Frankenstein review
Literary motif involves the use of repetitive narrative to reinforce the development of a particular theme. Mary Shelley uses motifs in her book, Frankenstein to explore the themes relevant to the society up to date. The clever use of recurring ideas in the story has helped Frankenstein readers to understand several themes that Shelley is trying to develop in the novel. The themes developed by use of motifs include beauty as an obsession by the society, parental responsibilities and the dangers that could be attributed to new technology. Shelley has employed the repetitive use of denial and abortion to develop the theme of society’s obsession with beauty and parental responsibility to their actions.
The society is obsessed with physical beauty, and no consideration is made on the character since lack of beauty is associated with an ugly character. The novel, Frankenstein compels the readers to sympathize with the creature’s inner beauty that is ignored by a society that judges the creature based on its ugly physical nature. However, the creature’s denial by the society has severe consequences to some characters who were affiliated to the society. Victor’s family obsession with beauty is evident. First, Victor’s father chooses Elizabeth as Victor’s bride, purely based on beauty and no mention of character is considered for the choice. Victor is also obsessed with beauty since the ugly nature of the creature he had made led to Victor running away from the creature. Victor suffers the consequences of rejecting the creature since it eventually murders Elizabeth, Victor’s wife. The obsession with Elizabeth’s beauty makes Victor make uninformed decisions such as leaving Elizabeth alone in the house to kill the creature, who would be dangerous to Elizabeth. The creature waits for Victor to leave the house and then struggles Elizabeth to death and later escapes before Victor killed it. The creature is also obsessed with beauty as much as it suffers rejection due to ugliness. After being rejected by Victor, the creature wanders in the woods and eventually finds a water pool. The creature does not seem to believe his appearance as reflected by the transparent pool.
The presentation of irresponsible individuals in the novel has been used to create the theme of parental responsibility. First, a sense of hideousness is expressed by Victor and the monster and a motif of abortion surfaces. Victor is disappointed in the monster he has created and cannot imagine letting it continue living: “When I thought of him, I gnashed my teeth, my eyes became inflamed, and I ardently wished to extinguish that life which I had so thoughtlessly mad…,” Frankenstein, (p.45). Also, the monster shares a similar feeling as Victor towards the disappointment. The monster believes that he should have been aborted rather than being abandoned to suffer alone in the woods. Victor’s motive of aborting the monster is not the only motif; Victor has already aborted the creation of a female monster in the past: “I at once gave up my former occupations; set down natural history and all its progeny as a deformed and abortive creation…,” Frankenstein,( p.42). Victor does not appear to be satisfied by natural philosophy since it has led Victor into a series of disappointments.
Marry Shelley has employed extensive use of literary motif to develop the theme of beauty and lack of responsibility by parents. The society is obsessed with beauty and characters appear irresponsible in accepting the disappointments accompanied by their actions.
Work Cited
Shelley, Mary. “Frankenstein.” (1923): 42, 123.