I think that one of Mary Shelley’s main purposes with Frankenstein was to reflect how evil is not something that is inherent among certain humans, but that it is bred by society itself. She uses the monster to represent all those who are rejected and isolated by society, and thus turn against it.
When the monster is created he is far from being a wretched creature. He is innocent and naïve—a “blank slate”. However, every single human he meets treats him with cruelty. He is especially hurt when the French family, which he grows so attached to, also treats him like a disdainful creature. Even when he still has hope and saves a little girl from being drowned, his generosity is just paid back with spitefulness. Society’s rejection of the monster is what kindles hate within his soul. If he had not felt isolated and abandoned he probably would have been a benevolent creature.
One of reasons why I believe that this was one of Shelley’s main objectives with Frankenstein is because it fits in well with what Gothic novelists aspired to do. They wrote in response to the ideas in the Enlightenment, which predominated in England and France in the 18th century. The Enlightenment emphasized the power of the human find and promoted faith in humanity. Enlightenment thinkers were inspired by the progress that they observed during the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, but Gothic novelists in the early 19th century aimed to portray that dark side of humanity that accompanied its progress. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley shows her readers that humans are not perfect. In fact, because of their flaws and prejudices they bring out cruelty in others and plague society with evil.
When the monster is created he is far from being a wretched creature. He is innocent and naïve—a “blank slate”. However, every single human he meets treats him with cruelty. He is especially hurt when the French family, which he grows so attached to, also treats him like a disdainful creature. Even when he still has hope and saves a little girl from being drowned, his generosity is just paid back with spitefulness. Society’s rejection of the monster is what kindles hate within his soul. If he had not felt isolated and abandoned he probably would have been a benevolent creature.
One of reasons why I believe that this was one of Shelley’s main objectives with Frankenstein is because it fits in well with what Gothic novelists aspired to do. They wrote in response to the ideas in the Enlightenment, which predominated in England and France in the 18th century. The Enlightenment emphasized the power of the human find and promoted faith in humanity. Enlightenment thinkers were inspired by the progress that they observed during the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, but Gothic novelists in the early 19th century aimed to portray that dark side of humanity that accompanied its progress. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley shows her readers that humans are not perfect. In fact, because of their flaws and prejudices they bring out cruelty in others and plague society with evil.
