An Analytical Essay of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein

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Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, is written by Mary Shelly in 1818. It is a science fiction describing a brilliant scientist intends to create life as human but a monster is created instead. Themes such as ugliness of the Creature, wrong attitude towards science of Victor Frankenstein, and the support of feminism will be discussed in the essay.

To begin with, the ugliness of the being created by Frankenstein is a kind of excess, rather than lack (Gigant, 2000). It can be interpreted that it is more than enough and different from ordinary. In the story, the monster created by Victor Frankenstein is in excess physically. It is designed to have a larger body size than human and strengthen superior to human (Shelley, 2001). Its blood vessels and muscles are close to the skin surface, making them noticeable to others (Shelley, 2001). Obviously, these traits are magnified from those of human which are twisted. This kind of appearance is recognized as ugly and evil by them since they are frightened by it. Because of the failure of these features to fulfill the expected values and standards of human, the Creature is isolated by them (Sarkar, 2013). People tend to accept only those they considered as of the similar kind. However, the Creature is of another species to them. Further, it is believed that inner hideousness is symbolized by outer ugliness (Synnott, 1990). Therefore, although the Creature is inborn with affable attitude, judged by its deviate appearance, it is regarded as evil and ugly by human. As a result of not accepted by the human society, the Creature becomes desperate and plans to take revenge on its creator, turning itself evil mentally. When it tries to kill people, the victims are actually “threatened to be co...

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...ection.ebscohost.com/c/literary-criticism/9511302115/monstrous-body-knowledge-mary-shelleys-frankenstein

Sarkar, P. (2013). Frankenstein: An echo of social alienation and social madness. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science. 9(3). Retrieved March 29, 2014 from http://www.Iosrjournals.Org

Shelley, M. (2001). Frankenstein. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Pluma y Papel.

Synnott, A. (1990). Truth and goodness, mirrors and masks part II: a sociology of beauty and the face. The British Journal of Sociology. 41(1). Retrieved March 29, 2014 from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/591018?uid=3738176&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21103576235141

Zonana, J. (1991). "They will prove the truth of my tale": Safie's letters as the feminist core of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". The Journal of Narrative Technique. 21(2). Retrieved March 29, 2014 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30225329

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