The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Book Report/Review Example

The Novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley One of the most investigated novels of English, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley is often regarded high for the varied types of themes which contribute to the overall strategy of the novelist. It is primary to recognize that the themes of the novel are closely linked to the development of the narrative and the strategy used. Evaluated from this point, the theme of education, which is a major theme of the novel, can be comprehended as the best example for the same idea.

That is to say, the theme of education is strongly connected to the structure of the novel and the novelist aims at the education of the readers by proposing this theme and strategy. The novel is concerned with the education of various characters through the different events of the novel and ultimately with the education of the reader who comes to realize how and what every character in the novel learns, i.e. the real essence of the concept of education. The novelist's strategy is linked to the same education of the readers, i.e. to teach the readers the most pertinent aspects of life and world, and the narrative structure is greatly connected with this theme of education.

The various events of the novel using the epistolary style of narrative structure help the education of the reader. The different letters by various characters can be understood as expressing the theme of education in the novel. The educational background of every character is distinct from that of the others and the relationships that develop among these characters contribute to the meaning of the novel. Remarkably, Walton and Victor Frankenstein are products of idealistic bourgeois education.

They wanted not money but fame and social progress and the former engaged in the discovery of the Northwest Passage whereas the latter in life sciences. "Beneath this apparent service orientation was a propensity to grandiosity. Walton comments: 'Do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose My life might have been passed in ease and luxury; but I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path.'" (Shelley). Contaminated education leads some people to objectionable behavior and they end up in detrimental life experiences.

The novel's structure is in a way that the reader finds how undesirable use of education can lead one to the ultimate loss in life and Victor Frankenstein and the creature stand as the foremost examples of such effects of the contaminated education. Frankenstein regarded education and learning as primary motive of life. "'Wealth was an inferior object; but what glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death!

'" (Shelley). However, the meaning of education turned wrong at his hands. Frankenstein is the Faustian example of education and this is a major theme of the novel. "Frankenstein states that he is not satisfied with previous knowledge. He looks to the past and builds upon it, with his own research and experimentation. He is not interested in the usual subjects of study, in accordance with the same dissatisfaction Faustus expressed in the areas of theology, medicine, law, etc." (Frankenstein: The Novel).

However, education led the character not to the advantageous behavior but to the destructive outcomes. The structure of the novel helps one recognize what the impact of education - true education leads to enlightenment whereas the erroneous education to the darker realities of life. This presentation of the theme of education through the several letters by different narrators, acts as the primary tool in the education of the readers regarding the nature of education, which has been the design of the novelist.

Characters like Clerval, and the monster also portrays the effect of education and the remark by Frankenstein very well tells the intention of the novelist in educating the readers. "You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been." (Frankenstein: The Novel). Education, one of the primary themes of the novel Frankenstein, is closely linked to the structure of the novel and the different characters and narrators of the novel aim at the expression of some part of the education as they perceived it.

In conclusion, it is evident that the novel's theme of education and its narrative structure have some pertinent connection. Works Cited Shelley, Mary Wollestonecraft (Godwin). Frankenstein Or The Modern Prometheus. jzr Aardvark. 1 Jan. 2002. 23 Jul. 2008. . Frankenstein: The Novel. Ma Angeles Gonzalez's. 30 Nov. 1999. 23 Jul. 2008. .