Theme of Loneliness in
The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley tells a strange and tragic tale of a mere human creating life and the consequences of this act. Throughout this novel, we see Mary Shelley using Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the monster to introduce and emphasize a theme of loneliness and the effect it has on a person. It seems as if humans have a persistent need for social interaction, approval, and acceptance, and these three previously mentioned characters are no different. Throughout the novel, we see how solitude serves as the starting grounds of havoc, particularly in the case of the monster, whose loneliness seems perpetual. Frankenstein begins with a series of four letters written by Robert Walton to his sister. This is the initial appearance of our theme, as he is not writing to a friend or a lover but to his sister. This would bring about the question of whether or not he has anyone else to whom to write. As the letters proceed, we see that Walton indeed has no friend, and longs for one. He says, "But I have one want which I have never yet been able to satisfy, and the absence of the object of which I now feel as a most sever evil. I have no friend..." (17). Walton then continues to explain his need for a comp
However, as Victor's story progresses we learn of his solitary journey to Ingolstadt to attend university. The final and perhaps most evident example of a character being alone is found in the case of the monster. Here we see the effect that loneliness had on Walton - he decides to explore the unknown, probably ignoring or simply not seeing consequences such as death. Why does he do this? My answer would be: why not? The monster is repeatedly exposed to the ignorance or society and, all alone, he feels he has no reason to behave calmly. He also says, "Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred. everywhere I see bliss, from which I am irrevocably excluded. This misery was caused by loneliness, showing our theme. Being alone, Victor makes the irrational decision to chase the monster up North, where the monster kills him. Perhaps being alone may cause one to over contemplate the mysteries of the universe and somehow Victor figures one out. Nevertheless, we see that the beast suffers. Victor's creation is innocent and pure at first, but as he is continuously rejected and tainted by the ignorance of society, we see the monster begin lashing out at the world - particularly the world of Victor Frankenstein. This is how Walton feels! Maybe Walton sees this isolated setting as quite like himself - isolated, or as something that he can relate too.
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