In Mary W. Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, she explores the dangers of being prejudice in ways that society can learn from even today. Perhaps the theme of beauty put forth in this novel has been an issue far longer than humanity realizes. Through the analysis of multiple scenes from the text and characterization of Elizabeth and the creature, the main theme of Shelley’s novel is society holding deep prejudices against those of “lesser beauty” and how easily members of society are lead to accept these prejudices.
One example of this theme affirms itself when examining the character of Elizabeth. One scene in particular when she is only a child stands out as a clear confirmation of appearance being a major theme in the novel. During this scene, …show more content…
Victor was heartbroken due to gathering and putting together parts from lifeless bodies that he considered beautiful to have the outcome be something he deemed so grotesque and horrific that he could not bear to look at it. While Victor’s actions are easily used to show the theme of prejudice against people who are not thought of as beautiful, the creature himself can be used as a deeper example of this theme by proving that even he succumbed to society’s bias against those considered having a “lesser appearance”. Before venturing off into the unknown world ahead of him, the creature was unaware of the prejudices society held against him and others due to their physical features. Besides the creature’s very first moment of life being his creator running away in fear of his appearance, the creature was unfortunately also greeted with a similar response during his second interaction with humans. While discovering the new world around him, the creature came across a village where, after entering it, he explains, “...but I had hardly placed my foot within the door before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted. The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country…” (90). These interactions gave the creature a clear idea about how focused …show more content…
The average person’s day is littered with advertisements for clothes, makeup, and ways to get a “better body”, with most of these advertisements showcasing beautiful models whose figures and appearances are far out of reach. Some stores even advertise models who have been altered with photoshop to fit with the high standards society holds due to the way the model originally looked not being good enough. Just as the creature was tortured with low self-esteem after people ran away in fear of his appearance, people today are plagued with advertisements telling them they aren’t beautiful enough unless they buy products to make them beautiful. This also sets a standard of what beauty should be considered in society which so many fall fall victim to believing, just as the creature did after the standards of beauty in society were forced upon
One example of this theme affirms itself when examining the character of Elizabeth. One scene in particular when she is only a child stands out as a clear confirmation of appearance being a major theme in the novel. During this scene, …show more content…
Victor was heartbroken due to gathering and putting together parts from lifeless bodies that he considered beautiful to have the outcome be something he deemed so grotesque and horrific that he could not bear to look at it. While Victor’s actions are easily used to show the theme of prejudice against people who are not thought of as beautiful, the creature himself can be used as a deeper example of this theme by proving that even he succumbed to society’s bias against those considered having a “lesser appearance”. Before venturing off into the unknown world ahead of him, the creature was unaware of the prejudices society held against him and others due to their physical features. Besides the creature’s very first moment of life being his creator running away in fear of his appearance, the creature was unfortunately also greeted with a similar response during his second interaction with humans. While discovering the new world around him, the creature came across a village where, after entering it, he explains, “...but I had hardly placed my foot within the door before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted. The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country…” (90). These interactions gave the creature a clear idea about how focused …show more content…
The average person’s day is littered with advertisements for clothes, makeup, and ways to get a “better body”, with most of these advertisements showcasing beautiful models whose figures and appearances are far out of reach. Some stores even advertise models who have been altered with photoshop to fit with the high standards society holds due to the way the model originally looked not being good enough. Just as the creature was tortured with low self-esteem after people ran away in fear of his appearance, people today are plagued with advertisements telling them they aren’t beautiful enough unless they buy products to make them beautiful. This also sets a standard of what beauty should be considered in society which so many fall fall victim to believing, just as the creature did after the standards of beauty in society were forced upon