Mary Shelley's use of form, theme, and metaphor in Frankenstein

Frankenstein

An Analysis of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley wrote in her 1831 introduction to the reprint of Frankenstein that "supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world" (x). These words not only indicate the manner of her thought on the night she conceived the idea for her gothic novel, they also reflect, as she notes, the ideas discussed between her husband Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. The two men represented well the doctrines of the Romantic/Enlightenment Age, and the effects of their idealistic creed seem to be personified in Mary Shelley's "Modern Prometheus," a creature whose deformities are despised by its creator. This paper will show how Mary Shelley uses form, theme, character, tone, language and metaphor to convey why Dr. Frankenstein, in his attempt to "recreate" creation, creates instead the basis of Shelley's cautionary tale on the dangerous effects of "mocking" the stupendous mechanism of God.

Form

The novel begins in epistolary form but then assumes a narrative form once Dr. Frankenstein is discovered and his tale unfolded. The initial epistolary form consists of letters from Robert Walton to his sister Margaret Saville. Walton has had literary aspirations in the past, but now finds himself in the Arctic Circle of the North Pole on an expedition through which he expects to win the fame that eluded him in his literary pursuits. In other words, Walton is a reluctant explorer, pushed to the extremes of human endurance in order to produce a work of some renown and significance.

Walton does indeed come upon a story worth telling, but it is not the story he expects to find. Rather than a treatise on the wilds of the Arctic, Walton spies first a man-like creature of enormous dimensions and, in pursuit, the creature's creator Dr. Frankenstein. Frankenstein is provided with room for rest and in return tells his tale, a kind of warning, to Walton. Walton, who possesses the same Romantic streak that is revealed to have possessed Frankenstein once upon a time, accepts the warning and returns to civilization with that warning in hand, the tale. Indeed, the fact that the tale itself is framed by the epistolary form conveys the sense that it is meant to be a kind of cautionary tale. Caution is the subject of Walton's first letter to his sister, which is itself a response to her fear that her brother might come to some harm in such a place as the North Pole: "You will rejoice to heart that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings" (Shelley 17). Walton's letter, however, does not anticipate the narrative he will soon encounter.

The narrative form of the novel is dictated by Dr. Frankenstein to Walton, recorded by the latter without interjection. Once Frankenstein's tale ends, Walton continues his letter to his sister, recording events as they continue to transpire. That Walton assumes the duty of narrator at the end of the novel indicates the transmission of the story from Frankenstein to Walton, from Walton to his sister, and so on. It also suggests that Walton has identified with Frankenstein and now sees his own tale as intertwined with the latter's. Thus, the caution with which the doctor addressed Walton is now Walton's, addressed to his sister, who, ironically, had initially addressed her brother with a caution which he found unimportant to heed.

Theme

The theme of the novel may be said to be touched upon by Walton himself when he writes to his sister in his fourth letter that he has found in Frankenstein, whom he has rescued from the cold, a man in possession of a "quality…that elevates him so immeasurably above any other person I ever knew…an intuitive discernment; a quick but never-failing power of judgment; a penetration into the causes of things" (Shelley 37). Walton's impression of Frankenstein helps frame the narrative that is to come, and the theme of which is stated plainly by Frankenstein himself: to Walton, Frankenstein says, "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" (Shelley 38). Frankenstein's theme, therefore, is cautionary from the beginning and concerned with the careful pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. It is based on Frankenstein's own experiments with a nature, which he himself did not fully comprehend before experimentation.

The theme of unrestrained pursuit of an idea, represented by Frankenstein's pursuit of the monster into the Arctic Circle, is reflected by Walton in his desire to explore what no man has previously explored -- the North Pole. The cautionary aspect of the theme, however, is certified by Walton, who appears to understand the moral of the story and retreats from his pursuit, returning to society with, instead of glory, a tale of warning.

Character

The character of Frankenstein is one that represents boldness and ambition in matters of science regarding the nature of man. Frankenstein himself states that his "temper was sometimes violent, and my passions vehement; but by some law in my temperature they were turned, not towards childish pursuits, but to an eager desire to learn" (Shelley 49). He exhibits in his studies an attitude of one who wishes to comprehend all, who wishes to arrive at a sort of Gnosticism. He also states that this passion, "which afterwards ruled my destiny," stems "from ignoble and almost forgotten sources" (Shelley 51). The point that his character is developed according to the lights of "natural philosophy," which he states "has regulated my fate," compels the reader to conclude that Frankenstein has not been formed according to the moral code of classical Western tradition, which in the Romantic/Enlightenment Age was indeed being replaced by "natural philosophy." Frankenstein, therefore, may be understood as a warning to those would pursue and experiment with the ends of "natural philosophy" without restraint, guidance, or observance of the moral laws that past generations had acknowledged.

Indeed, Frankenstein's character is inspired by Isaac Newton's quest for "truth." Yet, in a despondent mood early in his adolescence, Frankenstein realizes the horror of this search: "I at once gave up my former occupations; set down natural history and all its progeny as a deformed and abortive creation" (Shelley 55). Unable to abide by this realization, however, Frankenstein returns to his pursuits and ends up producing the very "progeny" he detested in his studies: "a deformed and abortive creation" -- his monster.

Language

The language used by both Walton and Frankenstein throughout their portions of the novel produce distinct effects. Walton's language produces wonder and curiosity, which ultimately prompts him to submit to Frankenstein's warning and retreat from his wild pursuits. Frankenstein's language produces sympathy and pity both in Walton and even in the monster, who recognizes that he must die with his creator.

Walton's language also illustrates want: the fact that his portion of the tale is epistolary conveys well this want. He writes to his sister: "I have no friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate my joy" (Shelley 22). His excitement at meeting Frankenstein is illustrated in the massive endeavor he undertakes to record Frankenstein's tale in virtually the doctor's own language. By using Frankenstein's exact words rather than his own, Walton is already submitting to the caution within the narrative.

Frankenstein's language is persuasive because it is at once friendly, passionate, sorrowful and intelligent. His ability to give pleasure draws Walton into his confidence and impresses upon the listener the gravity of the moral he wishes to interpose. Frankenstein's eloquence is essential in the transmission of this moral and is effected in such lines as: "I feel exquisite pleasure in dwelling on the recollections of childhood…" (Shelley 50). But such lines are compounded and made all the more complex by their reversal of mood: "…before misfortune had tainted my mind, and changed its bright visions of extensive usefulness into gloomy and narrow reflections upon self" (Shelley 50). In one fell swoop, Frankenstein's language covers the span of his career, from happy exploration to regretful self-absorption and narrowed focus on Self rather than on the Creator, from Whom all creation comes.

Metaphor

The novel also uses metaphor as a way to suggest the cautionary basis of the tale. Frankenstein's monster is, essentially, the moral personification of Frankenstein's pursuit of natural philosophy and the usurpation of God's role in creating life. The monster serves as metaphor for the man.

The "Modern Prometheus" himself admits as much when he asserts, "That is also my victim!...The miserable series of my being is wound to its close!" (Shelley 310-11). The two are one: the monster is as much a part of Frankenstein as his ideas are a part of his Self. Frankenstein himself is as like a "modern Prometheus" as his creation is. He is born not of the traditions of the West but rather of the revolutionary pursuit of modern natural philosophy. He is formed not by Western classicism and religion but rather by new Romantic/Enlightenment ideals. That his creation is a deformed, grotesque monster shows the true nature of Frankenstein's ideals. The one would not have been born had not the other existed first.

The monster even echoes Frankenstein's sentiment when the latter recalls how his pursuit of natural philosophy to the utmost extreme was an "evil" and grim pursuit. The monster states a similar sentiment when he tells Walton how he wanted to be good and be sympathetic but that he was twisted to hatred and murder in spite of himself: "Evil thenceforth became my good" (Shelley 312).

The icy world of the Arctic Circle also serves as a metaphor for the coldness at the heart of Frankenstein's idealistic pursuit. By assuming such a great responsibility as that of Creator, Frankenstein assumes too much: he is brought low by the violence of his own creation and driven to literal extremes in the pursuit of his monster. Walton's retreat from the Arctic Circle may, therefore, serve as a metaphor for the awakening of his conscience: he has learned the prudence of restraint and will not pursue his wild objective at the risk of losing his soul. To have followed his pursuit and obtained his goal would have meant to have been lost to the "darkness" and "distance" into which Frankenstein and his monster disappear.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Mary Shelley's tale is a cautionary one delivered through the use of two forms, epistolary and narrative. It depicts the effects of the Romantic/Enlightenment doctrine of her Age when taken to extremes, as Frankenstein himself takes them. His monster is the consequence of his pursuit of "wisdom" and "knowledge" with regard to natural philosophy -- itself a science detached from the Western moral traditions. Likewise, through language, tone, character, theme and metaphor, Shelley reflects the isolation and depravity of such a pursuit: the title character is destroyed by his own creation; and though his language is bright and full of charm at the beginning of his narrative, it quickly develops a tone that is filled with gloom, remorse and regret. Thus, Shelley's Frankenstein shows the folly of a creature endeavoring to act as Creator, and serves as a warning to both Watson and to reader.