Popular Interpretations of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Shelley's Frankenstein can be seen as a metaphor for:

Patriarchy: Shelley is saying that the way in which people become "monsters" is closely tied to the role of men in families. She portrays Frankenstein as the typical male, and shows how he abandons his "child," which causes him to become a monster. Some passages in which the analogy is made include:

-The moment during the monster's creation where Frankenstein, commenting on his new, soon-to-be-created monster says "how much more then, will this new race owe me than any child owes its father."

-At the creature's awakening, it shows many infantile traits, including yellow skin (jaundice), lack of speech, awkward movements, etc.

-The creature must learn form the old man and his family in the woodland cottage, just as a child learns. He learns to read, write, and speak by observing their lives. This is also where he learns about families.

-When the creature meets up with Frankenstein in the woods, he tells him that he has learned that Frankenstein was his creator, and blames him for his misery. This is the first time that the monster refers to Frankenstein as "Father."

Enlightenment: In this interpretation, Frankenstein himself represents the enlightenment. Shelley is trying to say that the spirit of scientific "progress" and the "education" of colonized peoples is overstepping the bounds of science. Frankenstein's irresponsible use of his scientific knowledge is representative of the dynamic she sees in a rapidly modernizing Europe.

-Frankenstein accomplishes a nightmarish task in the name of science.

-He thinks that just because he has certain knowledge (the knowledge to create life), he must apply it without considering the consequences. This is like the colonists believing that their knowledge is better than that of the people they conquer.

-Frankenstein then refuses to create a companion for the monster, because he thinks that he knows what is best. Compare this to the colonial powers having no mercy for the traditions and believes of indigenous people.