Frankenstein Narrative Essay Example

tells his own story, readers can empathize with him in a new way.

Mary Shelley's narrative employs an effective technique of eliciting sympathy from the reader by allowing them to experience the tragedies and heartache felt by Frankenstein. This is illustrated through the monster's narration, where the reader empathizes with its loneliness. Chapter five establishes a bleak setting with dreary weather and Frankenstein's apprehension as he prepares to bring his creation to life. This immersive approach effectively draws the reader into the novel.

Mary Shelly matches the weather to the tone of Victor's description of the creature's birth, which he refers to as a 'catastrophe'. Despite the creature's positive attributes such as "beautiful, limbs in proportion, lustrous black and pearly whiteness", Mary Shelly also portrays its negative traits of "horrid, yellow skin, watery eyes, dun-white sockets and straight, black lips" in a vivid and gruesome manner.

Mary Shelley uses a range of descriptive words, including "horror," "wretch," "hideous," and "demonical," to create a vivid portrayal of Victor's creation. Through the use of contrasting language, the author helps readers to form a detailed mental image of the creature. Despite Victor's initial intentions for the creation to be a scientific marvel, the end result is far from beautiful. As he exclaims, "now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." The buildup of atmosphere ultimately heightens the sense of terror and fear in the climactic moments.

As the tension rises, the reader becomes immersed in the story's climax. In Frankenstein, whenever someone dies or the monster appears, the sky is consistently overcast and stormy. In one instance, Victor

is in Geneva, and the foreboding weather conditions are described to the reader before the monster is mentioned. "The darkness and storm increased every minute and the thunder burst with a terrific crash over my head."

The anticipation of an impending catastrophe is inferred from the text, creating tension and stimulating the reader's imagination to anticipate what comes next. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein remained a highly captivating read upon its initial publication in 1818 because of several reasons. An important factor that made it irresistible to the early audience was the fact that many scientists were at the time experimenting with reanimating the dead through electricity. The general public was captivated by every discovery and achievement during this exciting, new age of science, including Erasmus Darwin who claimed that life could be restored to the dead with the proper methods. Building on this theory, Luigi Galvani was able to revive some lifeless tissue with an electrical current.

During this time, scientists were investigating the blood circulation and nervous system functionality. A leading hypothesis on why electricity could revive the dead was the role of "synaptic nerves" in transmitting electric signals in the body. Simultaneously, people in this era held strong religious beliefs and the idea that humans could attain powers akin to God was a prevalent notion.

Shelley's novel was intriguing to religious individuals despite the church viewing reviving the dead as a challenge to God's power and shocking. This fresh perspective on life motivated readers, while limited women's rights in the 1800s caused Shelley's mother to advocate for women's rights. As a result, female writers were deemed inferior, leading Shelley to delay publishing her book under her

own name for thirteen years due to fear of publisher disapproval.

The reason for all Frankenstein narrators being male is uncertain. The book has remained popular for almost two centuries, possibly due to the limitations of current scientific knowledge in reviving the dead. Nevertheless, recent successful tests have used electrical impulses to reactivate a dog's nervous system and brain after three hours of death. Despite mostly involving religious perspectives, there are several ethical concerns surrounding the revival of the dead as many people consider it morally wrong.

The topic of morality arises in stem cell research experiments where scientists aim to create stem cells that can treat diseases by placing human DNA into animal donors. The book's main theme is a cautionary message against misusing God's powers and a warning to modern and 19th-century inventors and scientists.

Through the novel, Shelley conveys the potential consequences of giving life to things that should not be given life or not fully comprehending the associated consequences and side effects. The author imparts the notion that death is final, and we should come to terms with it instead of attempting to resurrect individuals for personal gain. Additionally, the book highlights smaller messages such as avoiding judging others based on their appearances and embracing misfits. This message holds particular relevance in contemporary times.

Despite our progress as a society, individuals are still consistently discriminated against based on their gender, ethnicity, or disabilities. The novel, in which there is frequent death and prejudice, left me feeling despondent. Victor's initial ambition was noble, but ultimately resulted in catastrophe when his labors were exposed. The profound sense of isolation he experiences after toiling for years on

a single experiment and watching it end in tragedy is a feeling many can empathize with. While Frankenstein's creature was responsible for killing numerous innocent individuals, I believe that he was himself a victim of circumstance.

Due to being considered an outcast of society, he is unable to connect with others and is frequently subjected to discrimination.