Test (elaborations) English Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
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Course
English
Institution
GCSE
Book
Frankenstein
I have done an essay on the exam question from AQA 2019, exploring how Shelley presents the ways the monster is affected by how
others treat him.
I have done 3 paragraphs with an introduction and a little conclusion.
I hope you find this helpful!
Mary Shelley presents the ways the monster is affected by how others treat him through the use of
the theme of prejudice as in the book the creature is expelled from society due to his appearance.
Frankenstein was written at the same time as the industrial revolution so people naturally feared
changed which highlights the idea that Mary Shelley could have used the creature as a metaphor for
change and the unknown.
Mary Shelley presents the effect of how society can change the way someone behaves through the
use of the theme of isolation and criticism of society. This can be shown when the creature is talking
to the blind man when he says, “which was to rob me of, or bestow happiness on me for ever”, this
emphasises the huge effect that others have on him as he is unable to feel happy or self-assured
without the justification of other people. It may also imply the perception that others have that
made him who he is. The verb ‘rob’ shows that the old man doesn’t perceive him to be a creature
which is down to the reason that he can’t see him. Throughout the text, the theme judgement is
based on his appearance and the contrast between justification vs judgement highlights that if
everybody was blind, there would be no convention of a monster and a monster would be built
solely on characteristics rather than appearance. In the Victorian era, a man named Cesar Lombroso
made a theory that if someone looked different or wore something different to what society was
wearing, they would have been seen as a criminal. Mary Shelley is implying that humans doesn’t
have the ability to detach themselves from judgement visually which links to theme of vulnerability
and how the creature can never be seen as someone or wanted and instead as an outcast. As well as
highlighting how the criticism of society can make someone vulnerable Shelley presents the lasting
impact of the judgement assumptions on the monster by highlighting the juxtaposition between the
convention of a monster and his true characteristics and feelings. She does this by creating a prey
dynamic in the quote “I could have torn him limb from limb”, which shows the ability for human
society to sculpt and build a creature based solely one evil. The use of the verb ‘torn’ suggests how
the creature has predatory instincts which implies how he may be feeling threatened. In the
Victorian era, John Locke made a theory called ‘tabula rasa’ which means blank slate and is the idea
that when you are born you are born with a clean slate, and it is society that can shape you.
Furthermore, Shelley continues to explore this through the use of the quote “the lion rends the
antelope”, this emphasises a self-fulfilling prophecy as it is in his nature to become an animal, but it’s
in his mind to seek companionship, humans in the book perspectives on the creature have warped
his own understanding of his personality. The use of the noun ‘lion’ suggests how he is a predatory,
explosive and aggressive creature with no self-control, when, his ambition for a regular life is just
making him like the antelope which is vulnerability. This links in with the use of the modal verb
‘could’, this shows possibility of him acting out, but his conscious choice not to. The Victorian reader
wouldn’t feel sympathetic as they would see him as a monster and that he deserves pain and
suffering while the modern readers would disagree and feel sympathetic as no one shouldn’t go
through what the creature has been through.
As well as highlighting how, the monster is affected by the De Lacey family. Mary Shelley shows how
the creature becomes an emotionless predator due to his father rejecting him. This can be shown
when Victor animated the creature when he says “breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” this
means that as soon as the monster comes to life victor is filled with intense revolution. The use of
the adjective ‘disgust’ and ‘horror’ emphasises how Victor is appalled of the ugliness of his creation
and sees his consequence of his obsession. The theme of prejudice is shown throughout this extract
as it shows how his own father rejected him due to him looking a bit odd to everyone else even
though he created him to be like this. This is ironic as in the book victor is surrounded with love but
fails to experience the sense of duty towards his creation that his own parents had felt for him. Mary
Shelley is trying to show the readers as being called a monster or rejected from society will pay a
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