Bonnie Flaig: A Critical Evaluation of Frankenstein

1. There are many connections between Shelley's life & the novel. One being that mothers are noticeably absent from the novel, as Shelley's mother, having died shortly after Mary's birth, was absent from her daughter's life. In the novel:
-Victor's mothers dies early, leaving a painful void in his life
-The creation of the monster by Victor, "the pale student of unhallowed arts," is essentially a motherless birth

2. Theme of "doubles" in the novel.

-Walton vs. Victor:
Both are fascinated with exploring dangerous areas heretofore unknown to humanity. Walton is exploring the northernmost regions of the world, while Victor has dabbled in the creation of life. When Victor is telling his story though, it is too late for him--he tells a miserable tale. For Walton, t is not too late to change his course. Both men are usually isolated or lonely in the world and write about this.

Creature vs. Victor:
Perhaps another side of Victor. The creature is like Victor's id, acting out terrible fantasies that Victor has imagined. At the same time, Elizabeth and Clerval consistently try to appeal to all that is moral and upright in Victor.

Elizabeth vs. Victor:
Eliz. seems to double as Victor's mother after the old woman's death. Eliz. is symbolically tied to the mate Victor begins to construct for the creature. When victor destroys the mate, Eliz. dies at the hands of the creature.

3. Biblical symbolism.

Theme of outcast & story of creation: The creature is bitter and dejected after being turned away from human civilization. Muck like Adam was turned out of the garden of Eden. (One difference though). In the Bible, Adam causes his own fate by sinning.... in Frankenstein the creature cannot control his fate of being a hideous monster; Victor created him that way. Beginning of the story, epigraph from John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667)....

Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
To mound Me man? Did I solicit thee
From darkness to promote me?

4. Aspects of Shelley's life, again, contribute to the novel. She was the daughter of the revolutionary feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft and the radical philosopher WIlliam Godwin, who was nearly arrested for supporting the French Revolution. Shelley's parent's political views often led to their being considered outcasts by proper society. And Shelley later repeated this role by running off with a married poet. Relates to biblical theme ^^^.

5. Shelley's Politics can relate to the novel. She had a realistic view of the world, tempered by compassion. In other works, Shelley wrote sympathetically of the poor and saw the need for reform, but she also feared the violence of a revolution of the underclass. Readers of Frankenstein feel the same ambivalence about the creature. While sympathizing with the creature and recognizing the injustice of his plight, the reader, like Victor, also begins to fear the creature's revenge.