The Monster’s Birth in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay

In the Romantic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, the selection in chapter five recounting the birth of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster plays a vital role in explaining the relationship between the doctor and his creation. Shelley’s use of literary contrast and Gothic diction eloquently set the scene of Frankenstein’s hard work and ambition coming to life, only to transform his way of thinking about the world forever with its first breath. In this specific chapter, Victors scientific obsession appears to be a kind of dream, one that ends with the creatures birth. Up until this point in the novel, Frankenstein has been playing god; he cannot-- or will not-- recognize that his obsession with â€Å"infusing life† into an inanimate body is†¦show more content†¦In this dream, he sees Elizabeth in the â€Å"bloom of health† enveloped with the â€Å"hue of death† after Frankenstein’s kiss, only to then be replaced by the dead body of his mother (61). This dream contrasts the beauty and health of Frankenstein’s perfect definition of life, embodied by his Elizabeth, against the wretched and â€Å"horrid† fact of death, which we find out that Frankenstein fears on a very visual and shallow level (61). Frankenstein seems to awaken at the same moment his creatures â€Å"dull yellow† eyes open; his own eyes finally being opened to the horror of his project that had kept him blind for so long(60). The use of rhetorical question â€Å"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavored to form?†, directly confronts the reader to Frankenstein’s dilemma; Shelley’s use of a question that no one can answer represents Dr. Frankenstein’s seclusion from humanity and society. By endeavoring to ask how to describe his emotions and never being able to get a response, evokes a sense of madness and desperation in the doctor almost as if he is looking to the reader for an answer to his new founded problem (61). The choice of language also plays a significant role in Shelley’s depiction of the creature’s awakening, by assaulting the reader withShow MoreRelatedEmotional Isolation in Mary Shelleys Life and in Frankenstein1159 Words   |  5 Pagesisolation in Frankenstein is the most pertinent and prevailing theme throughout the novel.   This theme is so important because everything the monster does or feels directly relates to his poignant seclusion.   The effects of this terrible burden have progressively damaging results upon the monster, and indirectly cause him to act out his frustrations on the innocent.   The monsters emotional isolation makes him gradually turn worse and worse until evil fully prevails.   This theme perpetuates from Mary ShelleysRead MoreThe Guilt Of The Death Of Others By Mary Shelley1307 Words   |  6 PagesShelley’s guilt for the death of others is related to the guilt of the characters in her writings. 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