Hi everyone, so I’m going to be exploring two significant themes of Frankenstein that I

believe go, paradoxically, well with each other in this book.

So first, it is interesting to see the prominence of isolation and solitude in the book. From a
wider view, the idea of having three separate narrators, who all use first-person to deliver
their story, is already demonstrative of just how separated and alienated they are. This
synergises with the content of their story to show how they are all locked within their own
suffering, isolated from each other.

More explicitly, the creature laments “Everywhere I see bliss from which I am irrevocably
excluded” showing his realisation of the connection that is relationships and his awareness
that he is the only one in solitude. This portrays the ironic picture Shelley creates between
community and togetherness and loneliness and isolation. Further, it is actually interesting to
recognise that the oppressed characters in the book, i.e. the creature, is forced into isolation.
Whereas those in power, such as Victor, had the capability to choose isolation and the
privilege to remove relationships.

Contextually, some believe that William Godwin’s views are being highlighted here as he
asserted his belief that isolation and solitude was at the root of humanity’s problems. This is
an apt view considering the consequences of the Creature’s lack of relations - ‘my vices are
the children of forced solitude. Thus, isolation becomes the reason for the death and
destruction of the Frankenstein family.

The creature is also referred to using the definite article “the”, implying he is one of a kind,
alone and with no one else similar to him.

Next, the epigraph of Frankenstein sets us up for the theme of relationships and its
accompanying themes of isolation and solitude.

Throughout the book the Creature makes multiple allusions to paradise lost and compares
himself to both Adam and Satan. He finds that “Like Adam I was created apparently united
by no link to any other being in existence” but at the same time “Many times [he] considered
Satan as the fitter emblem of [his] condition”. The intertextuality and metaphors suggest the
prominence of isolation and relationships and the destruction that can be brought when the
correct combination of those do not occur.

Further, Frankenstein can also be seen as an emblem of Adam. His relationships with his
family and friends represent a paradise where he is safe and happy but when they are taken
away from him, it can be likened to being expelled from the Garden of Eden. The destruction
of the relationships in his life bring him misery and suffering - an agonising feeling that he
does not manage to grasp as the reality of the Creature’s life.

By exploring the structure and form of this book, we can see the patterns of how
relationships develop or disappear as the plot unfolds.

First, the epistolary gives the story a certain verisimilitude (appearance of being true or real).
This demonstrates the creature’s pain and loneliness in a manner that elicits pathos from the
audience. As the story jumps from Walton to Victor, we are able to see the various cultures
and relationships that have shaped their characters. However, the creature is isolated in the
middle; he has shaped his own person. What’s more, the Creature’s story, surrounded by the
other two narrators, is dependent on that structure. Without that surrounding plot his would
not stand; showing the irony of his dependence on relationships to people but also his
simultaneous isolation.

Furthermore, the denouement has a lack of closure with little to no catharsis. The lack of
traditional completion to a story is almost unsatisfactory. This can be interpreted to show that
the consequences of isolation and alienation cannot restore lost relationships. The effect of
the lack of relationships and the loss of relationships in a beings life, is therefore presented
as permanent.

Looking at Gothicism, a prominent feature of many bleak novels of the genre is that of
Alienated individuals. This highlights the books’ extremely gothic nature - creating a bleak
ending to a book as a result of an individual being deprived of love and human relations.

The Noble savage concept being that of a character that portrays the idea of a wild being
who, as a result of being away from civilization, has not yet been corrupted. This type of
character symbolises an inherent goodness and virtue in humans. This can be seen in the
creature - his pursuit of relationships left him influenced by humanity’s violence.

In terms of responsibility and relationships, Veidemanis finds that “the initial wrong was
Frankenstein [banishing] the monster from love and participation in the human family”

- Victor had a responsibility towards his creature as he recognises his parents gave
him. He says his parents “were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and
indulgence.” yet he is unable to recognise he owes this relationship to his creature
too.
Some critics believe that Percy Shelley did not care about his and Mary’s baby and left with
another woman. Therefore, some theorise that Victor’s reaction to the creature is based on
Percy’s abandonment.

Finally, the creature being alienated from love and family can be pinpointed to be the direct
reason for the tragic ending of the novel. David Punter states that “The creature idealises the
domestic household but is excluded from it”. Suggesting that he is forcefully alienated.

His desire for a relationship with a female creature because it would be of his own kind
demonstrates that humans have taught him the concept of separation - that he can only
acquire love from something that looks like him. This skewed sense of relationships is,
unsurprisingly, a cultural crisis in modern society.

Thank you.