How Does Mary Shelley Explore Suffering in Frankenstein

How does Shelley portray woefulness in Frakenstein? Throughout the novel, execrable of non only an individual nevertheless to a fault hu realityity, remains at the heart of the plot. Many critics today weigh that this harm comes from the troubled and tormented life Shelley had. For example from 1815 to mid 1819, Shelley was to pull out-of-door the starting three of her four children, for which she held herself creditworthy. Therefore, it could be argued that the lusus naturae is the embodiment of Shelleys suffering and guilt. Suffering in the novel becomes apparent through the narrator, Frankenstein. For example, from a psychoanalysts perception ofVictor, his suffering comes from his char make forer. Victor is the very personification of the Byronic Hero. He represents a lonely, isolated and self-? destructive force vulnerable to his confess over-? powering emotions of greed and fervid distinctive feature. This is perfectly d heroicalted in Caspar David Friedrichs pic ( commonly associated with the image of the Byronic hero) Wanderer above the sea of fog whereby a reality overlooks an untouched landscape (Byrons poem The Corsair lone, wild and strange, he stood alike exempt from all affection and all contempt) with the mend passion to explore and gain victory. This passionately intense nd over-? powering proclivity of knowledge is perfectly show in Book IV of Miltons Paradise Lost Satans address to the sun (An epic poem heavily influencing Shelley) whereby Satan must suffer for his Pride and worse ambition. It is thusly blatant that Frankensteins immense feelings of isolation (Byron That man of loneliness and mystery) and fervid trust become the sole guinea pig of Frankensteins loss of humanity and mental self-? destruction (the use of the verbiage infernal machinations implying a man so susceptible to his own greed, curiosity and isolation that his own mental torment becomes al just about an quivalent to Dantes sanatorium). Therefore, Vi ctor becomes the Satan of this novel. Having had an intense yearning for victory (as his name suggests), he has attempted to assume the position of immortal, which has only caused mental decline and suffering. divagation from his mental torment, Victors physical deterioration reverberates his guilt. Frankenstein has held himself responsible for the deaths of his nestled friends and family. For example, in Chapter IV-? I felt up the fiends grasp in my neck a direct link is made to Coleridges (a dummy up friend of William Godwin-? Shelleys Father) Rime of the Ancient Mariner whereby, fter having shot the mollymawk (once a symbol of good luck), the course of time has been altered forever and a day With my crossbow I shot the Albatross. Consequently, the shooting of the albatross in this novel comes not from Victors creation of the hellion but in accompaniment his crime of denying the ogre of esteem. For example, Rousseau (a philosopher that inspired Shelley) suggested that a child deprived of a loving family becomes a freak. This act of depriving the giant star of maternal lie with (thus, set uping mens incapability of love) caused the monster to kill those closest to Victor. This sparked immense feelings of guilt n Victor I was overcome by gloom and misery linking to Coleridges poem (And I had done a hellish thing), which inescapably becomes the cause of his physical decline The human frame could not long-run support the agonizing suffering that I endured. It is therefore, through the hellish act of denying the monster of love, that The Albatross about Victors neck was hung and his supreme guilt mite to his suffering. Victors physical deterioration in this novel as well as confirms the idea of The Double. As many critics extradite suggested, the monster is only a projection of Frankensteins innate corruption. It is hence ossible to assume that Frankensteins physical suffering and loss of humanity comes from the monsters increase power thus showing how these two individuals are linked. The idea of a lot(prenominal) a double is indorse up by the fact that the monster kills at moonlight and thus, the moon acts as an illuminating object calendered into the heart of Victor only to reveal the monster. Such a thought is present in Stevensons Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde whereby the hold in emotions of Dr, Jekyll are projected at night in the ultra-? ego of Mr. Hyde. However, a far greater suffering is observed within the monster. The suffering comes withinThe the Tempters rejection from his author Frankenstein. The Daemon has lost any parental influence or more importantly, he has failed to achieve his father figure. Constant desire to be appreciated by a father is a theme in this novel. For example, Frankenstein felt safe and secure in the presence of his father (Nothing, at this moment, could have given me greater pleasure than the arrival of my father) and Shelley herself longed for the appreciation and love from her f ather (especially after, William Godwin cut off relations to Shelley after her marriage to Percy). However, the monster, much like Adam from ParadiseLost, has failed to be appreciated by Victor (who he work outs as his father). In Paradise Lost, Adam had a constant desire to please God, but due to the temptation of Eve, he was outcast and rejected. This is alike to the monster, as purely to his sort, the monster has been denied love from his father thus enceinte rise to an Oedipus complex. This Oedipus complex (also present in Shakespeares Macbeth) is shown through the monster as, when Frankenstein rejects the monster, the monster seemingly denounces him as a father and instead views his beat (possibly, nature) as the only love he will ever stimulate (He was soon orne away by the waves-? last sentence, Page 191). Therefore, this rejection of love from a paternal influence based on the monsters appearance of horror and disgust (page 39) has lead to a loss of personal identity within the monster, and thus a mental anguish and suffering (who am miserable beyond all living things-? page 77). This suffering the monster feels is extended by ships companys further rejection of him based on his appearance. The fact that he is even rejected by the DeLaceys is Shelleys view that everyone, however seemingly perfect, has an innate ability to justness based on appearance. This is why the monster s, at introductory, welcomed into the house of DeLacey. He is blind and therefore does not possess humanitys evil ability to judge based on appearance-? he therefore is the very quintessence of blurt outlessness and kindness at the heart of a judgmental society as he does not possess sight. Shelley therefore attempts to suggest that humanitys most dangerous quality is sight. This allows The Monster to believe he truly is a daemon/ wretch/ foul being and suffers due to it. However, notwithstanding the suffering of the individual, this novel seems to address a far great er suffering the suffering of humanity. Linking once again toMiltons Paradise Lost, the ultimate sin of Eve stealing the forbidden fruit leads to Adam and Eve (the first humans and thus, our ancestors) to be outcast to the state of nature. The suffering of humanity therefore comes from the fact that we, as descendants of Adam and Eve must be held responsible for Adam and Eves actions and temptation. Therefore, the human existence is based on the belief that we must continually repent for our ancestors sins and leads to the supposition that the monster is merely the embodiment of Gods vengeance, warning the most corrupt humans who attempt to overcome nature (which is sublime and God-? ontrolled) that, God will prevail. This is however a use of irony. Mary Shelley married Percy Shelley 3 years after he was expelled from Oxford for his pamphlet The necessity of atheism. This therefore exposes Shelleys cynicism of morality, whereas it should be based on glorifying existence, it is in fact, based on the suffering of humanity. Further suffering of humanity is observed through the handling of sexuality in the novel. When Adam and Eve were cast out into the wilderness in Paradise Lost, they had to commit the original sin of sexual retort as a means to produce offspring and ensure the choice f humanity. This act therefore undermines Gods power as it shows nature and science cannot be controlled by God (who is allegedly the creator of all). Therefore, within Victorian society a religiously backed suppression of sexuality meant men could not show any signs of sexual desire and that instead they must be kept secret. This leads to the idea that the monster is infact the depiction of Frankensteins sexual desire and that, much like the monster, it is locked away in the human body and allowed to fester it will only be more ugly and violent (as shown in Elizabeths death and Frankensteins destruction of he female monster which seem to almost mirror an aggressive rape). Mo reover, this leads to the development of what is more commonly known as The muck up Theory. This entails the idea that Frankenstein has a secretly oppressed homosexual desire which was shunned upon by Victorian society and that the only way to reveal this homo-? tingling desire was to create the daemon as a male genus Adonis I selected his features a beautiful in order to fit his suppressed sexuality. Therefore, humanity suffers as their sexuality is oppressed by society and religion meaning that when it is revealed only more suffering is unleashed.Shelley in this novel also speaks from a seemingly feminist perspective. This may have been inspired by her mother, Mary Wollstonecrafts book A Vindication of the rights of woman which fixed stress on female independence and the importance of female culture (women who succumb to sensuality will be blown about by every momentary gust of feeling) which links to the passive and more often than not pathetic description of women in this n ovel. Theyre suffering comes from the fact that Eve, the first woman committed the original sin thus damning society into a world far less sublime than the Garden of Eden. Therefore, Shelley esires show how women are forced into submission and general passiveness as a result of being the gender that committed the original sin. Their passiveness, perfectly depicted in Elizabeth and Justine, links well to Coventry Patmores poem, The Angel in the house. This poem states the power men possess over women and that, to remain include in society, women must remain tacit and pretty so to fulfil the expectations of society. This links to the monster the monster fails to fulfil societys expectations of appearance and therefore is outcast. However, this juxtaposes with women as they fulfil societys expectations and