Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein offers a gripping depiction of how society and individuals detach themselves. Alienation from society is primarily based on perceptions that an individual or individuals do not possess or reflect the ideal attributes or what the community perceives to be excellent taste. The novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein's creation of a monster, and this paper explores the concept of alienation. The beast has an unappealing appearance that makes society loathe it. Yet, the monster is concentrating on building a friendly atmosphere with humans who reject based on their principles. Victor Frankenstein is isolated from his people due to his liking of keeping to himself while Robert Walton is alienated due to his desires to be an explore the unknown areas. Alienation is the state of being separated from a group either physically or emotionally to which one should be part of or should be involved. Throughout the book Frankenstein, the theme of alienation is evident, and Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton, and the creature suffer emotional and physical isolation from the rest of the people. The appearance and personality of the characters cause the alienation of Victor, Walton, and the Creature.
Alienation
Walton is presented as a character who resides in the Arctic. He is alienated from the world, and his only connection to his society is through writing letters to his sister. He writes several letters to his sister Margaret describing the place and his feelings. Walton's descriptions of the artic are an indication of an isolated emotional state. He is disappointed with his failure to accomplish his ambitions as a poet and his desire to meet with the fathers of the poet whom he believed reside in the temple (Shelley et al., p.11) and he feels lonely. He was focused on pursuing life as an explorer and a man of science, and he hires a ship to make discoveries in the vast ocean. However, the trip in his new vessel is another isolated world as the ship concentrates on a path to further isolated regions.
Walton is a man full of courage, curiosity, and desire to explore and he conquers all his fears of death and danger to venture into the isolated lands. Despite all these positive personalities that describe Walton, he emerges as a character who is lonely especially remembering that he would not find any associate who satisfies his standards on the vast ocean (Shelley et al., p.9). Before the journey, Walton hires men with courage to assist in the ship and navigate the unknown geographies. However, these shipmates are mostly unskilled and Walton desires to have a learned companion. Through a letter to his sister, he writes that he wishes to have an associate who "... possessed of a cultivated as well as of a capacious mind, whose tastes are like my own..." (Shelley et al., p.15). In the series of letters to Margaret, he reveals himself as a man who desires companionship, engagements, and open dialogue far from what he had with the men in his vessel.
Walton and his shipmates arrive in the Arctic, and one morning he finds his crew conversing with an individual whom he later knew as Victor Frankenstein. The individual appeared "on the brink of destruction" (Shelley et al., p.24) but Walton was ready to take him as a brother since he was full of loneliness.
Victor Frankenstein
Frankenstein joins the Walton team in their expedition. He is presented as a man who suffers from extreme isolation, "I have lost everything, and cannot begin life anew" (Shelley et al., p.29). According to Proshanta (2013, p.31), Victor's isolation is self-imposed as he strained himself throughout his life. Victor is presented as a hardworking man who had worked tirelessly for nearly two years and had isolated himself in his scientific laboratories where he was creating a life. He lives in his world away from his friends and family where he works on the project from a chamber that is completely cut off from the society. Victor has ambitions to create life, and his hard work deprives him rest and health (Shelley et al., p.56). However, his hard work brings him more isolation especially after he completes his project and the creature turned to become an ugly monster. Victor was emotionally isolated as he tried to cope with his creation which he later abandons.
Victor is also isolated from the scientific community in his time as a student as he possesses a unique inquiry of the scientific world that other scientists and professors do not subscribe. He despises the advice of a professor regarding his style of studies that did not add value to his intellectual capacity by withdrawing from his preconceptions and self-appointment as scientists (Shelley et al., p.54). Victor leaves school and into his experimental chamber which is an isolated world where he alone had access. In the room, he hardly responded to the letters that he received from the outside world as he concentrated on his scientific work. He isolates himself from his family and friends as he does not want any disruptions from his employment. His father was concerned about his son, and he sends him several letters, "You must pardon me if I regard any interruption in your correspondence as proof that your other duties are equally neglected" (Shelley et al., p.54). However, Victor decides not to respond and communicate with the outside world initiating his isolation from the society. For several months, he was disconnected from "the friends who were so many miles absent" (Shelley et al., p.69).
He was not pleased by his creation, and he rejects it and flees into hiding where he meets Henry Clerval, a nurse. Victor remains isolated in his world as he protects his secret from the nurse who cares for him for several days. He does not open up about his thoughts to the nurse as he has fear, agony, and horror in his heart and mind but chooses not to open his heart. Therefore, he is entangled in an isolated world that he alone continues to extend and create as he avoids responsibility for his project that brought a monster to the townspeople. He retreats into imaginations and emotional torture from his avoidance of accountability. He maintained silence and avoided closure as he experienced a unique form of loneliness within his internal structures.
Victor's alienation is extended when the monster vows to destroy its creator for bringing him agony. The creature causes the deaths of several people including Victor's bride, Elizabeth, and Clerval. Victor is mentally disturbed as he had failed to warn his family and friends regarding the actions of the monster. He was concerned with keeping this secret away from the other townspeople, and he is filled with the urge to revenge. The people agree to destroy the monster, but Victor isolates himself from the other townspeople. He vows to avenge the creature's deeds by himself until they both "perish in mortal conflict" (Shelley et al., p.301).
Creature
The creature that Victor brings to life lives in a painful isolation. The first alienation is from its creator who abandons it immediately he completes the project as he is horrified by the results of the project. The creator rejected and hated his creation causing it pain in an environment where it "knew, and could distinguish, nothing" (Shelley et al., p.146). The second alienation is from the society who force it to leave since nobody could stand the horror looking creature. The monstrous appearance was far from the expectations of the community. The appearance of the creature could not allow it to socialize with the people and it hides in De Lacey's home for a month where it watches and learns about family and love. The unjust treatment by humankind points towards the separation of the creature from the society. People are frightened by the shape and appearance of the creature, and they treat it as a monster. The creature is ready to form a friendship with humans. However, they reject and isolate it, and they have no sympathy for the helpless creature.
The creature is forced to flee into the forest after a fierce attack by the terrified people where it experiences long periods of isolation, loneliness, and ill-treatment, "I am alone and miserable; man will not associate with me" (Shelley et al., p.97). The monster makes efforts to reconcile with humanity for the sake of ending its loneliness. The creature has hope that the people will recognize his loving spirit and he performs desperate actions such as bringing food and firewood to the people without their knowledge. It is so desperate that it practices the human voice, behaviors, and movements. However, his efforts are taken for granted as the townspeople never accept him into their family systems, and this widens the alienation of the creature from humankind.
The creature requests for a companion who is, "... one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species and have the same defects" (Shelley et al., p.97). However, Victor is not ready and refuses to create a mate for the creature as he is not ready to live with an entire race of such creatures. These decisions widen the isolation and loneliness gap, and it is in deep pain, and it declares to make his creator miserable as he is. It turns into a monster and covers for the emotional and physical alienation by causing pain and suffering on humankind such as the murder of an innocent child and it celebrates these miseries as "I, too, can create desolation..." (Shelley et al., p.207).
Conclusion
The alienation of Walton, Victor, and the creature is a misery to their lives as it causes their destruction. Walton was confined in a world where he had no companion apart from his crew whom he regarded as not of the same taste. On the other hand, Victor is a man with extreme self-isolation as he keeps himself busy away from his family and friends to create a new life in a laboratory. Finally, the creature suffers the worst isolation due to its physical appearance. The alienations begin immediately it is formed as the creator is not pleased with his achievement. They follow throughout the creature's life, and it is forced to turn into a monster to revenge the agony that it is experiencing.
Works Cited
Proshanta, Sarkar P. S. "Frankenstein: an Echo of Social Alienation and Social Madness." IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science. 9.3 (2013): 29-32. Print.
Shelley, Mary W, Leslie S. Klinger, Guillermo. Toro, and Anne K. Mellor. The New Annotated Frankenstein. New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2017. Print.
