Literary Analysis of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Thesis statement

Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is one of the gothic novelsand also fits most of the distinctiveness of a romantic novel. It considers all the fundamentals that comprise a story, for example: development of characters, voice of the narration, tone, setting, among others. Mary tries to interlink each of these elements and shows how each of these contributes to the identification of the book as gothic. Moreover, they also contribute to the novel as a romanticism message. The sub title of the book is, the modern Prometheus. It touches upon contemporary science which reveals it to be having disastrous consequences.

Plot Summary

In a sequence of letters, Robert Walton, the head of a ship hurdle for the North Pole, recounts to his sister who was in England the advancement of his risky mission. Victorious early on, the task is soon broken up by seas full of impenetrable ice. Spellbound, Walton encounters Victor Frankenstein, who has been roaming by dog-drawn sleigh crosswise the ice and is destabilized by the icy. Walton takes him on board, helps take care of him back to wellbeing, and hears the unbelievable anecdote of the monstrous being that Frankenstein creates.

Foremost, Victor talks of his early life in Geneva. At the last part of a pleasurable childhood, Victor joins the University of Ingolstadt in order to pursue natural philosophy alongside chemistry. Here, he gains interest in discovery of secret of life.

In the meantime, Victor comes up with a creature out of old body organs. He does this very secretively and brings it to life one night. However he turns to horrify him and with remorse he escapes to the streets. Thereafter, he becomes ill due to his deed. Furthermore, he gets a letter that his brother is dead. Full of grief, he goes home. Because of the abandonment, the monster kills those who victor loves like: his brother, Elizabeth and Henry Clervical

Victor tracks the monstrous still northward into the ice. In a dogsled pursue, Victor almost catches up with the monstrous, but the marine underneath them. Here, Walton meets Victor. Walton the narrator in the letters narrates that victor becomes ill and definitely dies. The monster tells Walton of his colossal loneliness, torment, abhorrence and compunction. He says that he too can end his life since the creator is gone. He heads north most ice to perish.

Setting

The setting of the book Frankenstein mainly takes place in Europe. The main character Victor Frankenstein is an Italian Native. He stays in Geneva; Switzerland to learn in Ingolstadt, Germany. This setting helps in developing victor through schooling. It further shows the writers aim of writing the book that was to challenge the advancement in technology that was in Europe by then. She tries to appeal that the supernatural being only can give perfect life.

Mood of the Book

The book starts with such happy a mood. Victor’s childhood is full of joy and happiness. He is a source of aspiration to the family .He is a sparkling star to the family. The mood of happiness features when he undergoes the best of the education. You can trace the mood of happiness up to a point Victor creates the monster (Shelley 78) .Henceforth, the mood drastically change to a melancholic mood full of grief, discontent and sorrow. The ones happy and joyous we see now as very grief-stricken and desolate. The sorrow commences when the Monster kills Ernest Frankenstein (Bloom 107); victors brother. He goes ahead and kills William, Henry Clervicle and Elizabeth. So sad is Victor that he goes on a vacation on a mountain. Victor’s father too dies of grief when the monster kills the bride; Elizabeth: the bride. The book ends with sorrow and distress .Victor dies and the monster too swears to die and he goes northward ice to die.

Narrator

The book unfolds with a sequence of letters from Robert Walton, an enterprising arctic traveler to his sister who lives in England (Shelley 58). The voice in the book is Walton’s.

Characters

Main Characters

Robert Walton

Narrator of the story through letters to his sister, Margaret Seville. Walton is a self-learned man who set out to travel around the North Pole and locate an Arctic route to join the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. He helps readers know the distress the monster has .He’s caring as seen when he nurses Victor Frankenstein. He’s also used to show the theme of disillusionment as seen in the monster’s desire for death.

Victor Frankenstein

The author has used this character so as to develop other character like the Monster; he creates the monster which indicates how intelligent he is. He is neglectful as he drops the responsibility after creating the monster (Shelley 78). The author is using him to clearly show the themes of creativity and Responsibility. Victor loves Elizabeth.

The Monster

Victor creates the monster. It’s so ugly that victor can’t look at it. So affectionate and placid is he at his tender age. He has been used to develop other characters like Victor .He has also been use to illustrate the themes of responsibility and fear as we see in Victor. Other major characters are Justin Moritz, Henry Clervicle Alphonse Frankenstein and Caroline Beautifort Frankenstein.

Minor Characters

The minor characters are Mrs. Margaret Saville, Beaufort, and M. Weldman among others.

Margaret Saville

The author uses her as the recipient of the letters. She helps us to know the characters well as well as the themes in the story.

Beaufort

He is a friend to Alphonse. Brings out the humiliation and poverty as seen when he loses his wealth and Caroline nurse her.

Ernest Frankenstein

Ernest Frankenstein is a Brother to Victor. He has been used to illustrate the theme of sadness. He dies and grieves victor.

Works Cited
Bloom, Harold. Mary Shelleys Frankenstein. New York: Chelsea, 2013. Internet resource.
Shelley, Mary W, and Charles E. Robinson. Collected Tales and Stories: With Original Engravings. Baltimore [u.a.: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1976. Print.
Shelley, Mary W, David L. Macdonald, and Kathleen D. Scherf. Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus ; the 1818 Version. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press, 2004. Print.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Hungry Minds, 2001. Internet Resource.