Psychoanalysis Of Frankenstein

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Recommended: Frankenstein in terms of nature

Rachna Shah
5th Hour
No Man is an Island: A Psychoanalytic Reading of Frankenstein
To comprehend a novel as complex as Frankenstein, a framework is necessary. However, this approach often has a reductive effect. Frameworks highlight certain events and overlook others, crafting vulnerable theories. This folly is particularly evident in psychoanalytic literary criticism. But, according to Paul Sherwin, it is his colleagues who have failed, not the structure. While Freud and Frankenstein are a trite pairing, comprehensive psychoanalysis can unravel the archetypal catastrophe and its after-effects. In which structure can Frankenstein best be analyzed? How does the narrative resemble a catastrophic model, and what does this suggest about Shelley's …show more content…

Due to an incomplete Oedipal normalization (integration into society), he is obstructed from normalcy. Unable to form a clear superego, Frankenstein’s childhood characterization is based upon his insatiable hunger for metaphysical knowledge, creating a volatile identity. While Elizabeth and Clerval are his superego, he is the imperfect ego and the Creature is his id. Yet the two are not so separate in “the Creature’s ravishment of [Elizabeth]” (888) on the wedding night, wherein the Creature consummates his Creator’s repressed urges of incestual relations. Nevertheless, I view the antithesis as more complex than simply id and ego. Thus, the Oedipal framework is isolating at times. For instance, Sherwin examines Frankenstein’s dream of his mother’s corpse. In the Oedipal lens, sexuality resounds as most meaningful. Sherwin qualifies this interpretation, reminding the reader of Frankenstein’s rejection of all realms of romantic life. Instead, he emphasizes what surrounds the dream sequence: the motif of flight. In his pilgrimage through Chamounix, Frankenstein regresses into childhood days, wishing to return to a period of blissful ignorance. Furthermore, he seeks the comfort of mother nature’s “lullaby” (Frankenstein 91) and “[weeps] like a child” (Frankenstein 72) upon viewing Mont Blanc. This diction has thematic significance, reinforcing his juvenile identity. His awe with the …show more content…

A father must ensure that his son develops a superego. To his parents, Frankenstein was a “helpless creature bestowed...by heaven...to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties” (Frankenstein 33). The accountability of a father to his child diverges from the duty of the Creator to his progeny; both responsibilities cannot be borne by one. Through the contrast between Frankenstein and his devoted parents, Shelley expresses that immaturity led to his downfall. Enduring glory demands liability. Frankenstein’s inchoate superego also elucidates his culpability. In his narrow-minded quest for glory and subsequent decline, he ignored all else, corrupting his soul, his community, and nature. While he could have prevented Justine’s death, rather than communicating the truth, he further rejected societal duties. Through Frankenstein’s delayed confession, Shelley suggests that avoiding one’s responsibility is

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