Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Essay Example

Introduction

While Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein probably stands as the ultimate example of the horror, or monster, novel, it seems the author is determined to use her creation in a way transcending this effect. Shelley chooses to address fundamental issues of man’s relation to himself and to God, and she is careful throughout her novel to emphasize this intention through classical allusions reflecting these concerns. In her usage of classic poetry, Mary Shelley makes a specific effort in Frankenstein, or: The Modern Prometheus to maintain the reader’s focus, not on a grotesque monster, but on the inner turmoil of her two protagonists.

Discussion

Time and again, Shelley has her chief characters turn to great verse, rather than insert classical work into the narrative herself. This reinforces her determination to address the crucial issues of existence, instead of merely setting out an extended chase after a monster. For example, tortured by dreams of his creation, Frankenstein’s mind seizes on Coleridge, recalling lines from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner that capture his despair and terror: “…He knows a frightful fiend/ Doth close upon him tread” (Shelley 58). Only poetry of this grandiose style can express the grief of the man, which is a fear beyond anything ordinary men may encounter. Then, if Frankenstein requires this level of depth himself, so too does his creation. This is a monster with an equally strong awareness of the existential dilemma of them both, as he confronts his maker:

“’You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life?’” (110).

Then, the monster, while relating his journeys, refers to the works of literature that excited his tortured soul, and Milton’s Paradise Lost seems to have most deeply resonated with his being. More to the point, Shelley is able here to discuss Milton in a way few humans can, because the creature so affected by the poetry is virtually a character within the saga. He is not merely another man associating himself with Adam and the Biblical fall; he is Adam, in that he is a thing made apart from natural forces: “Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence” (Shelley 148). This powerful association, then, translates into extreme pain for the creature, because there can be no understanding of this connection without an equal understanding of how perversely the creature reflects it. It is only logical that he “rewrites” the Milton to suit his own case, and perceives Satan to be his creator (148).

Conclusion

Frankenstein, popular representations notwithstanding, is a story about man’s Promethean audacity in emulating God, and the nightmares that come from it. To that end, the author infuses profound literature to emphasize the intent. Mary Shelley makes a specific effort in Frankenstein, or: The Modern Prometheus to keep the reader’s focus, not on a man-made monster, but on the inner turmoils of her two protagonists.

Works Cited

Shelley, Mary Wollstonescraft. Frankenstein, or: The Modern Prometheus. New York: Plain Label Books, 2010. Print.