Social Inequality In Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells the tale of a man whose entire life turns to misery after creating what he calls a monster, a demon and a fiend. However, the real monster in this story is pride and the feeling of superiority. This is evident in the novel with Robert Walton’s view of himself and his expedition, Victor Frankenstein’s attitude towards himself in comparison with the creature, and mankind’s perception of the creature and their ignorance towards him.

   Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, sheds light on the importance of appearance through the tale of an unwanted creation that is never given a chance by society. Ironically, the supposed beast was initially much more compassionate and thoughtful than his creator, until his romantic and innocent view of the human race was diminished by the cruelty and injustice he unduly bore. Not only does the creature suffer the prejudice of an appearance-based society, but other situations and characters in the novel force the reader to reflect their own hasty judgment. The semi- gothic novel includes several instances of societal prejudice that include the isolation and outcast of Frankenstein's creation,

Introduction: Frankenstein, a novel written by Mary Shelley, is one of the most popular representations of the romantic era. The romantic aspects of the book allow for a unique analysis of the human personality and its emotions and potentials. This includes many interpretations of a human personality based on one’s socioeconomic status. Using this perspective one can easily analyze the interclass and intraclass social power imbalances and interactions. It is also possible to survey the novel through the unbalanced justice provided to each class. Through various events and trials in Frankenstein, Mary Shelley shows that one’s lack of social power leads to vulnerability because it forces the person to have less of an advantage when compared to others with more power.

Frankenstein by author Mary Shelley was published in 1818. The novel was published at the end of the French Revolution and at the very beginning of the Industrial Revolution. With these major events occurring when the novel was being written and published, revealed how this novel was influenced by socioeconomic standards. Marxist theory attempts to reveal how socioeconomic system is the source of our experiences and conflicts we portray in literary works, as well as how literature in turns to serve to influence the minds of the people. Frankenstein follows Marx’s social theories of how socioeconomics have profound effects on literary works and how they are interpreted.

This novel reflects Shelley’s own childhood, which consisted of her feeling obligated to rebel against her own father’s wishes and his choice for her marriage. Frankenstein is a way for Shelley to tell her own experiences with parental conflict and how she feels she was affected by her demanding father and the environment she grew up in, by comparing herself to Victor’s monster. Shelley analyzed her own characteristics, and the characteristics of her father, and placed them within Victor and the

Thesis Statement: In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the creature’s identity as a monster is due to societal rejection, isolation, and misinterpretation.

A famous writer, C.S. Lewis, once said, "Relying on God has to start all over everyday, as if nothing has yet been done”. People struggle daily with their faith lives, some reject faith altogether, some just question everything, and others just go through the motions. Men and women face obstacles and experiences daily. Individuals have the option of either learning from their obstacles and experiences through their faith life or ignore God and blame almost everything on bad luck. People can learn from other individual’s spiritual messages and learn from their mistakes. Mary Shelly in Frankenstein wants to help others in their faith journey through the lens of Victor. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly, uses the negative example of Victor Frankenstein’s

In Shelley’s Frankenstein, the monster is portrayed as a grotesque abomination. However, as Hopkins states in Contending Forces, the cultural and geographical situations, or lack thereof, in which one matures in play a crucial role in the proper development of one’s mind and brain. The monster is simply a product of circumstance. The lack of social interactions alongside geographical isolation propelled the daemon to be alienated from society, ultimately resulting in a lack of morals and an underdeveloped psyche. By being a culmination of his surroundings and experiences it is revealed that the true monstrous entities are the factors that leave the daemon predisposed to fail in a modern society. Arguably, Victor created a being, while the circumstances that said being was placed in “created” a monster. Shelley purposefully terrorizes the monster with such intensity to provoke and justify the overarching theme in this novel which states that people should not be judged on their physical appearance.

The ultimate consequences of Promethean ambition are characterized through Victor and Walton, who parallels Victor, yet is able to turn from the ‘intoxicating draught’ of superiority and unbridled ambition. This juxtaposition of character reinforces the significance of moral responsibility, as Shelley ultimately mocks the hateful bond between Frankenstein and his child, the Monster. The harsh consequences of disrupting nature and forfeiting moral conscience are conveyed, connoting the inevitable demise due to loss of self and identity.

The creature and Victor Frankenstein. Similar to how Marxist theory observes the remarkable struggle between social classes, the interactions between said characters, and their struggles, are put on display by Shelly. The exchanges between different characters (or social classes) can be explained by Marx’s Communist Manifesto which states that two classes, one being “the owners” of production named the bourgeoisie and “the workers” or the proletariat (Montag 386). In this situation Victor can be compared to the bourgeoisie while the creation can be represented by the proletariat. In Frankenstein, a similar dynamic arises within the relationship between Victor and his creation as a definitive struggle rises between the two characters. After the successful “birth” of the monster Victor enjoys the reaps of his labor and establishes his power—effectively exerting control over the “lower class” or, in this case, his creation. Throughout this evolution, Shelly depicts the relationship between the monster and Frankenstein with Shelly depicts the Marxist evaluation of capitalism. Later on, when Victor becomes enslaved by the horror of his creation, similar Marxist theory is displayed through what is defined as the products of labor. As a result of this, the monster becomes powerful and rebels against Victor, or his creator, who he describes as incompatible. This power struggle represents the struggle between the upper and lower classes, or, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. At

Throughout Frankenstein, the growing strife between Victor and the monster is representative of a class war. This strife is due to the monster and Victor’s conflicting interests and results in a power struggle between the two. This power struggle is similar to one we see in real life, between the bourgeoisie and the working class, as they have a similar power dynamic (Wilson 116). Since the bourgeoisie are credited with the creation of the working class and have control over many aspects of their life, they have immense power over the workers, yet the workers have the strength in numbers to rise up and resist the bourgeoisie. This power struggle reached a peak during the time of the Victorian Era, including increasing strife between both the bourgeoisie and the

There are many examples of social injustice throughout the book Frankenstein. One example would be Justine’s trial. Justine, the girl who used to live with the Frankenstein’s as their servant, is put on trial for the murder of William, Victor’s brother. As soon as Victor hears about the murder, he becomes almost certain that the monster he created was the one who committed the crime. Elizabeth and her father also believe that Justine, who was very trustworthy and compassionate towards everybody, especially William, is innocent.

Victor’s abandonment of his son alienates him, sowing the seeds of a destructive conflict wherein Creature becomes monster, vowing to destroy all that his father holds dear. The narrative’s violence clearly originates in Frankenstein’s renunciation of his son and the according collective values. Shelley crafts this isolation-induced hostility

Mary has experienced what the true meaning of social justice is like. What does social justice have to do with Shelly’s Frankenstein book and why it is compared to the modern world? Her book explains some reasons why some of her characters have encountered social justices and injustices and their relationship to this. Mary also points out some evidence from the text and uses them to what extent that people do in society when it’s corrupted.

Over the years, the monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has become universally portrayed in one way: a tall, green-skinned, dumb brute with no language or reasoning abilities. Society has turned the story of Frankenstein into a mere horror story, dehumanizing the monster more than was intended in Shelley’s novel. However, the message of Frankenstein is a far cry from the freak show displayed by the media. While many people may only see Frankenstein as a grotesque story meant to thrill its audience, its purpose goes much deeper as it advocates for the equal rights of women in society.