Additional+Themes

=Additional Themes=

Isolation (Margot)
Throughout Mary Shelley’s //Frankenstien//, both Victor and the creature experience isolation and loneliness. While performing the experiment, Victor isolates himself from the rest of the world and secludes himself in secrecy. He loses sight of his responsibilities, and does not fully understand the consequences of creating a new being. He does not ask for assistance or a second opinion from a partner on the experiment. Instead, he goes forth, and creates a creature that has the ability to cause destruction to his family. Victor knows that creating the creature was a mistake. Therefore, he immediately abandons and rejects the creature. Like his creator, the creature is also isolated. Victor creates the creature so large and beastly, that all other humans are afraid of him. The creature is lonely, and in great need of a companion. He acts out, and inflicts pain on Victor by killing many of his close friends and relatives. Shelley shows the importance of having a companion, and how isolation can have negative effects.

Other //Isolation// references:
 * "I am alone, and miserable man; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species, and have the same defects. This being you must create" (97).
 * "Study had before secluded me from the intercourse of my fellow-creatures, and rendered me unsocial" (43).

=
Victor's learning style contrasts directly with that of the creature. Victor learns natural philosophy at the University of Ingolstadt. The mysteries of the natural world fascinate him so he delves into the works of the ancient alchemists and philosophers. Victor diligently studies the teachings of Professor Krempe, a natural philosopher, and Professor Waldman, a chemist. Overall, his education is heavily based on books and the experiences of his teachers. On the other hand, the creature learns from experience and observation, learning how to speak and behave by watching humans. The creature notices different moods and emotions from the impoverished De Lacey family. It begins to see human kindness and responsibility, as well as the flaws in the human character. Whilst Victor probably learns more facts and statistics from books, the creature most likely learns more about the human character and the secrets of life by simply observing human interactions. Through the flaws in both the creature's and Victor's education, Mary Shelley suggests that it is best to have an education combining both experience and fact.=====

Loneliness (Christie Huchro)
The creature is immediately abandoned by its creator, Victor, and is forced to take refuge in the forest. The creature slowly learns, by experience, what to eat, what to wear, and where to sleep. After six years of careful observation and a direct interaction with the De Lacey family, the creature begins to understand and comprehend human emotions. Upon seeing the deep personal relationships between all of the members of the De Lacey family, the creature realizes how truly lonely it is. It doubts that it will ever discover love. The creature observes the truly selfless and caring relationships between Felix and Safie, and Agatha and her father. Through these observations, the creature begins to understand how its' wretched appearance sets it apart from the rest of humanity. This epiphany drives the creature to find a way to reconnect with its' master. The creature's only hope of being loved lies with Victor, his creator. Unfortunately, Victor associates the creature with the underlying source of his depression. Victor's apathetic and degrading response to the creature's plea, leads the creature to become cold hearted. The loneliness that the creature experiences fuels its' ambition to be destructive.

Friendship (Phoebe)
Growing up, Victor was surrounded by those he loved. He had siblings and a best friend, and this is also the time that he seems the happiest. While in isolation after making his creature, he grows sick and depressed, and it takes his best friend to slowly nurse him back to health. Once he loses Henry, his life completely falls apart again, and his situation gets incredibly messy. The creature, on the other hand, never has a friend, which eventually takes a toll on him. He has been shown nothing but neglect and abuse, and he learns that the only way to get by in life is to fight back. Shelley tries to show how friends ground people, and help them remain healthy and calm even in the worst of situations. She shows that when a person does not have any companionship, they are completely lost, and it affects everything in their life, not just their immediate happiness.

Other //Friendship// References: **(Jacqueline Thomas)**
 * "I am self-educated, and perhaps I hardly rely sufficiently upon my own powers. I wish therefore that my companion should be wiser and more experienced than myself, to confirm and support me; nor have I believed it impossible to find a true friend" (16).

Abandonment (Margot)
From the start of the text, Victor gives up on the creature and does not even give it a chance. The moment Victor creates the creature, he calls it a "wretch." He says, “I beheld the wretch- the miserable monster whom I had created” (35). The creature does not know he is a monster, nor does he have any cruel intentions. From a first glance, the creature looks innocent and shows no resemblance of a monster. When the creature becomes a threat to Victor's family, Victor finally realizes that creating and abandoning the creature was a mistake. Victor says, "Two years had now elapsed since the night on which he first received life; and was this his first crime?" (48). When Victor comes to the realization that the creature can cause major destruction, it is too late. Shelley suggests that Victor’s initial abandonment is the true evil in the text. If Victor had not abandoned the creature in the first place, he may not have turned into an evil being.

Other //Abandonment// references:
 * "But it was all a dream: no Eve soothed my sorrows, or shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator but where was mine? he had abandoned me, and, in the bitterness of my heart, I cursed him" (88).

Family (Margot)
Throughout //Frankenstein//, Mary Shelley suggests that the key to happiness in a family does not depend on wealth or social status, but rather acceptance and compassion. She portrays the importance and meaning of family through the De Lacey's. The De Lacey family is a simple family living in poverty in the mountains. The family incorporates different ages and ethnic backgrounds, displaying a very diverse and heterogeneous family. As the creature observes the De Lacey’s, he has hope for acceptance in his future because they show tolerance and embrace strangers. He sees them as his protectors and even shares their feelings and emotions. Although the De Lacey’s do not know him, the creature feels like he is a part of their family. The creature was abandoned, and he seeks someone who will love and accept him. However, Victor comes from a wealthy family, but is anxious to leave and abandon them. The De Lacey’s are poor and have nothing, yet they are happy. Shelley suggests that materialism and wealth are not always the key for happiness, but that love, compassion, and acceptance are the true essence of family.

Lack of nurturing/parenting (Margot)
The creature is not nurtured by his creator, Victor Frankenstein and the lack of nurture has a negative effect on both Victor, and the creature. Victor makes the creature evil by abandoning him, and now Victor must face the consequences. The creature says, “But it was all a dream; no Eve soothed my sorrows, or shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam’s supplication to his Creator; but where was mine? He had abandoned me, and, in the bitterness of my heart, I cursed him” (88). When a parent abandons their child it affects both the child and the parent. Lack of nurturing and abandonment is not something you can take back, and Victor must learn this the hard way. The creature seeks revenge and goes forth and kills many of the people that Victor loves. The creature is not taught right from wrong, and is not taught strong morals or values. Starting at birth, a parent is supposed to be there to nurture their child, but in the text, Victor does not show the creature the nurture and love the creature. “His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks” (35). At the birth scene, the creature is an innocent creature. He does not have cruel intentions and does not know that he is a monster. He seeks love. But, Victor immediately abandons him. In Frankenstein, the creature is not nurtured by his creator and Shelley suggests that when children lack nurturing parents, there are consequences.

Sublime Nature (Marissa)
The power of nature and of the sublime is a fantastically apparent theme in Mary Shelley’s //Frankenstein//. The natural world and nature’s powerful influence exerts itself so heavily on Victor that it begins to affect his moods. He notes, “The sight of the awe-inspiring and majestic in nature had indeed always the effect of solemnizing my mind…” (64). Victor turns to nature for sublime experience, to gain feelings of awe and hope. He says, “I remembered the effect that the view of the ever-moving glacier has produced upon my mind…it filled me with a sublime ecstasy…allowed [my mind] to soar from the obscure world to light and joy,” (64). He is cheery and joyful in the presence of scenic beauty. However, he becomes disconsolate, guilty feeling, shameful, and regretful in the absence of this scenic beauty. He even says, “rain depressed me…I was miserable,” (63). Additionally, Victor’s attraction with nature is noteworthy because of the monster’s ties to nature. (Marissa)

// Other Sublime references // : (Marissa) "Affecting the mind with a sense of overwhelming grandeur or irresistible power; calculated to inspire awe, deep reverence, or lofty emotion, by reason of its beauty, vastness or grandeur" (OED) (62)
 * “And cottages every here and there…formed a scene of singular beauty…but was augmented and rendered sublime by the mighty Alps, whose shining pyramids…towered above all,” (62).
 * “This valley is more wonderful and sublime but not so beautiful and picturesque…the supreme and significant Mont Blanc raised itself…overlooked the valley,” (63)
 * “These sublime and magnificent scenes afforded me the greatest consolation that I was capable of receiving. They elevated me from all littleness of feeling; and although they did not remove my grief, they subdued and tranquillized it,” (63)

Connection to Edmond Burke

**Secret (Jane Mikus)**
Secrets and hiding behind closed doors plays a huge role in Frankenstein, as both the creature and his creator experience what it is like to be hiding. Victor hides for two years in his lab, trying to create life out of death. He doesn't come in contact with any friends, he doesn't respond to his family's worries, and most importantly he does not tell a soul what he is doing. He works completely in the dark by himself, but Victor makes this choice in order to be able to carry out his plan without anyone stopping him. He might have gotten the feeling along the way that he's treading in deep water, but he decides to continue with it anyway and work in private. This reckless decision to not consider outside information is the decision that leads to the other crises in his life. Secrets can be kept, and secrets should be respected, but when a secret is preventing a man from seeing reality and common sense, it needs to be illuminated. The Creature similarly lives in secret when he finds refuge in the small hut and begins to observe the German family outside his window. He creeps through the night, helps this family out, learns their ways and their language, and gains most of his education from this observation process: all in the darkness of his solitude. He longs to be accepted by these real humans but knows that he needs to stay hidden, so that he isn't forced to leave his safe spot. The difference between Victor and the Creature is that the Creature keeps his hidden secret in order to protect himself. He knows that he won't survive if people knew about his existence. Victor keeps a secret, and so does the Creature. But Mary Shelley makes the point that certain secrets that should not be kept will eventually lead to destruction. That difference between a safe secret and a dangerous one is at viewer's discretion. It may not be easy to recognize: but if formidable information is being concealed, only conflict will follow.

Appearance (Mo Leitner)
Appearances play a significant role in the text //Frankenstein//. Mary Shelley has a clear purpose for making the creature’s appearance so petrifying. Even though we are told not to judge a book by its cover, it becomes quite difficult when you are looking at a creature whose features bring fear to your eyes. The appearances that Victor gave the creature, by using old body parts, make it an even harder task to find acceptance by society. If the creature was created with more human like features, then he would not be so abandoned. People would not reject him so easily because of what he looks like. When the creature starts planning on how to reveal himself to the cottagers, he purposely picks a time when only De Lacy was home because he was blind. The creature longed for someone to see past his appearances and understand his inner values. “I had sagacity enough to discover, that the unnatural hideousness of my person was the chief object of horror with those who had formerly beheld me…therefore, that if, in the absence of his children, I could gain the good-will and mediation of the old De Lacy, I might, by his means, be tolerated by my younger protectors” (89). This is his last chance for acceptance by the society and he believes that if his appearances are hidden, there is a chance. Unfortunately, when the children come home early, they are not blinded by his features. Rather he frightens them and yet again his hopes of acceptance are shattered. Mary Shelley shows that because of the way Victor made him, the creature will never be accepted because society is judgmental. Therefore, he will be forever alone.(ML)

**Knowledge (Margot)**
In the text, Mary Shelley displays the danger of knowledge. When Victor initially decides to create the creature, he secludes himself in secrecy and becomes caught up in bringing life back from the dead. He loses sight of his responsibilities, and does not realize the consequences of creating a new being, and going beyond human nature. He does not understand the dangers of his pursuit. Victor’s thirst for knowledge causes him to become obsessed with creating an animate being. He learns the hard way, how destructive his actions are. The creation of the being leads to suffering and ultimately, his death. Shelley shows that the desire for knowledge can be dangerous and that the consequences of heedless actions are immense.

Other //Knowledge// references:
 * "How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believe his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow" (31).
 * "Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind, when it has once seized on it, like a lichen on the rock" (81).

Death and Life (Christina Paolicelli)
//Frankenstein// is a huge book for life and death. Victor experiences death at a young age as his mother dies when he is about 17. The death of Victor's mother is ultimately the reason behind his desire for bringing life to an inanimate object, or the creature. Then the creature further drives death towards him, by first killing William, then Henry and then Elizabeth.

Stereotyping (Christina Paolicelli)
A lot of Stereotyping goes on in //Frankenstein.// The general populous stereotypes against the Creature as he is ugly. The creature also stereotypes as he assumes that William will be accepting as he is very young, however this is not true. Mary Shelley gives many such examples of stereotyping and all the cases of stereotyping has bad effects.

Balance (Jane G)
Both Victor Frankenstein and his creature lack a sense of balance in their lives. Both are cursed with misery, and likewise, both are emotionally unstable. Imbalanced. Victor creates an alien life-form on a passion-driven whim, and once he realizes that the product of his scientific endeavor is far from what he envisioned, he is cast into a down spiral of emotional torment. He is thrown into a vicious cycle of physical and psychological illness followed by subsequent rises in spirits, due to the support of his friends and family. As the guilt of unleashing an unknown species into the world and the deaths of innocent loved ones weighs on his conscience, Victor experiences a range of emotions. He is pitted against the creature and distraught over the havoc the "wretch" has instigated, but he also blames himself for the debacle that has become his life. In the mean time, the creature, neglected by his "father" and shunned by society, is overwhelmed by conflicting sentiments. As he witnesses love and compassion, he attempts to foster values of virtue and yearns desperately to be accepted. But because he is repeatedly rejected, the creature grows internally imbalanced. He seeks love, and upon receiving only hate, he sees no other approach but to retaliate with equal hate. His morality is overtaken by fervent rage, and he ultimately turns to revenge.

The Creature's vengeance is also fueled by an imbalance of power. Isolated and deprived of any companionship, the creature is rendered powerless. He is treated unjustly based on his appearance, and thus because he is discriminated against, denied equality and happiness, he is compelled to avenge this disturbance in equilibrium by striving for some sort of power. When Victor and the creature are reunited, the creature eventually evokes Victor's pity and is able to manipulate him. He cries, " You may be my Creator, but I am your master -- obey!" (149), demonstrating that he has gained power over Victor. Victor, in turn, promises to adhere to the demand of the creature, and though he breaks his promise, he is still indirectly under the control of his creature. The creature finds that in destroying Victor's family and friends, the only asset that keeps him grounded, Victor himself is emotionally tortured.

**Regret (Shelby Holland)**
Regret is seen in the text as a reaction that is caused by Victor and the creature’s irrational decisions. Both Victor and the creature cause pain to people’s lives because of their hubristic actions. Victor is overly ambitious. As a scientist, he wants to create a human being. But his plan for creating life goes away because he is not an organized scientist with a plan. Immediately Victor regrets his creation, due to the creature’s “demonical corpse” appearance, thus abandoning the creature at its birth, (35). Victor continually regrets his creation, by calling the ordeal “a selfish pursuit” and nothing more, (44). The abandonment of the creature is an irresponsible action as the creator, even if Victor has feelings of regret. Mary Shelley suggests that the cause of regret is reckless actions made without reason.

The creature is hurt after the abandonment of his birth, so he seeks revenge on his creator. The deaths of William, Clerval, and Elizabeth are all of Victor’s loved ones that fell to the wrath and vengeance of a monster. After the death of his loved ones, Victor regrets his creation even more. In response to the irresponsible monster’s actions, Victor wants revenge and will accomplish it with an unspeakable rage, (139). Victor and the monster begin a “destructive and endless journey” across Europe, (143). The journey becomes too much for Victor and he dies. The monster finds his creator and immediately feels sorrow that his creator his dead. He regrets all his irresponsible and deadly actions because he feels that “in his murder my crimes are consummated,” (153). The monster feels regret so he asks for forgiveness but he knows that it is too late. Regret is guilt; it is the pain someone feels once they know that they have done something wrong.

Other //Regret// references: (Margot)
 * "The blood flowed freely in my veins, but a weight of despair and remorse pressed on my heart, which nothing could remove" (59).

Accident (Stephanie) - Sarah Drumm
The creature is born from an experimental error. Did Victor set out to create such a destructive being that even he, his creator cannot help but despise? // Frankenstein // answers the mysterious question of what happens when the unexpected happens. Victor causes an exorbitant amount of problems from one mistake and most importantly, this mistake affects the greater society. A problem, such as the creature cannot be contained. Even though it may be an accident, Victor does not learn from his fault. When asked by the creature to create a female friend, Victor, yet again, begins the tedious process of building a new species as he is persuaded by the creature. Shelley stresses the importance of learning from your misadventure. Victor makes a mistake like any character could have, but he does not take the responsibility of correcting it.

Effect of our actions (Stephanie)
Victor is very oblivious and unaware of the affect of his actions not only on himself, but also in society. He does not come to realize the danger of his creation until it is too late and some of the damage and pain has already been inflicted. Victor is very secretive, unprepared and lost throughout this experiment, solely focusing on how this invention would benefit him in his scientific career. It is not until his final words when his full epiphany occurs. He not only reflects on his faults and mistakes, but also warns Walton to not follow in his path of hubris and ambition. He tells Walton, “Seek happiness in tranquility, and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries. Yet why do I say this? I have myself been blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeed” (152). Unfortunately, timing was not in Victor’s favor, and he realized the selfishness and unawareness in his actions when they could no longer be changed. Victor never fully understood how significantly his actions impact society until this epiphany. However, he fully analyzed and reflected on his bad mistakes and regardless of the fact that he could not go back and change events, he left Walton with a very wise warning. (Lexie Miller)

Expectation vs. Reality (Stephanie)
Mary Shelley uses the character of Victor, depicted as close-minded and judgmental, as a way to show what happens when someone is not prepared for an unpredictable situation. This is very ironic considering Victor is a scientist, which is all about nature, a topic that is unpredictable. Even though he is a scientist, his actions raise the concern of his inexperience in his profession. Victor expects his creation to be perfect and believes he can keep the experiment a secret. A scientist must not go into an experiment with any expectations, rather they predict or hypothesize the outcome. Victor is working with the creation of a new life form and it seems that he is not realistically thinking about how dangerous this creature could become. He acts very unprofessional and childish when he completely abandons the creature, putting a threat not only to society, but also the creature itself. These rash decisions are not only a poor reflection on Victor's professionalism, but his weak character and morals. ( **Lexie Miller **)

Revenge and Forgiveness (Lexie, Margot)
Throughout Mary Shelley's //Frankenstein//, Shelley diplays the importance of forgiveness and the consequences of revenge. She shows that humans are wired for both revenge and forgiveness. Forgiveness lacks throughout most of the text. Even though Victor and his creature both reflect on their mistakes, a glimpse of forgiveness or even an apology never truly occur. In order to end the cycle of violence, communication and a conversation are needed. The creatures wishes to have a conversation with his creator, but is never given a change. Victor shuts out the creature because he resembles the "other." Mary Shelley suggests that compassion is needed to be humane. Both the creature and Victor seek revenge. The creature is angry at society and Victor's constant rejection and abandonment. Victor regrets his vaulting ambition to make a breakthrough in science at the expense of producing a threat to society. However, their revenge becomes murderous and this cycle of violence continues. Shelley suggests that we are all capable of forgiving and wanting revenge, but we must choose forgiveness to promote a civil society. Revenge fails to end the cycle of violence, while forgiveness uses reason to make wise decisions. (Lexie Miller, Margot McCloskey)

Communication (Margot) (Edited and expanded by Jacqueline Thomas)
Communication is a vital theme within Mary Shelley's //Frankenstein// because it is an important characteristic that both Victor and the creature lack. Victor isolates himself for two years in which he has little to no contact with his friends and family. This lack of communication is one of the main reasons that he is unable to see reason and stop the arduous pursuit of animating a creature out of dead body parts. In addition, although it is not the creature's fault, the creature is also abandoned and isolated. He is so physically ugly that all humans are petrified and repulsed by him. Subsequently, he does not have a single soul to talk to or sympathize with, resulting in very rash and violent decisions. Mary Shelley suggests that through Victor and the creature's isolation, communication is imperative in order to make rational, humane decisions. (ME)