Good Essay About Frankenstein And Romantic Ideas

Over the course of time authors of classic literature have venture into the pursuit of creating novels that are rooted within the very core of human existence. Characters in novels are romanticized to make them more appealing to the readers. Regardless of the genre or the personality of the characters in the story, authors attempt to humanize their characters to bring them to life and make them relatable to the readers. This was the main contention by author Mary Shelley in her most popular novel Frankenstein. While the main character in Shelly’s novel takes the form of a monster, eventually it was soften by experiencing remorse, guilt and compassion. This paper attempts to offer Shelley’s approach of romanticizing what should have been a grotesques and morbid presentation of the lead character in her novel entitled Frankenstein, monster that has been brought to life to curtail the lives of several characters in the story. The objective of which is to resolve how romantics and the ideologies embodied therein can significantly change the overall appeal of the novel to warrant it as a timeless classic. In the pursuit of such an analysis, this paper would include substantial amount of references that also attempts to offer praises and criticisms on how author Mary Shelley transcends the character from one image or persona to another which is totally the opposite of the original depiction that was offered by the author. These references will be utilized to establish an argument pointed out by the author of this paper to offer a sense of credibility to claims posted in this paper.

Getting to Know Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

The monster in the story of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein was an experiment gone wrong by a young boy named Victor Frankenstein. His curiosity of science triggered his interest to unlock and unravel the “elixir to live” as he had initially theorized. Victor Frankenstein had been able to successfully bring a monster to life, whose name he would eventually associate with himself. Nevertheless, the young creator was so indicted of the physical form of his decided to abandon his creation, shamed to draw association with such hideously looking creature. Unknown to the monster, of his physical attributes, it tried to blend itself in the society to find solace and acceptance. However, the society was not very accepting of his physical limitations and his indifference, the monster began to develop anger and outrage towards the person who created him and foster in his mind to take avenge the shame that was brought upon him. This began the change in the monster’s once kind heart and was replaced by indignation that was already beyond the control of its creator and instead it led to the demise of his Victor Frankenstein’s loved ones. In sheer desperation and displeasure, the young boy contemplated on ending the life of the monster to bring justice to his victim. Towards the story the character of Victor Frankenstein was introduced. This was Victor Frankenstein’s confidant with who he was at least able to convey his dark secret to a friend who goes by the name Robert Walton. Walton’s character was introduced to the story to create another personality that would give meaning to the dread of ambition that could eventually cripples the pursuit to be human and contentment.

Romanticizing Shelley’s Frankenstein

Romanticism is an artistic movement which aims to glorify intense human emotions being that it offers an authentic source of beautiful experiences sharing the light of the good with the bad. This intertwines with the alleged downside of emotions which includes horror, apprehensions and awe while breathlessly taking mental visual images of beauty at its most subliminal and most raw appearance. Shelley’s attempt to romanticize her novel, the author has incorporated vivid human experiences and blended in her own personal experiences to give light to the romantic’s ways of presenting ideologies and values.
The first attempt of Shelley to romanticize her novel was to blend in and incorporate the concept of religion into the picture. Right at the meaning of saying and broths of introducing got gobroubing the story of creation to correlate with how Victor Frankenstein brought life to the monster that will eventually be named Frankenstein.
Did I request thee, Maker, from my clayTo mould Me man?
~ (Shelley xxii)
The whole concept of creation is to be alienated and capitalized rather on the general implication that has brought Victor Frankenstein to abandon his work and be remotely disgusted over the appearance of the creation. Trivializing this content, Shelley’s vague but very specific approach to mimics the account in Genesis when God vanishes his creation Adam after falling into his displeasure. This passage recounts how Shelley draws inspiration over religion particularly focusing on the story of the Fall of Man, resembling the same down fall of the monster. Nevertheless the comparison between the accounts of Adam’s fall towards Victor Frankenstein’s abandonment of the monster were not of the same category. The origin of Adam’s fall in the story of creation was practically of his personal’s doing. However, in the case of the monster, it was the Creator himself who fell short of substantiating what he personally deemed was necessary for his own acceptance. The monster was completely without the responsibility of his downfall. Again, from the context of romanticizing the story, Shelley delivered the power of acceptance into the story. We practically all have shortcomings but that should never hinder us from being accepted. The physical is never to be a criteria of perfection. As mentioned in the article entitled Electrical Romanticism the author states, that there is the ideal transition to achieve the attainment of psychological equilibrium (Goodall 519).
A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind, and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility.
~ (Shelley 57)
Despite the use of a monster in depicting an essential character in Shelley’s novel, the author invoked a sense of becoming and the concept of tranquility. It is natural for chaos to occur in society and even within the psyche. However, Shelley’s attempt to offer a sense of direction for the readers to see that while there exist the inner turmoil that one battles due to the environmental pressure of dictating the concept of beauty from the feministic view, it is established and given due emphasis that it must never be a question of imperfection that should shake the very foundation and core of human existence. Rather Shelley’s Frankenstein allows for the readers to see that one should not be corrupted by the false notion that society bestows nor by the social standards that defines a conceptualized beauty .
Looking it from another perspective one can derived a significant insight as presented by Kim Hammond where the author states that today’s generation is a romanticized real manifestations of Shelley’s monster. According to Hammond, modernism offers a different view of the concept of religion and social acceptance .
“as a powerful and popular symbol of concerns over the risks and dangers of science, progressive modernity and its ensuing technological creations”
(Hammond 181)
Hammond reminds people that technology gives them the impression that they are capable of playing Gods and being corrupted by the system that promises that everything has a solution. However, while technology might help account for the discovery of new means to make life better, it also delivers to the downfall of man. A perfect example of this cloning. There had been scientific evidence of the success of this medical procedure. Nevertheless, it does not guarantee the salvation of mankind. It simply lure people into believing that there is a better way to procreate and replicate for the purpose of genetics. However, at the end of the day this actually defies the very essence of human existence.

Conclusion

After critical analysis of one of the most remarkable novel written Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, it paved the way for seeing the depth of how the author tried to capture in essence the character of the monster and bring a different light as to how people bring in the concept of religiosity into a fully romanticized portrayal of human social interaction. Living is not necessarily about compliance to a standard. It is the prospect that allows people to transcend from the level of understanding that things are bound to embrace meaning apart from what is superficial.

Works Cited

Baldick, Chris. In Frankenstein's Shadow: Myth, Monstrosity, and Nineteenth-Century Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987. Print.
Goodall, Jane. "Electrical Romanticism." Hunter, Paul. Norton's Critical Edition. New York City: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 510-524. Print.
Hammond, Kim. "Monsters of modernity: Frankenstein and modern environmentalism." Cultural Geographies (2004): 181–198. Print.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Pearson Education, 2007. Print.