Maggie King
English
Frankenstein
Frankenstein Through Paradise Lost
“ …and some times I allowed my thoughts, unchecked by reason, to ramble in the fields of Paradise, and dared to fancy amiable and lovely creatures sympathizing with my feelings, and cheering my gloom; their angelic countenances breathed smiles of consolation. But it was all a dream; no Eve soothed my sorrows, nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam’s supplication to his Creator. But where was mine? He had abandoned me; and in the bitterness of my heart, I cursed him.” pg 118
Many readers of Frankenstein have preconceived notions of a classic horror story, however, through the weaving of intertextual writing, we find that to be false. Far more than the abnormal creature that Victor creates, the story’s about man’s downfall and the longing for companionship. It also sheds light on the moral decisions all humans must grapple with every day. The loneliness that Frankenstein feels shows through in an excerpt from Paradise Lost in reference to Adam’s supplication.
Paradise Lost is a poem written by John Milton and through the telling of Adam and Eve, explains God’s intentions. The two were tempted by a serpent to eat fruit from the Forbidden Tree thus, disobeying God’s order and committing man’s first sin. After defying God,their creator, Adam and Eve felt ashamed by their nakedness. Ashamed is also what Frankenstein feels. Adam had begged forgiveness from God and now Frankenstein believes God has left him.
Where was this forgiving and sympathetic Almighty he had heard so much about? Frankenstein, upset by his own misfortunes felt alone.
Mary Shelly wisely embedded passages into the story that had shown the true emotions of an outcast who desires acceptance and companionship. “But it was all a dream; no Eve soothed my sorrows, nor shared my thoughts.” He wanted Victor to create another for him, someone to engage in conversation with, someone to ease the pain that he so truly felt, and most importantly someone like him. Isolated, he yearned for what all humans yearn for and thats to feel wanted and not alone. He looked toward God for the answer, but there was no response. “He abandoned me; and in the bitterness of my heart, I cursed him.”
Adam and Eve, creations of God, became embarrassed of what they were. Standing unclothed, their nakedness brought them guilt. Frankenstein, aware of his irregular physical features detected the same. Even someone ostracized as monster, had the capacity to feel emotion and experience the human condition. “But where was mine?”, he asked himself. Where was his God? He questioned God just as Adam and Eve did.
Parallels between Milton’s Paradise Lost and Shelley’s Frankenstein allow this novel of man to be told. Glamorized by Hollywood to be a tale of a frightening monster, this story in reality is of man’s grappling with life’s inquiries and desires for acceptance in diversity. This is made apparent to the reader through the intertextual writings that Mary Shelley integrates into the story of Frankenstein.
Bibliography:
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. MacMillan Press Ltd. Boston, New York, 2000.
