thesis statements about frankenstein

Thesis Statement Example: Humanity in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Introduction:

Frankenstein is a gothic novel written by Mary Shelly, which poses many questions about the beliefs of the world at  that time. 

The text details the story of Victor Frankenstien, a scientist who pushed the field of science by creating a living creature, known as the monster, with dead matter. Throughout the text we see the story of both Victor Frankenstien and his creation of the monster. Along with this we see their interactions between them, themselves, and others with acts of emotion, murder, and ect.

Thesis Statement: With the novel, Frankenstein, Mary Shelly utilizes her two main characters to show what it truly means to be human, through each of the bodies and souls of the characters. 

Topic Sentence: Firstly we see two types of humanities represented in these two characters, humanity's presence and its absence through the cognitive aspects of their characters. 

Evidence (include citation): “After days and nights of incredible labour and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.” (Shelly 31)

Through: Through Victor’s intense self-dignity within his inner dialogue he often thinks very highly of himself.

Effect: With that oftentimes the interpretation is that Victor is claiming himself to be higher than others. 

Meaning: Being higher than others and bestowing life represents a character or at least an ideology that one is godly, above humanity or in general inhumane.  

Evidence: ”I spent the winter in this manner. The gentle manners and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them to me; when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathized in their joys” (Shelly 79)

Through: Through the monster and his acts of empathy the character is shown as realistic.

Effect: It is that realistic effect that gives the character a sense of humanity.

Meaning: With that human aspect of empathy the monster is characterized as human or at least human-like.

Topic Sentence: Absence is shown in Frankenstein due to his soul and character even though his human corporal body.

Evidence (include citation): “I was now about to form another being, of whose dispositions I was alike ignorant; she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate and delight, for its own sake, in murder and wretchedness.” (Shelly 120)

Through: Through Victor’s dialogue it is shown that when he creates something he often holds disdain for the creature.

Effect: With this, a sense of level or rank appears where Victor is higher than his own creation. 

Meaning: The sense of a higher being than his own creation, that which is meant to portray humanity, displays Victor as once again above humanity or inhumane. 

Evidence: “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on.” (Shelly 165)

Through: However through this dialogue, he often shows times of distress and woe. 

Effect: Within these moments we see a character stricken with low self-esteem to a large point.

Meaning: When Victor is this low he regards himself as below humanity “an abortion” so below it is inhumane.

Topic Sentence: While humanity’s absence is shown in the monster’s corporal body, it is present in his character, through the soul.

Evidence (include citation): “A flash of lightning illuminated the object, and discovered its shape plainly to me; its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect more hideous than belongs to humanity, instantly informed me that it was the wretch, the filthy dæmon, to whom I had given life.” (Shelly 50)

Through: Through a line of imagery a representation of the monster is shown.

Effect: The depiction is meant to be otherworldly and “more hideous than belongs to humanity.”

Meaning: Through visuals alone, the monster is depicted as just that, an inhumane monster.

Evidence: “Could they turn from their done one, however monstrous, who solicited their compassion and friendship” (Shelly 93)

Through: However through the actions and depictions of the monster there is a different light shown.

Effect: Compassion and friendship are both human traits that go against the corporal depiction of the monster.

Meaning: Meaning, as the quote says, however monstrous the monster is human.

While Frankenstein is a very broad text that covers a lot of concepts and ideas, controversial or not one important thing the text looks at is what it means to be human. Early on the book makes a statement on humanity via the characters Victor and his monster. Victor is a human that often shows triviality on what it means to be human through his soul, however, is directly human through his body. Whereas the monster is depicted as inhumane through the body through the character and soul of the character makes a human being. 

In short, Mary Shelly depicts humanity through the corporal bodies of both of these characters. In doing so Mary Shelly reveals what it truly means to be human after all. It is in the content of the character and the soul of the person.

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Frankenstein Themes

‘ Theme ’ is a central idea present in a literary piece. It serves as an essential ingredient that makes a story appealing and persuasive. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley has various themes woven together to complete a narrative which teaches value, warns of possible consequences of abusing science or intelligence, highlights a futuristic outlook. Some of the overarching themes of the novel are given below.

Themes in Frankenstein

The theme of creation is at the center of the novel, Frankenstein. The story shows how Victor creates a monster and instills life in it after gaining scientific knowledge of life at Ingolstadt. Victor plays God or pretends to become one to create life. His ambition of creating life and emulating his own creation fails. The creature, he has created, forces him to create a companion. When Victor denies he turns into a real monster. In other words, Victor’s secret toil, as Mary Shelley had stated, was an unnatural and irreligious act which costs him dearly. The theme also signifies that interrupting natural order may cost lives and sanity and it is important to stay within boundaries.

Although depicted at the secondary level, the novel also explores the theme of alienation. It might be possible that Victor creates the monster to end his isolation. However, in the process of doing an unnatural thing, he creates a creature, who is also his enemy. The creature, who is innocent feels alienated. Hence, he asks for a companion. When humans hate him for the way he looks, he begins to kill to persuade his creator, Victor Frankenstein. Another alienation is of Robert Walton who seeks his sister’s love and writes her letters. Victor, too, seeks Elizabeth’s and his family members’ love as he alienates from them and immerses in the world of science.

Although several characters are trying to align themselves with one another. For instance, Robert Walton with his sister through letters and Victor Frankenstein with his family, they feel quite isolated from the world. Victor is engaged in his experiments, and Robert Walton goes on expeditions, where he meets Victor. In the same way, the creature, Frankenstein’s Monster tries to seek the companionship of the poor family to end its isolation.

Crossing Boundaries

Mary Shelley has very beautifully woven the idea of the crossing limits in this novel. Through Victor Frankenstein, she explains that humans have certain limits despite grand ambitions. When these limits are crossed, the natural order is destroyed. This interruption rebounds when the limits are crossed. Victor’s attention to Waldman’s lectures and his obsession with the idea of creating a new life is equated to the crossing of boundaries set by nature. Victor eventually pays the price as he loses his family members and friends until he dies while chasing the Creature.

Under the overarching theme of creation, the theme of ambition also runs parallel in the novel. Although since the ancient period, ambition is associated with negative passion, here Victor’s ambition leads him to create a human deemed as a monster physically. It proves that ambition is not good when it comes to unnatural directions. The creation of a new life defying the natural order of life and death is clearly an incorrect ambition. Later, it proves to be fatal when the Creature begins to kill Victor’s closest family and friends.

Another secondary theme in Frankenstein is an injustice. Mary Shelley has demonstrated this theme in two ways. The first is Justine’s trial in the court on the accusations of murdering William. The court awards her death sentence even though Victor has clear hints of the creature having killed William and Justine was framed for the murder. The second example of injustice is when the Creature request for a companion Victor denies. The Creature was helpless and innocent turns into a killer.

Responsibility

The novel, Frankenstein, highlights the theme of individual responsibility as well as social responsibility. Victor’s ambitious project of the creation of a new life reflects the lack of realization of the individual responsibility and the lack of government control. Victor does not show any fear in creating a new life and playing with the laws of nature until it takes the lives of several of his family members. Justine’s death signifies that entire the judicial process lacks responsibility when they punish an innocent. In other words, individuals and society often fail to respond to their duties and responsibilities toward the family and community .

Natural Laws

Although this is not an explicit theme, the theme of natural laws is implicitly put into the mouth of characters and the narrator in Frankenstein. Natural laws keep the balance of life on this earth. ‘Life and death’ cycle is a natural law. However, when Victor Frankenstein uses science to create life using dead human organs and chemicals, he violates the natural law of life and death. The result is the birth of innocent yet monstrous creature who turns violent when his needs aren’t met.

Parental Responsibility

The parental responsibility is another theme apparent in the upbringing of Victor Frankenstein. His father, Alphonse Frankenstein, has done his best to educate him in the top university Ingolstadt to study science. Victor whole-heartedly completes his education which shows his good upbringing. However, when Victor creates the Creature, he forgets to give this monster the moral and social education about how to live and behave in a society. In other words, he forgets his parental responsibility towards his creation.

One of the secondary themes that stay in the background is the theme of revenge. Victor Frankenstein creates the monster but stops short of creating its companion which leads the Creature to take revenge on him. The Creature kills his family members to make him realize the pain of loneliness. In the same way, Victor runs after the monster to exact revenge of his family members but dies during the chase.

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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: re-conceptualizing the politics of recognition

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• March 21, 2019
• Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science
• Patchen Markell critiques the political pursuit of recognition in the book Bound by Recognition. In this thesis, I respond directly to Markell's critique in order to rethink, rather than abandon, the political pursuit of recognition through a textual interpretation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I read Frankenstein as an exemplary tale of the struggle for identity recognition, wherein Victor Frankenstein's Creature-- his famous Monster-- attempts to un-monster himself by demanding that others recognize his positively affirmed self-identity as a kind and feeling friend. Ultimately, the tragedy of Frankenstein is that the Creature cannot see himself as anything other than a monster--he is never afforded the recognition he desperately desires. Contra Markell, however, I argue that the Creature's pursuit of recognition fails because he cannot single-handedly overcome the asymmetrical power relations that underlie the social construction of identity, and that are reinforced through the construction of his identity as monster.
• August 2009
• https://doi.org/10.17615/jmke-hp10
• Masters Thesis
• In Copyright
• Lienesch, Michael
• Open access
• October 11, 2010

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Frankensteining my Thesis: Writing Without an Outline

In middle school, I remember being told that the best way to write an essay is with an outline. We would receive five-paragraph-essay worksheets, complete with a thesis statement, sub-arguments, and important supporting information. It was direct, simple, and structured.

In this post, I hope to advocate for a different sort of writing. Outlines are certainly helpful organizational tools. But as I delve into my thesis, I find myself taking a more free-form approach. As I have previously written , I am writing on the legacy of pioneer Brazilian art therapist Nise da Silveira. Based on two months of ethnographic research, my thesis is about how da Silveira’s image is evoked and utilized by people who continue similar work. I have lots of interesting ideas, but no single, unifying argument. While writing an outline might be useful down the road, right now it would impose a limiting structure on my thought process.

Instead, I have decided to do what my friend Lily calls “Frankensteining.” To her, writing an essay is like creating Frankenstein’s monster: you have to find all the parts before you can sew them together and create a body. Lily explains:

“I think you need to Frankenstein when you’re developing any kind of complex argument because you can’t know what you’re going to say until you start figuring it out and seeing how different insights fit together. It’s writing as a nonlinear process — you don’t brainstorm and then write. They happen at the same time.”

In essence, “Frankensteining” frees the essay writing process from rigid structure. In practical terms, this means that although I have about fifteen pages of writing done, I have not yet written a coherent chapter. Instead, by pursuing a variety of ideas, I have arrived in unexpected places. Particularly, one section, about memorialization through funerals, would not have arisen so easily had I felt a need to fit it into an overarching argument. Though the distinct parts may feel somewhat disparate, I see how the more I write, the more I will find an organic through line.

A drawback is that I will almost inevitably overwrite, perhaps composing well over 100 pages of semi-related work. This is not necessarily a bad thing. When I have all the body parts, then I can make cuts and stitch them together. The artistry is in the rewriting.

To clarify, I am not arguing against outlines. I use them all the time! But as you approach a big research project, I urge you to hold off, at least at the beginning. For me, letting go of an immediate need for structure has granted me the freedom to explore new ideas. My thesis is an adventure that continually surprises me. And that makes it all the more valuable.

— Dylan Blau Edelstein, Humanities Correspondent

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Loneliness & Isolation in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay

Introduction.

The main character of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was sure regarding his uniqueness: “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me” (42). The reason is that Viktor Frankenstein was a young scientist obsessed with the idea of creating a unique living creature by referring to science and alchemy.

Still, he cannot love this monstrous human being, and this fact leads to disastrous consequences (Cengage Learning 7; Seal 84-86). This novel represents the key characteristics of Romanticism through accentuating isolation from society, the focus on exploring nature, and the freedom of desires and feelings (Chase 165-166; Varner 137-138). Viktor, a Romantic character, chooses alienation as his path in the world that leads him to misery, and he develops as an irresponsible scientist who does not realize his duty.

Alienation in Shelley’s Novel

In Frankenstein, alienation is discussed through the perspective of sorrow and despair for the main characters. Although Viktor was brought up by loving parents, he always wanted to isolate himself from other people to focus on science (Gottlieb 127-129). Viktor states: “I must absent myself from all I loved while thus employed” (Shelley 117).

These words accentuate Viktor’s focus on himself and his desires that later determine his path, leading to more obsession with science and creating a new living being, as well as to more alienation while being locked in his laboratory and conducting experiments. Viktor’s alienation further leads him to despair because of creating the monster, but Frankenstein’s creature also suffers from isolation because he cannot be opened to society and accepted by it (Nesvet 348).

His first experience of interacting with people is described the following way: “The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me” (Shelley 83). The creature that wants to be loved faces the cruelty of the world that makes him become even more alienated and concentrated on revenge.

Responsibility in Frankenstein

In addition to making him and his creature be isolated, Viktor does not accept the idea of duty and responsibility for his actions because of his inability to understand what it means to be responsible for the creation. Being focused on a scientific aspect of creating, Viktor ignores his duty as a creator and a “father” (Bloom 22; Halpern et al. 50; Nair 78). As a result, the creature is forced to ask: “How dare you sport thus with life? Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine towards you and the rest of mankind” (Shelley 78). In this context, Viktor understands his duty only after his creature’s words.

However, he still does not accept his responsibility as a “father” because he cannot love his “child.” Thus, the creature states, “Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us” (Shelley 78). From this perspective, it is possible to note that Viktor is unable to take responsibility for his actions and perform his duties as both a scientist and a creator despite his ambition.

Alienation and the lack of responsibility regarding the scientist’s actions for society can be viewed as partially related to the modern world. On the one hand, the isolation of a scientist today cannot lead him to impressive results, but this characteristic is typical of Romanticism. On the other hand, modern scientists change the world, and they need to be responsible for their actions. Therefore, the ideas stated by Shelley in the novel should be reconsidered from the perspective of the modern world.

Works Cited

Bloom, Harold. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Infobase Learning, 2013.

Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s “Frankenstein”. Gale/Cengage Learning, 2015.

Chase, Cynthia. Romanticism. Routledge, 2014.

Gottlieb, Evan, editor. Global Romanticism: Origins, Orientations, and Engagements, 1760–1820. Bucknell University Press, 2014.

Halpern, Megan K., et al. “Stitching Together Creativity and Responsibility: Interpreting Frankenstein across Disciplines.” Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, vol. 36, no. 1, 2016, pp. 49-57.

Nair, Lekshmi R. “Playing God: Robin Cook’s ‘Mutation’ as a Reworking of the Frankenstein Theme of the Creator Pitted against the Creation.” Writers Editors Critics, vol. 6, no. 2, 2016, pp. 77-82.

Nesvet, Rebecca. “Review: Frankenstein: Text and Mythos.” Science Fiction Studies, vol. 45, no. 2, 2018, pp. 347-351.

Seal, Jon. GCSE English Literature for AQA Frankenstein Student Book. Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Diversion Books, 2015.

Varner, Paul. Historical Dictionary of Romanticism in Literature. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.

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IvyPanda. (2022, August 21). Loneliness & Isolation in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. https://ivypanda.com/essays/loneliness-isolation-in-mary-shelleys-frankenstein/

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Bibliography

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