Theme Of Creationism In Frankenstein

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorHigh School, 11th grade April 2001

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Mary Shelley's theme on Creationism The idea of creationism is one of the underlying themes behind the novel Frankenstein. It is apparent from the beginning of the novel, where Victor actually creates the monster, all the way through the end of the novel where Victor is to create a companion for the monster. When the monster is first created, Mary Shelley presents the reader with a very negative picture. "It was on a dreary night in November"¦" is how she starts the chapter in which the monster was actually created. Throughout the creation chapter, she goes on to present the reader with a similar type of imagery, that is, an extremely gothic tale in which a mad scientist is creating a creature for his own good. As history may reveal, nothing good will ever come out of a dark and dreary night in November, and history certainly repeats itself yet again in Frankenstein.

Prior to the creation of the monster, Victor looks at his lifeless parts that are stringed together in the form of a body and marvels at his own work, saying how beautiful it is. Immediately after Victor puts the spark of life into the monster, his point of view changes drastically. He is petrified at what he has created, and how horrible of a being that it is. "I had desired it [infusing life into an inanimate body] with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." He was so terrified in fact, that for most of the rest of the novel he is running from the monster itself.

After the monster learns the ways of life, he comes back to Victor demanding that a companion be created...