family conflicts” are widely evident throughout her novel, primarily by the Frankensteins and even other families like the Waltons. These dysfunctional family dynamics call to question the credulity of the protagonist’s description of his home life and how Mary Shelley represents parenthood or particularly fatherhood.

For instance, Victor is seen throughout the novel to be constantly stating how wonderful and extraordinary his home life was, as is seen when he says “No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence … they were the agents and creators of all the many delights we enjoyed” (Frankenstein

19). Yet, as Claridge argues in “Parent-Child Tensions in Frankenstein,” if his home life was filled with such happiness, why he spent so many years away from these “loved ones” to create a “perfect being” when he already had such a perfect loving family to occupy his time with is suspicious/questionable.
Therefore, perhaps Victor did not have such an enchanting childhood and was actually using such grand depictions of his parents to cover up an unacknowledged neglect or hurt he feels.

After all, he states that his parents spent most of their time traveling to help the poor rather than settling down with him when he was born and directly afterwards goes out of his way to state that his parents had an unreserved amount of love to give him and therefore, felt that Victor’s “… future lot … was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery” (Frankenstein 16). Yet, if this were true why then did his father not set him aside and direct him into the right path to exert his passions towards instead of just ridiculing his interests if indeed he felt this his duty. Likewise, Victor further adds to this when he implies that his father was not entirely attentive to him and wishes that he had taken more of an interest in him and his passion when he states that “If … my father had taken the pains to explain to me that the principles of Agrippa had been entirely exploded, and that a modern system of science had been introduced … It is possible that the train of my ideas would never have received the fatal impulse that led to my ruin.” (Frankenstein 21). This suggests that victor’s parents were not as attentive to him as he claims and expresses how Mary shelly causes us to question

parenthood.
Additionally, all the various instances of the members of the Frankenstein family coming from rough or horrible parental upbringing also depict how Mary Shelley portrays parenthood as not always being filled with an adoring love for one’s children that leads them to making choices that are best for them. As is clearly seen by the role fathers played in the misfortunate events of many of the characters, such as Victor’s mother Caroline, who (because of her father’s debts) was subjected to poverty and had to work to try and provide for them both.
In conclusion, Mary Shelley causes questions to arise about the truthfulness of Victor’s home life and about parenthood, and fatherhood in general.