Frankenstein by Mary Shelly - Essay Example

Mary Shelley was a very young woman when she wrote Frankenstein and her natural love of romance came into play in the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his adopted sibling, Elizabeth Lavenza. While Victor was reckless and ambitious within his desire to create his "new species" that went beyond just creating a human being, Elizabeth remained a gentle, caring and devoted person. She played the opposite of Frankenstein's compulsion with his "project". It did not appear to be a wildly passionate love affair but one of depth and caring, especially on Elizabeth's part.

Frankenstein developed a fascination with science and nature as a young boy which led him to pursue the philosophies of the ancient Greeks up until he reached the age of seventeen when he went away to the university to study science and medicine. An affable youth, he soon found himself consumed by studies of the then modern science techniques and the radical idea that man could create life other than through the natural process of procreation. An absurd idea then and today that a human life could be returned from death but it was Frankenstein's obsession.

The novel leaves the reader with the feeling that Shelley herself did have that much faith in the modern science of the time. Through her main character's preoccupation that he could improve upon science with undisputable expertise, it could be viewed that the author herself felt that were too many limitations at the time period for medical advancement. Victor Frankenstein believed that he had expanded his knowledge beyond that of his professors and broke into a totally new unknown territory as is suggested in the following quote.

"It was a mystery; yet with how many things are we upon the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our enquiries." (Shelley 41)Mary Shelley displayed her thoughts upon science in the way that she developed the character of the monster, as he is, himself, an anomaly, a freakish creation of a human structure, and not one of natural science. The creature is still a human being that finds himself an outcast, shunned from the natural human need for social interaction, but possessed of all the human emotions for that need.

As expressed in the monster's speech to Frankenstein"Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss from I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy and I shall be virtuous." (Shelley 74)Though a novel of violence as the creature becomes filled with hate for Frankenstein who has in turn become repulsed by the monster and begins to only flee it until in retaliation the creature begins to stalk and kill those whom Frankenstein loves.

A deep bond of affection and love runs within Victor