What Is Mary Shelley's Personality In Frankenstein

As I, both personally and with the class, have explored the many important themes and ideas in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein’s personality has become extremely clear to me. I have been able to grasp his personality and his likes and dislikes, and all the while, I have been comparing and contrasting his qualities to myself. Frankenstein is a very passionate and straightforward man; he knows who he is. Frankenstein understands the things he needs in his life to maintain his happiness, specifically his relationships and companionships, and his passion for science. However, as I start to think of how are both similar and different, I start to see this concept of the windows and the mirrors; Frankenstein prefers fewer, closer friends, while I see

myself as having a team of people always surrounding me, always being there for me. It’s fascinating to me that Frankenstein feels so strongly about companionship and always having someone to share his accomplishments with, yet he has so few companions.

Frankenstein also knew from such a young age that he wanted to study science, and he has always been very passionate about it. I can relate to this passion, as I’ve always been extremely set on studying music. It’s interesting to me to see and compare myself to him in that sense because, as he aged and found himself at university, he focused his study on chemistry; as I’ve aged, I have focused my music studies on singing. Frankenstein’s commitment to his thoughts and his passions are interesting ideas for me to be able to compare, not only to each other, but also to myself.

Dr. Frankenstein found safety in his companions, although they were so few. His selective friendships are something that genuinely confuse me. Frankenstein so deeply values the important people in his life, and it is upsetting to not have someone he knows and trusts around him at all times; he is so passionate about what he does, and he really appreciates being able to share his successes and blunders with the people he trusts. Yet, he only chooses two people to trust. Frankenstein describes himself as someone who “avoid[s] a crowd, and to

attach [himself] fervently to few (page 19),” but why does he allow companionship to play such a large role in his life? I understand that, for myself, I have a few extremely close friends on whom I will mainly rely for almost all of my problems, but I also try to surround myself with people that I know will genuinely support me in everything I do, no matter how close we are. Frankenstein is someone who relies very heavily on the support of the people he loves, but I believe if he tried to surround himself with more people, he would not feel as lonely. It seems to me as though he does not provide himself with enough to make that a plausible factor in his life. As Frankenstein is creating his monster in university, he develops this longing to finish his creation. It becomes so important to him that he completely blurs out the world around him and focuses solely on his monster. His work took “an irresistible hold of [his] imagination (page 33).” When he finally finished his creation, the first thing he thought of afterwards was his sister, Elizabeth. He envisioned her “livid with the hue of death (page 35).” Frankenstein felt as though he had neglected his family so much that, when the time came to see them again, they would all be gone. Frankenstein thought of his creation as the ideal companion, and he spent so much time focusing on his monster that he forgot about his real, human companions. Our definitions of companionship collide, and it is somewhat difficult for me to understand Frankenstein’s true idea of companionship when I believe he does not really even know for himself.
Dr. Frankenstein is extremely passionate about certain aspects of his life, specifically his education. From the age of thirteen, Frankenstein focused intently on Natural Philosophy. It became something on which he could focus his attention at all times, and it gave him something to love so deeply, other than the important companions in his life. As he got a little bit older and was more deeply exposed to the sub fields of Natural Philosophy, Frankenstein found himself enamored with the thoughts of his chemistry teacher, so much so that he found himself focused on chemistry and everything surrounding it that hadn’t yet been discovered. By the time he reached college, Frankenstein’s passion was so loud and deeply seeded within him that he was set on finding “a new way,” and he was going to “explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation (page 28).” I find myself directly relating to Frankenstein’s passion, although we have such different interests. I have always been extremely musical, as is the rest of my family, and from a young age, I discovered that I was put on the earth to be a musician, and from the moment I realized that on, I have continued to feel that. However, I started out as an instrumental musician, and slowly found my way to vocal performance. I have teachers that constantly teach me new things about the voice that make me love it even more. Frankenstein is completely self taught, as is his passion, and it is inspiring to compare my love for music to his desire to participate in the sciences. Frankenstein