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Theme Of Baptism In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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The Catholic Church believes that man is born evil and with sin. They then perform a religious ceremony called Baptism, which is said to cleanse people of their sins. Catholics think that although people are bad by nature, they can be turned good by their faith and by society. Mary Shelley, however, portrays the opposite in her novel through the use of literary devices. Throughout Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, she uses shifts in point of view to develop the theme that people are born good but are then turned evil by society. By changing the point of view in Frankenstein, Shelley shows that the creature is turned evil by those that surround him in society. She begins by using Frankenstein as a narrator, which illustrates his rejection of …show more content…

As his life continues and he is despised by more people in society, his initial compassion turns to hate, and the answer to his question is a resounding “yes”. Following his rejection by the cottagers, the creature “declared everlasting war against the species (of man)” (135). Society’s quick judgements and hateful dispositions changes this benevolent creature into a sadistic beast, illustrating that man―or in this case, a creature―is born good, but is then altered by society to become evil. As a result of changing points of view, the reader can see the viewpoint of society as well as the viewpoint of the character who is being corrupted, which fully demonstrates the impact that society has on that character. By using the creature as a narrator to tell his own part of the story, the author also gives the readers more confidence in the fact that the narration will be more accurate and less altered by the mind of Frankenstein. Although Frankenstein was a witness to the beginnings of the creature’s life and could possibly be relaying the tale of the middle of its life, he is corrupted by society as well, which could leave him an unreliable narrator. The pressures that Frankenstein experiences coming from society force him to continue his strenuous work of making the creature, which eventually deprives him from his morals. Shelley’s changes in point of view allows the reader to fully comprehend the heartlessness of

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