Frankenstein

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Frankenstein
Mary Shelley depicted her prowess in writing through her famous novel Frankenstein published in 1818. The author started writing the excellent piece of work at the age of 18. However, it was not until the second edition published in 1823 in France did Shelley’s name appear. The first edition published in London on 1st January 1818 was anonymous. Frankenstein is a masterpiece with Gothic novel and Romantic elements. Besides, the book is an ancient science fiction piece of work. A clear depiction of themes in the fiction-horror book has helped it maintain its significance for 200 hundred years, thus proving it to be one of the best ancient books whose significance remains unwavering in an era of multiple books and works. The novel addresses various universal themes. The story is rich with ideas, and it depicts how knowledge application can either be good or evil. Besides, the book shows the impact of technology on humankind. After the initial anonymous publication, the novel acquired negative criticism. However, the story regained fame amongst novelists and reviewers (Brannstorm 5).
The novel focuses on Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who seeks to give life through his experiments. The experiments lead to the creation of a living creature. The doctor uses dead men’s organs to create the living being (Shelley 32). At first, Frankenstein’s is sensitive and gentle as well. However, humanity fears its monstrous appearance, which forces the creation to keep away from the society.

The monster is frustrated and angered by human’s behavior and seeks to acquire vengeance from its creator. As a result, the beast kills Frankenstein’s brother, his wife and his best friend. After the murder, the creations seek asylum at the North Pole. Victor is frustrated by his monster and aims to bring it down which makes him travel to the North Pole. Hover, upon arrival, tables turn on Frankenstein, and the creature injures Victor. The beast uses an ice raft to vanish into the Arctic which marks the end of the story. The novel depicts many universal themes. For instance, the issue of causal dependency is evident where Victor blames his father for scoffing his interest in alchemy (Sparknotes 1). Also, the novel depicts the theme of monstrosity as well as secrecy. However, this paper focuses on the issue of isolation and alienation and uses various supportive instances from the ancient novel (Sparknotes 1).
The theme of alienation and isolation
Shelley first depicts the theme of alienation in her book in the first chapter of the book where she narrates the life of Frankenstein. Victor lives with his parents in what the author recounts to be a ‘perfect’ family. Victor spends a better part of his life trying to recreate life. Little did Victor know the harm his creation would inflict on him and his close associates. Besides, after the creature causes multiple deaths, Victor spends most of his time in the North Pole, seeking to kill his creation. At this time, he isolates himself from his family and the society. At the time of the experiments, Frankenstein was in the university, and he alienated himself from his family, the community, and his childhood life, to give his attention solely to the monster (Shelley 39).
Victor leaves home for studies, where he does not have many friends; neither does he try to take some. Away from home, Victor does not bother to keep in touch with his family. This fact depicts the first instance of the theme of alienation. During his experiments in Ingolstadt, the main character of the book loves his own company to the extent of locking himself up in his room. Victor chooses his solitude life for himself. Frankenstein’s only friend is Clerval (Shelley 33). However, the main character keeps his troubles with the experiments to his own. Besides, Shelley writes about Robert Walton, who is a significant character in the book. Just like Victor, most of Walton spent most of his childhood in loneliness. Walton seeks isolation through his expedition. Therefore, Victor’s and Walton’s full dedication to their experiments and voyages respectively, isolating themselves from the society is a clear depiction of the theme of alienation in Shelley’s book.
Other than Victor, the monster itself is a significant victim of the theme of isolation and alienation. The creature is friendly at attempts to be of relevance in the society. However, all the efforts by the monster are in vain. The beast assumes a notion that it will never fit in the community or humans will never embrace it. The creatures first encounter with humans turn to be negative. When the monster first opens its eyes, Victor, dubbed as the father is cowed and flees since he is unable to endure the looks of the creature. Victor is horrified by his first encounter with his creation thus leaves it clueless of what it is, who its creator is or where it is (Shelley 63). After sometimes villagers discover the monster and they chase it. These two instances in the book depict the experience of the creature with the theme of isolation. When the beast flees from the village, it comes into contact with the De Lacey family where he seeks to be a member. At first, the creature hides to observe the family due to his experience with humans. It is during the creature’s secret stay at the home that he learns about love and family and craves for these two (Brannstorm 10).
Kindness is a way of eliminating isolation and alienation. The monster performs some acts of concern at night. For instance, he fetches firewood for the family. The creature also practices in his speech to win the love of the family members. The monster admires the livelihood of the family. However, when the Dc Lacey discovers the creature, they act similarly as Victor and the villagers. At this point, the author depicts the alienation between the monster and the humankind. This fact angers the beast, and it seeks vengeance from his creator. The existence of the creature shows the negatives of the alienation as the most apparent theme of the novel.
Lastly, the theme of isolation is evident in Victor’s Guilt and Genius (Brannstorm 13). When Victor, a great scholar seeks to fathom the powers and distinction between life and death, he ends up creating an undesirable creature. The creation of this monster is a part of the recovery of grief after the death of Victor’s mother. Due to Frankenstein’s solitude life, not even his real friend, Clerval or the family members know the magnitude of his grief that leads him to horrifying experiments. After the birth of the monster, Victor’s alienation as a scholar elevates the guilt resulting in his trial. The self-condemnation of creating the monster eats him up, and he is confident that no one can love or understand him after creating the monster. Due to the guilt, Victors alienates himself from his close associates, thus depicting the theme of isolation.
In conclusion, the theme of isolation and alienation is the most significant in Shelley’s novel. The paper outlines various instances that depict this theme. For example, due to Victor’s intellectual differences from his family members and friends, he leads a lonely life. The first concise instance of alienation is Victor’s isolation from the society when he embarks on his experiments. Also, Robert Walton’s life which has significant similarities with that of Victor is an evident instance of alienation (Miller 1).
Shelley also outlines the theme of alienation when Victor’s creature hides from townspeople. The hostility of humans makes the monster flee into hiding. Also, the author’s use of the North Pole is clear evidence of isolation. The North Pole is isolated from the rest of the world’s continents. Therefore, when the monster escapes to the North Pole, the author shows the theme of alienation. However, the two incidences of isolation are different. Victor voluntarily faces isolation from the society while it is against the will of the monster to face alienation from the townspeople and the Dc Lacey family.

Works cited
Brannstorm, Carina. An Analysis Of The Theme Of Alienation In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Lulea University Of Technology, 2006, http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1016264/FULLTEXT01.pdf.
Miller, Terri B. “Alienation In Frankenstein | Study.Com.” Study.Com, 2018, https://study.com/academy/lesson/alienation-in-frankenstein.html.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein. [United States], Go Reader, 2011,pp 24-277.
Sparknotes. “Sparknotes: Frankenstein: Chapters 1–2.” Sparknotes.Com, 2017, http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/frankenstein/section2/.