There is no doubt that Mary Shelly’s novel is nothing short of confusing. Multiple narrators, the presence of various texts, and colorful language to name a few complications any reader will inevitably face. All that aside, the problem of this novel, it seems to me, is that Mary Shelly is trying to emphasize the power of dedication. Through further analysis I believe thus far that Frankenstein not only emphasizes dedication, but also highlights the cost of dedication such as obsession and a sense of abandonment.
A keyword that continually appeared in my notes throughout the first volume was obsession. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein begins with a series of letters written by Robert Walton. Initially, I was very confused why she would begin a novel with an unknown character writing to his sister, but throughout these letters we begin to lay the groundwork of Walton’s dedication in his life.
I got my first glimpse of obsession in letter 1. Walton is seeking to break boundaries through his exploration of the sea. His father, who is briefly mentioned here, had warned him not pursue a career as a seaman, but Walton spends years preparing for his voyage neglecting his father’s advice. Prior to his aspiration of becoming a seaman, Robert was a failed writer. The drive he experiences, of wanting to break boundaries, is characterized through an obsession of expanding his knowledge. The sadness that overcomes him, I believe is a deep rooted issue he harbours from his failed writing career. He further explains, “My education was neglected, yet I was passionately fond of reading. These volumes were my study day and night…” This quotation is further emphasizing Mary Shelly’s argument for dedication. A neglected education allowed for the ambition for Walton to expand his knowledge. A dedication of studying volumes was instilled in him from an early age and stayed with him throughout his life.
Walton also experienced an obsession for finding companionship. In letter 2 Walton goes into depth about his search for companionship and proclaims to his sister, “But I have one want which I have never yet been able to satisfy; and the absence of the object of which I now feel as a most severe evil. I have no friend.” The use of the words “I have one want” emphasizes the obsession Walton is feeling, but I also believe that the use of the word absence plays upon an idea that obsession leads to isolation, which we saw in Birkett’s “The Gutenberg Elegies”. Walton, embarking on his sea voyage, is isolating himself for months. This isolation leads him to find the companion he has been longing for, Victor. Though I have read the entire first volume of Frankenstein I chose to focus on the first initial letters of the novel. I believe a foundation for the entire novel is built off of many of themes proposed in these letters, and Mary Shelly exemplifies dedication through these letters. I am curious to find out how the introduction of the third narrator, Victor Frankenstein, will complicate or coincide with the characteristic of obsession that seems to be harbored in all the characters thus far.
Literature and Composition 