This was composed in 2015.
Frankenstein as a narrative of irresponsible fathers.
-Venus Anand
Frankenstein is an epistolary form of Gothic novel published in 1818 by English author Mary Shelley. The novel revolves around the genres of galvanism & Romanticism and is considered the earliest example of science fiction. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is Shelley’s best work that also saw many on screen adaptations as well as stage drama. [I intend to show that] Frankenstein is a narrative of irresponsible fathers. For this, I will consider three characters of the novel with a little infusion of Shelley’s father as well. They are (in sequence) Henry’s father, Alphonse, and Victor. A detailed conclusion on all the three fathers will be provided in the end.
Fatherhood is an important role that a person has to play in his and in his child’s life. Oxford dictionary describes Fatherhood as ‘the responsibility of being a father’. This responsibility deals with responsibilities of guiding, teaching, nurturing, supporting, and protecting. Disregarding this paradigm often leads to failure in life. Fatherhood failure is what exactly the novel depicts.
First, Henry Clerval is a creative young man and a close friend to Victor. He is the son of a merchant of Geneva. His father has not permitted him to attend the college when Victor leaves for the university. His father is a narrow-minded trader who saw idleness and ruin in the aspirations and ambitions of his son. He felt that his son should be interested in trade and commerce, but imaginative Henry had a firm resolve not to be chained to the miserable details of commerce. Henry deeply felt the misfortune of being debarred from a liberal education. Mary Shelley was also neglected from education after her father’s second marriage. Her father deviated from giving attention to the importance of studies in her life.
Second, Alphonse is the father of the central character of the novel Victor Frankenstein. He is a loving and compassionate man who fits into the role of a typical fatherly figure and goes out of the way to solve all the doubts that his son may encounter. For example – when Victor questions about electricity, he provides a detailed explanation. From an early age, Alphonse regularly taught his son to treat women as his own property as they were weak and vulnerable. He was concern of his son’s education and wrote letters to him when he went to Ingolstadt University. In his letters, he expects Victor to excel in his academics and duties towards his family. But Alphonse also acted as an irresponsible being when he didn’t realise the guilt and despair that has clouded his son after the death of Clerval, William, and Justin as Victor holds himself responsible.
Third, Victor Frankenstein can also be seen as a father figure in the novel as he is the creator of the Monster. His mind is preoccupied with the notion of creating a human out of inanimate things with the help of electricity. For this he goes all the way defying logical thinking and is able to give successful note to his ultimate project. He uses science to create a creature, a monster. The creature turns out to be hideous. Yellow eyes and skin, black clips studded in hair, 8ft. tall as his natural description. As soon as he creates the monster he abandons it instead of protecting it during the infancy. He leaves it in such a hurry that the creature is not been given a name. For example - all throughout the novel the creature has been referred to as ‘monster’, ‘creature’, ‘demon’, ‘vile insect’, ‘fiend’, ‘wretched devil’ and ‘it’. This shows Victor’s rejection and causes the monster a lack of identity. Victor plays a role of anti-parent due to which the creature turns into a monster. For monster, it only seeks his creator’s love. The monster also forms a one-sided bondage with a cottage family, but faces the same reaction from them as from the creator. Victor’s rejection forms the monster’s murderous personality and gives birth to an evil character. Victor, who could have mended all the happiness by accepting him, dejected as his horrible invention. Ultimately Victor faces consequences – the death of his loved ones.
The severe consequence that one may suffer, if he leads an irresponsible fatherhood, is the fruit of his own actions. Henry wanted to excel just like Victor was excelling in the field of chemistry, but only to his father’s unsupportive role he couldn’t. His father acted like an anti-parent. As for Alphonse, he should be chided for his last act but apart from that he did all the function that a normal father could do for his son. It is just that his responsibilities increased as he had to look after more children. Therefore, in his defence, he has to divide the available time to his family. It cannot be easily conveyed that Alphonse was ignorant and irresponsible. For Victor Frankenstein, out of all the characters I have used in my answer, he is clearly the worst. He was ignorant, selfish, and reckless. He handled everything in an inappropriate way as he chose to ignore his so-called child. This child later went on to be a monster who killed Victor’s bride and peers. Victor’s creation backfired in the end.
Shelley can also be seen using the relationship between Victor and Monster as a portrayal of her own relationship with her father. The abandonment of the monster by his creator (father) serves as a metaphor for the life of Shelley herself. Just as the father abandoned his creation, Shelley’s own father abandoned her from his life after his second marriage.
“Everywhere I see bliss, which I alone am irrevocably excluded” – this expression draws directly on Shelley’s experience of emotional deprivation. If the creature is anxious to develop a bond of affection with the cottage family, then it shows Shelley’s own emotional isolation in the Godwin household. Thus with the help of three male characters the author is critiquing patriarchal society and showing the readers what exactly a father is in a family.
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