Frankenstein
Prompt #22 · Frankenstein
Prompt Type: Symbol/Motif
Throughout the novel, Shelley depicts various forms of family structures—biological families, the De Lacey household, and the absent relationship between Victor and his creation. Analyze how Shelley uses this motif of family and belonging to explore the human need for connection and the consequences of its denial. Explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Quote 1
Chapter 17
Argument
This quote represents the Creature's side of the family/belonging contrast, demonstrating how the denial of familial connection transforms him into a vengeful being. The alliterative pairing 'malicious because I am miserable' causally links his exclusion from human family structures to his destructive behavior, illustrating the consequences Shelley explores.
Quote 2
“Nothing could exceed the love and respect which the younger cottagers exhibited towards their venerable companion. They performed towards him every little office of affection and duty with gentleness, and he rewarded them by his benevolent smiles.”
Chapter 12
Argument
This quote depicts the De Lacey family structure as an idealized model of familial affection and duty, establishing the standard of belonging that the Creature observes but can never access. The family motif here shows what connection looks like when fulfilled, creating the contrast with the Creature's isolation.
Quote 3
“From the tortures of my own heart, I turned to contemplate the deep and voiceless grief of my Elizabeth. This also was my doing! And my father's woe, and the desolation of that late so smiling home all was the work of my thrice-accursed hands!”
Chapter 8
Argument
This quote represents Victor's biological family side of the contrast, showing how his abandonment of familial responsibility destroys the very family structure that should provide connection. The anaphoric repetition and metaphor of 'my thrice-accursed hands' emphasizes how Victor's denial of his parental role to the Creature cascades into the destruction of his own family bonds.
Quote 4
“Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.”
Chapter 10
Argument
This quote directly invokes the family motif through the biblical Adam reference, showing the Creature's yearning for the parental bond Victor denies him. The metaphor positions Victor as God/father and the Creature as the abandoned child, making explicit the absent family relationship central to Shelley's exploration of belonging's denial.
Quote 5
“The fallen angel becomes a malignant devil. Yet even that enemy of God and man had friends and associates in his desolation; I am alone.”
Letters, Walton, _in continuation._
Argument
This quote deepens the family/belonging motif by contrasting even Satan's companionship with the Creature's absolute solitude. The juxtaposition emphasizes that the Creature lacks not just biological family but any form of connection, representing the ultimate consequence of denied belonging that Shelley explores throughout the novel.