What Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Suggests About Parenting
It is often said that all a person needs to get by in life is to be loved by someone. If this is true then nearly everybody in this world has everything they need because most people are lucky enough to be loved unconditionally by their parents. However, sometimes love and attention is all children get from their parents. Children also need discipline and moral lessons from their parents in order to be successful adults. Applying this idea to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley appears to be showing us through the creature and Victor Frankenstein's behavior that discipline and, most importantly, guidance are necessities when raising a child. The story begins with Victor Frankenstein telling Walton, who Victor had taken refuge with in the Arctic, about the most important years in his life. As readers, we learn that Victor was part of a wealthy family from Geneva. His mother was younger than his father was and she was caring and devoted. Victor said she "possessed a mind of an uncommon mould; and her courage rose to support her in adversity" (32). Victor's parents loved him and each other very much: " Much as they were attached to each other, they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of affection fro
------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. Too much love and devotion caused Victor to be spoiled. His parents referred to him as being "the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by Heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties toward me" (33). Without Victor, who essentially was the creature's father, the creature experienced physical and emotional turmoil. The behavior of Victor and the creature illustrates this idea. By example, the creature only knew the selfish, violent side of human nature. When recalling his brief child hood to Victor the creature says, "I knew, and could distinguish nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept" ( 103). My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence. The beginning of the book followed Victor's childhood for a number of years, whereas the creature's childhood was condensed into a few months. We felt that they were not the tyrants to rule our lot according to their caprice, but the agents and creators of all many delights which we enjoyed" (37). The whole village roused; some fled,some attacked me until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped into the open country" (106). Victor's parents did give him unconditional love, but their love lacked guidance and direction. The creature only had a basic understanding of his senses and was very frightened. The creature was like an abandoned child who didn't understand how to fend for himself or the ways of the world in which he was forced into. The creature needed to know the consequences of violent behavior, before he was exposed to other people.
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