Unfulfilled Desire In Frankenstein And John Milton's Paradise Lost

Unfulfilled Desire

Unfulfilled desire is a predominant theme that arises throughout Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, and John Milton’s, Paradise Lost.

Starting off with Walton’s letters, it is clear that Walton is damaged psychologically. He commenced on this journey to “a part of the world never visited,” because of a burning desire to believe that he achieved something important in his life (52). During this journey, Walton realized he was situated on a ship occupied by men who he didn’t like, and didn’t like him; and that for a long time he craved a true friend with more experience than him. Yet Walton suffered the neglect of human love and affection. Walton rebels against the norms of society and it doesn’t seem to help him physically, socially, or mentally.

Switching the perspective over to Victor Frankenstein, he talks about his depressing childhood. Victor begins to tell the story of how he became interested in natural philosophy, and what kept him interested. He had a thirst for knowledge, and when his father defiled the book Victor was reading and learning from, it lit a fire within him to do everything

As the story goes, Satan begins as the highest angel in Heaven, God’s right hand man. Although so much is expected of him, doubt fills Satan’s mind and he desires more power and equality with God (9). Obviously, this is where his demise began. Satan half fulfills this desire when he becomes the ruler of Hell, but he has various other dreams and wishes for his life. As he views the Garden of Eden, Satan reflects on his journeys, and comes to the realization that he could have continued to be God’s prized being, like Job, and may have had the possibility of being a part of Paradise (86). He longs for this, but drives it out of his mind since “to do aught good never” will be his task (13). It makes him mad with jealousy and fuels his malevolent plots to destroy