Literary analysis on Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Essay Example

Management Criticism When making a literary analysis, a criticism can be made using the major events in the story and the results that happen because of this event. This method is known as management criticism, and it involves the selection of significant events within a piece of literature and after a brief description, the results of these events are analyzed. When making a management criticism, one studies the various major events that take place in a literary work and their consequences. The decisions that are made by the main characters are analyzed according to the results that come about because of them. For example, when discussing the First World War literature using management criticism, the reason for the war shall be analyzed and afterwards, its results. In this case, the immediate cause of the war was the assassination of the Franz Ferdinand while its result was the loss of many lives as well as destruction of property all over the world. Analysis of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley using Management Criticism Method Analysis 1 Result When I consider the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, I come to the conclusion that it is a work based on the study of morality. The morality of the main character, The Monster, is clearly presented and reveals the conflict between the religion and nature. Reason This is because despite the fact that human beings are at the apex of creation, they could not be creators themselves, as seen in the novel where after creating the Monster, Victor does not take responsibility for it and instead is disgusted by his creation. I further make the argument that despite the fact that Shelley was a well-known atheist, who did not believe in the role of God in the lives of humankind, the events that take place in the life of the main protagonist are full of biblical allusions. The result of this analysis is that there is a stark contrast in the beliefs of Shelley, which after reading the text would come into question, since she was a believer of the in born morality that can be found in humanity. In reading the novel, I conclude that Shelley’s belief that God is nonexistent and that man has the ability to choose his own destiny is clearly in contrast with what she writes in the novel. The biblical allusions that can be related to the life of The Monster and his creator are in conflict with what Shelley believed, and because of this, I conclude that despite her denying it, Shelley was a believer in the existence of God and His influence in the lives of men. Moreover, it is my belief that Shelley may have found it difficult to separate the religious beliefs that were current in her time from her own personal convictions, and this is expressed through the confusion through which The Monster undergoes in his attempt to find his place in the world (Shelley 78). Analysis 2 Reason and Result Despite Shelley’s atheistic beliefs, I conclude that she was a keen reader of the bible and this is why The Monster is so full of allusions. When one considers The Monster, one would be tempted to compare it to the story of Cain in the bible. While this may not have been Shelley’s original intention when portraying this character, I believe that it came about unconsciously, since The Monster is rejected both by the society, when he attempts to become a part of it, and by God, since the latter is not the one who created him. Result The consequences of the separation that The Monster feels are like that of certain characters in the bible, since he is forced to wander the earth alone without any support from his creator or from the society. In addition, I could not help but notice that The Monster experiences the same rejection that was experienced by Cain in the bible (Shelley 279). The story is meant to show the atheistic beliefs of the author, but it results in achieving the exact opposite as seen when Victor, The Monster’s creator, comes to be disgusted by what he has created. This is a sign that despite Shelley’s belief that human beings are superior in their own right, there are limits to their knowledge. Humans do not have the capacity to bear the knowledge and to become creators the way God in the bible is portrayed. The morality of the ability of human beings to create life comes into question, because they do not have the capacity to accept their creations, instead looking upon them as abominations, the way Victor does towards his creation. Analysis 3 Reason One of the most significant parts of the story is when, after creating the Monster, Victor becomes horrified by what he has done because his creation is a grotesque creature. While this may have been true, the Victor does not act as if a creator would, because of the fact that he knew exactly what he was creating and could have designed it in any way he wanted to. Result Victor’s hatred for his creation leads to the Monster reciprocating the same feelings towards its creator. This leads to the Monster going to the extent of killing the brother of its creator in an attempt to hurt him. Victor, on the other hand, refuses to take responsibility for his creation and consequently, he is indirectly responsible for some of the bad actions that are taken by it. The Monster demands that his creator to create a mate for him, since he is not able to fit into the human society and is hated by the one who created him (Shelley 114). The Monster, because he is unable to enter human society, considers himself the first of a new species and this is why he demands a mate from his creator. While Victor initially agrees to these demands, but he comes to regret this action and destroys the female companion that he was creating for the Monster. Analysis 4 Reason Mary Shelley’s story is a substitute expression of the feelings which were troubling her deeply because due to the not often a cordial relationship between herself and her husband. It is my belief that it is an attempt to express her true feelings of the hurt she was undergoing. One would even go as far as to say that she might have related herself directly with the Monster because of the fact that the man who had created him shunned him. Result The outcome of Shelley’s feelings is the idea is the creation of the Monster, which is a representation of the rage that was going through Shelley because of the hurt that she felt because of her husband’s treatment of her and their relationship. The events which take place in the novel, especially in those places where the Monster expressed his sense of alienation were a true representation of Shelley’s feelings. The issue of morality comes into question in the novel, since the question being asked is whether Victor Frankenstein was right in creating the Monster then after it came to life, rejected it in disgust (Shelley 117). I suggest that the Monster is a representation of Mary Shelly while Victor is a representation of her husband. Victor’s rejection of the monster is an expression of how Shelley felt when her husband rejected her and was unfaithful. In essence, I surmise that Frankenstein is a novel that represents the feelings of Shelley during her early-married life. In conclusion, it can be said that the novel is a representation of the conflict between nature and the ability of human beings as creators. As has been stated above, the biblical allusions that can be related to the life of The Monster and his creator are in conflict with what Shelley believed, and because of this, one would conclude that Shelley was a believer in the existence of God and His influence in the lives of men. The novel is a story concerning the Monster’s attempt to search for a purpose and a place to belong in life. All these attempts turn out to be futile and as a result, the Monster comes to become bitter towards the person who created him. The novel shows man as a destroyer, because after creating the Monster, he comes to fear his ugliness and because of this ends up neglecting it. Furthermore, he chooses to destroy the female companion he was making for the Monster because of his belief that it did not have the right to exist and to propagate itself. This shows that while man has the ability to create, he is not able to take responsibility for his creations once he seen that what he has made is faulty. Finally, the personal life of Mary Shelley can be seen to be tightly entwined with the story in Frankenstein and because of this, it can be viewed as a fictional representation of the real life events that she was undergoing. Works Cited Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Boston: Sever, Francis & Co. 1869.Print Read More