thesis statements about frankenstein

Thesis Statement Example: Humanity in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Introduction:

Frankenstein is a gothic novel written by Mary Shelly, which poses many questions about the beliefs of the world at  that time. 

The text details the story of Victor Frankenstien, a scientist who pushed the field of science by creating a living creature, known as the monster, with dead matter. Throughout the text we see the story of both Victor Frankenstien and his creation of the monster. Along with this we see their interactions between them, themselves, and others with acts of emotion, murder, and ect.

Thesis Statement: With the novel, Frankenstein, Mary Shelly utilizes her two main characters to show what it truly means to be human, through each of the bodies and souls of the characters. 

Topic Sentence: Firstly we see two types of humanities represented in these two characters, humanity's presence and its absence through the cognitive aspects of their characters. 

Evidence (include citation): “After days and nights of incredible labour and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.” (Shelly 31)

Through: Through Victor’s intense self-dignity within his inner dialogue he often thinks very highly of himself.

Effect: With that oftentimes the interpretation is that Victor is claiming himself to be higher than others. 

Meaning: Being higher than others and bestowing life represents a character or at least an ideology that one is godly, above humanity or in general inhumane.  

Evidence: ”I spent the winter in this manner. The gentle manners and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them to me; when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathized in their joys” (Shelly 79)

Through: Through the monster and his acts of empathy the character is shown as realistic.

Effect: It is that realistic effect that gives the character a sense of humanity.

Meaning: With that human aspect of empathy the monster is characterized as human or at least human-like.

Topic Sentence: Absence is shown in Frankenstein due to his soul and character even though his human corporal body.

Evidence (include citation): “I was now about to form another being, of whose dispositions I was alike ignorant; she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate and delight, for its own sake, in murder and wretchedness.” (Shelly 120)

Through: Through Victor’s dialogue it is shown that when he creates something he often holds disdain for the creature.

Effect: With this, a sense of level or rank appears where Victor is higher than his own creation. 

Meaning: The sense of a higher being than his own creation, that which is meant to portray humanity, displays Victor as once again above humanity or inhumane. 

Evidence: “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on.” (Shelly 165)

Through: However through this dialogue, he often shows times of distress and woe. 

Effect: Within these moments we see a character stricken with low self-esteem to a large point.

Meaning: When Victor is this low he regards himself as below humanity “an abortion” so below it is inhumane.

Topic Sentence: While humanity’s absence is shown in the monster’s corporal body, it is present in his character, through the soul.

Evidence (include citation): “A flash of lightning illuminated the object, and discovered its shape plainly to me; its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect more hideous than belongs to humanity, instantly informed me that it was the wretch, the filthy dæmon, to whom I had given life.” (Shelly 50)

Through: Through a line of imagery a representation of the monster is shown.

Effect: The depiction is meant to be otherworldly and “more hideous than belongs to humanity.”

Meaning: Through visuals alone, the monster is depicted as just that, an inhumane monster.

Evidence: “Could they turn from their done one, however monstrous, who solicited their compassion and friendship” (Shelly 93)

Through: However through the actions and depictions of the monster there is a different light shown.

Effect: Compassion and friendship are both human traits that go against the corporal depiction of the monster.

Meaning: Meaning, as the quote says, however monstrous the monster is human.

While Frankenstein is a very broad text that covers a lot of concepts and ideas, controversial or not one important thing the text looks at is what it means to be human. Early on the book makes a statement on humanity via the characters Victor and his monster. Victor is a human that often shows triviality on what it means to be human through his soul, however, is directly human through his body. Whereas the monster is depicted as inhumane through the body through the character and soul of the character makes a human being. 

In short, Mary Shelly depicts humanity through the corporal bodies of both of these characters. In doing so Mary Shelly reveals what it truly means to be human after all. It is in the content of the character and the soul of the person.

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Responsibility as a Theme in Frankenstein Essay

Introduction, thesis statement, frankenstein’s personality, works cited.

The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley appeared in 1818. It describes the problems of modern science and its consequences for humanity. The uniqueness of the novel is that Frankenstein has literary merits to ‘frighten and amaze’ (Mellor 45). There is much historical interest in the work as an example of various strains and aspects of Romanticism (Mellor 45).

Through the character of Victor, Mary Shelley portrays different stages of personal development. He underlines that real maturity is when the person accepts full responsibility for his actions, scientific discoveries, and their impact on humanity.

From the very beginning, Victor, the main character of the novel, is depicted as an immature personality, unable to accept responsibilities for his actions and researches. Only when the creature disappears, Victor jumps to the conclusion that his monster is the murderer of his brother. “I considered the being … nearly in the light of my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave and forced to destroy all that was dear to me” (Shelley 2007).

At this point, the unfortunate Victor faces a moral dilemma: should he reveal to the authorities the existence of his dangerous crea­tion? He decides not to and offers two reasons. First, he will be thought mad; second, the creature is too agile to admit capture.

It is worth considering whether these reasons seem adequate to explain Vic­tor’s silence, which protects both the monster and himself (Peterfreund 79). “His position is rendered still more reprehensible when he returns to his family and discovers that the innocent Justine is accused of the murder, that she will be tried that very day and that the evidence against her looks damning” (Mellor 75). Still, Victor does nothing to save Justine and unveil his terrible secrets.

Fears and lack of courage are the main factors that prevent Victor from accepting responsibility for his actions and behavior. In general, a mature personality can answer for the consequences of his actions and behavior. In contrast, Victor finds his task increasingly revolting and begins to think of argu­ments against the responsibilities of a scientist. He fears that his creatures might breed and people the planet with monsters.

He speaks of the false but persuasive arguments. For instance, Justine is condemned to death, and after the trial, it is revealed that she has confessed her guilt (but she is not guilty) (Mellor 38). Victor explains: “I at once gave up my former occupations, set down natural history and all its progeny as a deformed and abortive creation” (Shelley). When things go wrong, Victor understands that he cannot control his creation and is helpless to prevent his murders.

The turning point of the novel comes when Victor destroys his new creature, horrified by unpredictable consequences. When Victor feels ill, he confesses himself guilty of murdering William, Justine, and Clerval, thus associating himself yet again with the deeds of the monster.

He is in prison, but Mr. Kirwin is a good-natured and under­standing man who does his best to help the sick man (Mellor 40). He brings Victor’s father to him, and Victor is at length acquitted of Clerval’s murder. “I shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning miseries will be extinct” (Shelley 2007). He speaks of his original benevolence and the miserable loneliness of his condition.

In sum, through the character of Victor, Shelley portrays that a person matures when he can accept responsibilities for his actions and their consequences. When Victor ‘matures’ and admits his guilt, he understands that freedom has no value to him, the world has no comforts for any unfortunate soul who bears guilt and remorse within him.

Mellor, Anne Mary Shelley: Her Life Her Fiction Her Monsters. New York: Routledge, 1989.

Peterfreund, S. Composing What May Not Be “Sad Trash”: A Reconsideration of Mary Shelley’s Use of Paracelsus in Frankenstein. Studies in Romanticism 43 (2004): 79.

Shelley, M. Frankenstein, 2007.

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Bibliography

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Frankenstein

Mary shelley, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Family, Society, Isolation

In its preface, Frankenstein claims to be a novel that gives a flattering depiction of "domestic affection." That seems a strange claim in a novel full of murder, tragedy, and despair. But, in fact, all that tragedy, murder, and despair occur because of a lack of connection to either family or society. Put another way, the true evil in Frankenstein is not Victor or the monster , but isolation. When Victor becomes lost in his…

Ambition and Fallibility

Through Victor and Walton , Frankenstein portrays human beings as deeply ambitious, and yet also deeply flawed. Both Victor and Walton dream of transforming society and bringing glory to themselves through their scientific achievements. Yet their ambitions also make them fallible. Blinded by dreams of glory, they fail to consider the consequences of their actions. So while Victor turns himself into a god, a creator, by bringing his monster to life, this only highlights his…

Romanticism and Nature

Romantic writers portrayed nature as the greatest and most perfect force in the universe. They used words like "sublime" (as Mary Shelley herself does in describing Mont Blanc in Frankenstein ) to convey the unfathomable power and flawlessness of the natural world. In contrast, Victor describes people as "half made up." The implication is clear: human beings, weighed down by petty concerns and countless flaws such as vanity and prejudice, pale in comparison to nature's…

The monster begins its life with a warm, open heart. But after it is abandoned and mistreated first by Victor and then by the De Lacey family, the monster turns to revenge. The monster's actions are understandable: it has been hurt by the unfair rejection of a humanity that cannot see past its own prejudices, and in turn wants to hurt those who hurt it. As the monster says when Felix attacks it and flees…

Frankenstein explores one of mankind's most persistent and destructive flaws: prejudice. Nearly every human character in the novel assumes that the monster must be dangerous based on its outward appearance, when in truth the monster is (originally) warm and open-hearted. Again and again the monster finds himself assaulted and rejected by entire villages and families despite his attempts to convey his benevolent intentions. The violence and prejudice he encounters convinces him of the "barbarity of…

Lost Innocence

Frankenstein presents many examples of the corruption of youthful innocence. The most obvious case of lost innocence involves Victor . A young man on the cusp of adulthood, Victor leaves for university with high hopes and lofty ambitions. He aims to explore "unknown powers" and enlighten all of humanity to the deepest "mysteries of creation," but his success and his pride brings an end to his innocence. He creates a monster that reflects back to…

Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

Frankensteining my Thesis: Writing Without an Outline

In middle school, I remember being told that the best way to write an essay is with an outline. We would receive five-paragraph-essay worksheets, complete with a thesis statement, sub-arguments, and important supporting information. It was direct, simple, and structured.

In this post, I hope to advocate for a different sort of writing. Outlines are certainly helpful organizational tools. But as I delve into my thesis, I find myself taking a more free-form approach. As I have previously written , I am writing on the legacy of pioneer Brazilian art therapist Nise da Silveira. Based on two months of ethnographic research, my thesis is about how da Silveira’s image is evoked and utilized by people who continue similar work. I have lots of interesting ideas, but no single, unifying argument. While writing an outline might be useful down the road, right now it would impose a limiting structure on my thought process.

Instead, I have decided to do what my friend Lily calls “Frankensteining.” To her, writing an essay is like creating Frankenstein’s monster: you have to find all the parts before you can sew them together and create a body. Lily explains:

“I think you need to Frankenstein when you’re developing any kind of complex argument because you can’t know what you’re going to say until you start figuring it out and seeing how different insights fit together. It’s writing as a nonlinear process — you don’t brainstorm and then write. They happen at the same time.”

In essence, “Frankensteining” frees the essay writing process from rigid structure. In practical terms, this means that although I have about fifteen pages of writing done, I have not yet written a coherent chapter. Instead, by pursuing a variety of ideas, I have arrived in unexpected places. Particularly, one section, about memorialization through funerals, would not have arisen so easily had I felt a need to fit it into an overarching argument. Though the distinct parts may feel somewhat disparate, I see how the more I write, the more I will find an organic through line.

A drawback is that I will almost inevitably overwrite, perhaps composing well over 100 pages of semi-related work. This is not necessarily a bad thing. When I have all the body parts, then I can make cuts and stitch them together. The artistry is in the rewriting.

To clarify, I am not arguing against outlines. I use them all the time! But as you approach a big research project, I urge you to hold off, at least at the beginning. For me, letting go of an immediate need for structure has granted me the freedom to explore new ideas. My thesis is an adventure that continually surprises me. And that makes it all the more valuable.

— Dylan Blau Edelstein, Humanities Correspondent

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