DEADBEAT DAD Shellys Frankenstein as a Father Figure
SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN AS A FATHER FIGUREIn the world we live in, it is nothing new to hear of young men fathering children and then disappearing, leaving the child to be raised without a father. A term for these filial flunkies has even become a part of our vernacular; the "deadbeat dad." Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a novel concerning the creation of life by a man, and his refusal to take responsibility for the life he has created. Victor Frankenstein, in his abandonment of his own creation at its "birth" and in his rejection of that creation when it seeks him out, is that parent who is not there for his child. Shelley's Frankenstein, in those passages of the creation of the monster and the monster's confrontation of Frankenstein, contain ample proof that Victor Frankenstein was indeed a "deadbeat dad." Shelley shows that Frankenstein rejects his creation, is disgusted by it and doesn't offer the parental guidance, love and compassion the creature so badly needs. Frankenstein's abandonment of a being of his own creation directly leads to his personal downfall.When the reader reaches the creation of the monster in the novel, it is known that Frankenstein has not previously fathered a child. Fran
However, Shelley does convey the idea that Frankenstein is not living up to his responsibility to his creation. Chapter Five begins with Frankenstein's account of the night he created the monster, or as he says: " It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils" (p. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. Frankenstein calls his creation of a new life a "catastrophe. Shelley was raised without her own mother (she died giving birth to Mary), so she had first hand experience of the loss of a parent. This feeling is increased in the continuation of that same line: ". After this description of how visually disgusting Frankenstein finds his own creation, he then talks about how hard he worked to bring it to life: "I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. The saying goes all children are beautiful to their parents. The fact that the creature is full-grown and somewhat more of a science project than a newborn baby does lower the parental expectations the reader has of Frankenstein. " With this passage, Shelley parallels the idea of expectation versus reality that occurs with new parents. " Frankenstein then recalls how he felt about what he had accomplished: "How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form?"(p.
Common topics in this essay:
Shelley Frankenstein,
Secondly Frankenstein,
Victor Frankenstein,
Chapter Five,
Frankenstein Shelley,
Mary Shelley,
Shelley's Frankenstein,
FATHER FIGURE,
frankenstein father,
deadbeat dad,
shelley's frankenstein,
creation monster,
bring life,
victor frankenstein,
life world,
own creation,
shelley frankenstein,
frankenstein father figure,
accomplishment toils,
abandonment own creation,
|
Acceptance Essays
