... himself is a kind of monster, as his ambition, secrecy, and selfishness alienate him from human society. Ordinary on the outside, he may be the true "monster" inside, as he is eventually consumed by an obsessive hatred of his creation. Finally, many critics have described the novel itself as monstrous, ... Shelley seems to say that solitude gives rise to pride and self-love and through Walton's voyage and Victor's obsessive behavior, the opposite becomes true. As Victor describes his family life, he reflects on his days as an only child, until his parents decided to adopt Elizabeth. (It ...

• Word Count: 5327
• Approx Pages: 21

... product of his society. However, unlike Rousseau's happily lived existence, absent of consequence or judgement of his irresponsible actions, Frankenstein is subsequently punished for ambitious pursuits. Frankenstein's wife, brother, friend, and father die by the hands of his creation. Therefore, because the monster is a product of Frankenstein's pursuit for glory, Frankenstein is seen to be condemned to misery as ... a patriarchal society. The lives of both Rousseau and Frankenstein are reflective of the concept that greatness requires self-centredness. Even after the death of his brothe...

• Word Count: 2624
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... his creation and he would be praised for having created life - and only when he succeeded did he see the true horror of his vision. I also think this was done to show some sort of prejudice message, or a bullying message, that runs true throughout the whole book - Shelley may have been trying to get the message across that appearances can be deceiving ... oppression in our world, the last thing we need is a new way of being able to condemn people's self-esteem. For some reason, people are always interested in what their friend's parents do for a living; they think it gives them some sor...

• Word Count: 3281
• Approx Pages: 13