Frankenstein Post

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is an interesting and heartbreaking book about understanding, self loathing, and hatred. The most prominent of these themes is the ambition for understanding. Every main character in the book is hunting for knowledge about the unknown. Victor Frankenstein chases after knowledge about the human body which leads to the horrific creation of The Monster. Walton’s exploration into the north pole leads him to find The Monster which gets him stuck in the ice. The Monster searches for more information about his being and finds out the tragic reality of his situation. These three perspectives revolve around the central idea that knowledge is dangerous and it may be better to let the unknown stay unknown. The idea of self-loathing is consistent in both Frankenstein and The Monster’s lives. Frankenstein sees The Monster as a horrifying monstrosity and treats it as such. Frankenstein is in despair over what he has brought into this world and even falls ill because he despises and regrets what he has done. The Monster also begins to hate himself after he learns what he looks like. He even tries to befriend a blind man so he can find some form of support from others which does not work. Each of them begin to hate themselves through the course of the book. The last theme of hatred is the mutual disgust between Frankenstein and The Monster. The Monster hates that he was brought into this world without a purpose or a mate and Frankenstein hates that his creation is wreaking havoc on the countryside. The Monster’s hatred of Frankenstein even pushes him to kill Frankenstein’s love on their wedding night. All of these themes create a tragic atmosphere within this gothic story.