MONSTROUS ACTS AND PARENTAL ABSENCE IN MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN

Abstract

In this paper we will deal with the concept of the monstrous acts and the importance of parental responsibility in the novel Frankenstein. It is highlighted that it is easier to understand the reasons behind some “crimes” when the family relationships are analysed thoroughly. In the novel Frankenstein, there are some certain types of family relationships and under the shadow of these relationships, the relationship between father-like scientist and his creation is held successfully. By analysing some monstrous acts in the light on the flaws of parent-child relationship, we endeavour at demonstrating that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is not a simple retelling of a monster fabricated by a disturbed mind. This way, the novel represents a cross between the influence of parents’ role in a child’s life and the degradation of Enlightenment ideas according to which only science and logic can reveal human “truths”, whereas Romanticism worked as a medium to veil or hinder personal fulfilment. Finally, this paper helps us see the real “monster” in our lives and parental responsibilities nowadays socially and historically, where Enlightenment ideologies and concerns such as intellectualism or humanism are still a groove of heightened debate.