The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is about a "madman", who creates a monster

that later comes back to haunt and torture the madman for neglecting and rejecting him. There

are many themes introduced in this novel; isolation, loneliness, personal appearance, danger of

knowledge, and education, just to name a few. These themes are utilized within the characters of

the novel. Walton, Victor, and the monster have these similarities of isolation, self-education, and

obsession.

Walton is influenced by isolation, self-education, and obsession, just like Victor and the

monster. Walton feels isolated because he has no friends. He, being the captain and leader, must

order his less knowledgeable crew around, thus making it hard to become friends. In writing of a

letter to his sister he said, "I have no friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of

success, there will be none to participate in my joy..." (pg. 17). Because Walton had so much

time alone, he turned to self-education to keep occupied. As a child, he didn't receive a formal

education, but he took that task on his own. In his own words, "My education was neglected, yet

I was passionately fond of reading." (pg. 14). He also wrote, "I am self-educated: for the first

fourteen years of my life I... read nothing but our uncle Thomas's books of voyages." (pg. 17).

Walton also shows an obsession for the ocean. That was how he became captain of the ship,

because he was most interested in the project. "I have often attributed my attachment to my

passionate enthusiasm for, the dangerous mysteries of ocean..." (pg. 19). Those "dangerous

mysteries of ocean" were known as his obsession, his addiction to the seas.

Victor is influenced by isolation, self-education, and obsession as well. His isolation began

during his creation of the monster. Victor pulled himself out of society, working day and night,

hardly getting any sleep. He didn't want anybody to know what he was up to, in fear that word

would get out. Victor continues to feel isolated throughout the rest of the novel. He tended to

avoid his family, only speaking to them through letters every once in a while. Victor said, "My

father made no reproach in his letters, and only took notice of my silence by inquiring into my

occupations more particularly than before." (pg. 54). Also, when chasing his torturous creature

through the bitter cold, Victor lived all alone, fending for himself. But before his bitter isolation

from society, Victor had self-educated himself on how to create his monster. He spent a lot of

time studying, and he needed to, for such an intense and groundbreaking project. Victor shows

evidence of his will to learn by saying, "There only remained a resolution to return to my ancient

studies and to devote myself to a science for which I believed myself to possess a natural talent."

(pg. 47). He also mentioned, "My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become

emaciated with confinement." (pg. 53). However, Victor showed his obsessions most of all. He

was initially obsessed at the creation of the monster. For spending all day and night on his toils,

he seemed to think of nothing else. He neglected his family and his friends. Throughout the last

third of the novel, Victor became obsessed because the monster was out to torture him. Victor

was obsessed with the fact that he was responsible for all of the deaths, by creating the monster.

The monster, along with Walton and Victor, feels the same themes of isolation, self-

education, and obsession, but on a grander scheme. The monster feels the largest amount of

isolation. First of all, he was born into neglect. His creator was repulsed at the site of the

monster, and so was everybody else. It was impossible for the fiend to make any friends, and he

had no one to talk to. He felt this isolation in a large way. The novel revolves around this point.

"But where were my friends and relations? No father had watched my infant days, no mother had

blessed me with smiles and caresses, or if they had, all my past life was now a blot, a blind

vacancy in which I distinguished nothing." (pg. 17). Being born into the world with no teacher,

the monster had to learn everything on his own. He started from the basics of fire, nature, then to

life, and how others live it. He observed everything, making a mental note, trying to figure out

life. "A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard, and smelt at the same

time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my

various senses." (pg. 99). He eventually became self-educated to read, and understand the native

language. "...I discovered the names that were given to some of the most familiar objects of

discourse; I learned and applied the words, "fire", "milk", "bread", and "wood". (pg. 109). But

not only does the monster become self-educated, he also becomes obsessed with the torture of

Victor. He kills those that are closest to Victor, the ones who mean everything to him. For

example, the monster kills Elizabeth on Victor's wedding night. He is obsessed with leading

Victor through great misery throughout the last volume of the novel. Leading Victor on the

chase through the bitter cold, making him suffer, that's what the monster was obsessed with.

The themes of isolation, self-education, and obsession are truly apparent within the

characters of Walton, Victor, and the monster. So similar are these individuals, yet they lead

separate lives and stories. These themes, however, are still apparent today. People should ask

themselves, "Am I similar to Walton, Victor, and the monster? Do I share these realities of

isolation, self-education, and/or obsession?"

by RG