Isolation In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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Throughout the seminar, almost every theme and aspect of Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, is fully examined. The seminar began with the topic of Victor Frankenstein’s responsibility of his creation and his motives for creating such a creature. The discussion switched focus to the monster and the question of whether the monster’s surroundings shaped his character or if he was created evil. Human attributes of the monster was also discussed briefly before the class came to realize parallels between various characters within the novel. The theme of nature was deliberated, along with the isolation of both Dr. Frankenstein and his creation. Mary Shelley’s underlying political statements were brought to light, as well as the cautions of knowledge. …show more content…
The isolation of Frankenstein’s creation mirrors the isolation of Grendel in the previously read epic poem, Beowulf. The isolation of both monsters causes them to feel like outcasts in society, which in return compels them to commit evil deeds. Both the monster and Grendel live outside the confines of the towns and villages of the common people. The monster spends most of his life in a cave in the mountainous areas; the colder atmosphere represents his harden personality. Similar to Frankenstein’s monster, Grendel’s surrounding represent his personality. Grendel lives within the shadows which also symbolizes his dark and evil nature. Though the monster was mainly ostracized based on his appearance and Grendel because of his irresponsibility, both personalities of the monsters were hindered due to their excessive isolation and shunning from …show more content…
I always find myself holding back from speaking against someone else’s opinion. The whole purpose of the seminar is to discussion various topics with the class in order to view different perspectives. Therefore, it is not uncommon for me to disagree with someone and I need to be more vocal about my opinions regarding the novel. As a group, I still notice only handful of classmates participating in the discussion. Our goal could be to include everyone in the discussion because it is more interesting to discuss a topic with multiple perspectives rather than the same ideas every time. This goal could be conducted by the moderator to suggest those who have not yet spoken to voice their opinions or I, as a participant, could ask someone who has not spoken their stance on a topic. Whichever the case, a discussion with the participation of the entire class would prove to be more
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