Theme Of Isolation In Frankenstein

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Blinded by Science: Frankenstein’s Secret Life

Frankenstein toils in his laboratory, gazing at the being he is about to bring to life. He will have his own subjects that honor him as their creator. He will be forever remembered and respected by the scientific community. If he only knew how wrong he was. In Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley illustrates how social isolation leads to loneliness, guilt, and revenge. The story starts off with the correspondence between explorer Robert Walton and his sister.
Walton expresses his hopes of scientific discovery as he travels through Russia. This voyage was Robert’s childhood dream. Even with his success as captain, he is lonesome. “You may deem me romantic, my dear sister, …show more content…

This act leads to a long journey of guilt and desperation. He immediately regrets playing God, but he cannot tell anyone what he has done, for fear of being called a madman. He must suffer the fear of his creation alone. To emphasize this isolation, Shelley adds an excerpt from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner to the text: “Like one who, on a lonely road, Doth walk in fear and dread, And having once turned round, walks on, And no more turns his head; Because he knows a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread” (57). Frankenstein first feels guilt as he faces the horrible reality of unleashing a monster into the world. He deems the monster dangerously unpredictable and fears it’s reckless …show more content…

Through a family of peasants, he learns of language, music, and complex emotions. The creature has nothing but good intentions towards the cottagers and anonymously helps them in a variety of tasks. “I admired virtue and good feelings and loved the gentle manners and amiable qualities of cottagers, but I was shut out…” (119). He is excited to learn language, but saddened to discover that he has no one to share it with. He then learns the De Lacey family’s saddening history. The family lost their social and economic status, as well as their home in Paris. Felix De Lacey fell in love with Muhammad’s daughter. Muhammad rejected him because of his Christian belief and fall in social rank. He took his daughter to Italy and cruelly sent them “…a pittance of money...” (125). Felix is separated both from his love and society. The creature notices that the family can overcome great hardships because they have each other. “But where were my friends and relations?...What was I?” (120). He determines to try as hard as he can to become a part of the family. He works up the courage to address Felix’s blind father, but Felix beats him and drives him from the cottage. The entire family is terrified of him. The creature has lost his only connection to society. “There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies?”

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