Exploration of Influences and Themes in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Plot summary

The plot of the novel is very simple but also very deep because Mary Shelley wrote this novel because she was marked by her mother's death.
Frankenstein, a Swiss scientist, manages to create a human being by joining parts selected from corps. The result is not good. The monster becomes a murderer and in the end destroys his creator.

Victor's creation, in reality, doesn't have a name. It's often called a "monster", a "creature" or something degrading. The creature is the result of an experiment, but it doesn't emerge from nothing in a laboratory. It's the product of a plan, of Victor's writings, which provide instructions on how to combine animal parts and, in general, very large corpses, so that it's easier to sew the various parts together.

Through this creative act, Victor manages to manipulate the body and reanimate it, even though it originally lacked life. He penetrates the mysteries of life and nature, comparing himself to God. He wants more from life, he desires to fulfill his desire for glory, and like a mother, but without her, he gives life to a being.

In fact, in the first part, Frankenstein thinks about life, ponders how to reproduce it, and how to return to life from the dead, although it's unclear whether reanimation occurs from nothing (from no life to life) or whether it reverses the condition of death. The precise moment in which life is infused into the body is described in an imprecise, haphazard, and uncertain manner (otherwise, it would expose the greatest discovery of all, one that had not yet been mastered in Shelley's time). It only states what happened, the effect of Victor's actions, namely, the fact that the creature is alive, without emphasizing how this was possible. This relationship between death and life reflects the scientific discoveries of the time and Mary's personal interest.

The influence of the science, past literature and philosophy

As we said, Mary Shelley’s novel represents the author's time in the field of scientific discovery.
As a matter of fact, she dedicated this novel to Goodwin and she took into consideration the her husband’s thoughts and knowledge. It is known that both of them were interested in science, particularity in chemistry.

In the novel social justice, education and literature are included.
For example, the philosopher Locke can be seen in the description of the monster's self-awareness and his education by experience.
Another important influence was the work of the romantic poets in general: the most meaningful element derived from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Rime of the ancient mariner.
The myth of Prometheus is also important: he in the Greek mythology was a giant who stole the fire from god in order to give it to men.

Main themes

The main themes that could be found in the novel are different: the quest for forbidden knowledge, the penetration of nature's secrets, the double because doctor Frankenstein and the monster are two aspect of the same being, social prejudice, education and experience.

In general, Frankenstein addresses many themes and incorporates many elements of Mary Shelley’s time so it makes the novel an valid illustration of the reality of the 19th century.
It analyzes the risk of creating new species and a different intelligence, motherhood, giving life without a woman, challenging the laws of nature, the representation of the body, and the body itself.

On the other hand, the writer explores philosophical and gender issues (the colonization of the feminine and the usurpation of the female role by men are constantly discusses) and it marks the literary work as modern, if not contemporary, at least if themes such as IA, androids, robots, humanoids are considered and compared to gothic novels like Mary’s one.