Social Ostracisation Within Frankenstein

Gothic literature is when the setting of a novel or passage is described as being gloomy or has a dark setting. In gothic literature the author might often write about a bleak setting, tortured characters or have a strange or violent plot. Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a good example of Gothic Literature because in the story he expresses it as being dark and mysterious, also it incorporates gloomy moods, and a bleak setting in the story. For example, in Poe’s

Frankenstein puts the monster into a situation that causes him to be one of a kind. The monster had no one to whom he could relate. Victor thrusts the burden of existence upon the monster by creating him, leaving no route for escape from the situation. Frankenstein causes the monster to live a life in solitude, and the monster realizes the contempt others have for him. The monster feels as if he is no different, and believes he “deserved better treatment”(Shelley 114). Through his observations, the fiend ponders whether his existence is truly that of humanity or rather of “a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned”(Shelley 119). By creating him, Victor forces these hardships upon the monster.

Introduction Boundaries are important as they indicate a limit a person not supposed to cross, it important that people respect boundaries as once boundaries are crossed, it can affect the relationship between two people or society as a whole. Crossing boundaries come with consequences. In regards to this assignment we will be looking at consequences of challenging boundaries in the gothic novels Wuthering heights and Frankenstein. The social and cultural background of the genre gothic novel According to Mullan, (2014), gothic fiction began as a sophisticated joke Horace Walpole first applied the word gothic to a novel in the subtitle – ‘a gothic story’- of the Castle of Otranto, published in 1764. According to Tiffin (2011) the historical context of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century is important to the gothic form, as

While the monster is learning to live on his own he observes the actions and movement of the DeLacey family. With no guiding figure in his life the monster has to learn to do basic tasks, like a child would, such a speaking his first words. When he is observing the DeLacey family he realizes they communicate their feelings by using words. After observing this the monster decided, “This was indeed a godlike science, and I ardently desired to become acquainted with it.”(100) After his decision to learn the language he starts initially with small words that are associated with objects. He picks up slowly at first saying, “ I was unable to discover any clue by which I could unravel the mystery of their reference.”(100) Gradually and persistently the monster learned his

Not only is he left alone but he also must learn and adapt to the cruelty of the human world. The monster is left to figure out what feelings are, what fire is, what hunger is, etc. He approaches humans and they fully reject him in horror. They throw rocks and fire and he is forced to be alone, scavenging nuts and berries and hiding in the woods, only traveling when he cannot be seen. Every experience he has had with human beings has been awful and incredibly discouraging. As time progresses he stumbles across a cottage in the woods and he begins to watch a family of three: father, son, and sister (and eventually another woman). It is here that the creature learns what goodness is, what love and family is. He learns to speak English and he reads many novels such as Milton’s Paradise Lost to gain knowledge about his world, a similarity he has with his creator . But he also hears hears stories of the horrible things humans can do and he does not quite understand why or how at this point. From here he develops the feeling of loneliness and just wants to be a part of a family. “The more I saw of them the greater my desire to claim their protection and kindness; my heart yearned to be known and loved by these amiable creatures…” (Shelley 145). He wants someone to love and care for, he wishes for that love and care in return. He does not want to be cold in the woods rejected by any who sees

My protectors had departed and had broken the only link that held me to the world." (Shelly 132). When reading this quote we are shown that mankind has completely pushed away the creature, since the people who lived in the cottage rejected him he feels that he has lost all hope of connecting with mankind, once he learns that the people have completely left the village the creature goes into a state of anger which causes his dangerous escalate into a murderer. "Evil thenceforth became my good.” (Shelly 210). When the creature says this quote in the end of the book he is acting as if he is lucifer. In paradise lost lucifer says "farewell remorse all good to me is lost;/ evil, be thou my good." (Paradise lost IV.109-110). As the creature is reminiscing back on his life he realizes that he himself is more like lucifer than Adam, he is a fallen angel. And the creature continues to realize that even the most horrible people, including Lucifer the fallen angel, have people to be with and share thoughts. The creature has no one to love or care for him. Remembering all of the terrible things that he has done it causes the creature to think about his decisions and the decisions made by the society that ever so outwardly hated him. The creature is going to die with no one even though he tried to find companionship. Society did not accept the creature for who he is, therefor he was plunged into an icy

The monster is forced to develop a neolithic mindset as opposed to modern day ideals after its maturation occurs in the wilderness. His savagery can be seen when he “silenced” Frankenstein’s son after realizing he “[belonged] to the enemy” (102). The daemon also “discovers” a fire for the first time, drawing a parallel to cavemen (72). Unfortunately, due to the lack of contact with the outside human world, the monster is unable to

The monster notices that humans are afraid of him because of his appearance, he feels embarrassed of himself, as humans do when they don’t seem to be accepted. He admires the De Lacey Family that lives in the cottage, he also learns from them, and hopes to have companion as they do. The monster is like humans, as mentioned, in the way that he wants someone to listen and care about him. He is discovering the world and his capacities, he seeks knowledge and understand plenty aspects of life by learning how to speak and read. “The gentle manners and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them to me; when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathized in their joys” (Shelley 47). The monster developed feelings and emotions as humans. The creature is different from humans also, since he never got to grow up as a normal human, and

The reader is able to satisfy his or hers innermost desires through the pages of the book. The reader finds refuge through Gothic text. This is no exception with the authors. The author also wants to satisfy their imagination by creatively and articulately channelling their thoughts into a work of art. Robert Kidd writes in his ‘Transgressing the Boundaries’ article, “The power and passion of Gothic Literature seemed eminently suited to the iconoclasts who wished to challenge the status quo”. There were many famous writers like this, for example, Horace Walpole, Lewis, Godwin and of course Mary Shelley. The authors and readers of Gothic Literature share a very special connection. Both sides gain from books and share the same feelings as one writes and one reads the book, with both satisfying their imaginations.

"We are unfashioned creatures, but half made up, if one wiser, better, dearer than ourselves-such a friend ought to be-do not lend his aid to perfectionate our weak and faulty natures,” writes the narrator of Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein. Without a companion of some sort, people will only suffer more. However, without the supervision of parents, children altogether are greatly affected for the rest of their lives. An innately good and sympathetic creature, Dr. Frankenstein’s monster struggles to survive in the human world. After creating and abandoning his creature, Dr. Frankenstein is the juxtaposition of a monster, portraying humans as shallow, judgmental, and uncaring. The monster simply wants humans to accept him as one of their own. Facing rejection in different forms, he becomes truly monstrous and evil, giving up hope of companionship as a result of his abandonment. Modern case studies of abandoned children report similar ideas. Children who are abandoned do not learn about morality, yet only people with morality are accepted by others as human. Children who are abandoned are frequently not accepted by others as human ultimately.

Gothic literature has a different way of captivating the reader. Page by Page, gothic themes are present that create mystery and evoke suspense. The Night Circus, a novel by Eric Morgenstern, “The Devil and Tom Walker”, by Washington Irving, and “The Oval Portrait”, by Edgar Allan Poe share two important themes: eerie setting and isolation. All the stories connect through a lesson that passion can become harmful.

     The term Gothic refers to a genre that came about in the late eighteenth century. It can be a type of story, clothing, or music nowadays. In this paper it will refer to a style of literature. A very good example of this type of literature is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. There is a sense of foreboding throughout the whole novel, which is one of the basic necessities of the Gothic. This theme of the Gothic has different characteristics that all fit into the story of Victor Frankenstein and his monster and make this one of the first horror stories every told.

All too often the gothic literature genre is reduced in its interpretation to gloomy weather and archaic haunted houses. These patterns do exist, but they do not define the genre. Gothic literature found its niche in the 18th and 19th centuries, and during the Victorian era it served a more nuanced purpose than simply to scare readers. Many gothic authors used a monster as a vessel to symbolize topics that the Victorian era sensibilities would label as “monstrous.” They are the incarnation of the taboo subjects society is trying to repress. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Edgar Allan Poe’s “A Tell-Tale Heart”, the authors use Freudian symbolism along with literary symbolism to demonstrate the repercussions of repressing “id” desires.

Gothic Literature is a style of literature popularized during the late 18th century and the early 19th century with the publication of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This style usually portrays fantastic tales dealing with the horror, despair, the grotesque and other “dark” subjects. Characteristics of gothic literature includes the presence of victims and their victimizers who usually hold immense powers along with their evil purpose. The setting of this kind of literature generally takes place within impenetrable walls, whether physical or mental. This setting creates a sense of hopeless isolation within the victim. The summarization of the characters and situation creates an atmosphere pervaded by a sense of mystery, darkness, oppressiveness, fear, and doom.

The term gothic fiction implies a British literary genre from the late eighteenth, and early nineteenth century. The modernized term seems to have been generalized into anything that is dark, gloomy, or depressing. Gothic novels often time posses an emphasis on portraying the terror, a prominent use of supernatural circumstances, the presence of highly stereotyped characters, and the attempt to display techniques of literary suspense. There are also other parallels among this vastly popular genre. Gothic novels often time describe the city of London in corresponding ways. Also a common theme amongst gothic literary works is the duality of human nature, or the quality or characteristic of being twofold. These mutual themes are apparent in