Inside and Out- Themes in Frankenstein

January 27, 2017

Mary Shelley presents many themes in the book of Frankenstein. One of the most noticeable and relative to today's society is that as humans, it is natural for us to judge something or someone from the outside and not be able to look past what we see in order to really understand a person or situation.

The story starts off with Victor telling the reader background history on his family. Starting with Elizabeth, we can see how Mary Shelley emphasizes that Elizabeth was chosen to be adopted due to her beautiful eyes, fair skin, and blonde hair. Her beauty had attracted Mrs. Caroline’s attention enough for her to want to adopt her and Elizabeth didn’t even have to say a word.

The most prominent example of the outside vs. inside theme is shown when Mary Shelley explains how the monster is treated based on his outside appearance. The monster finds himself trying to find his way in society but is proposed with a conflict of his looks. From listening to the family in the cottage and reading books, he begins to understand what it takes to be socially accepted and how what you have, what you look like, and your heritage will all affect the social status of somebody.

The outside vs. inside theme is especially important to understand as high school students. We often find ourselves making assumptions about someone’s personality and values just by their appearance. When reading the chapter in Frankenstein when Felix tries to beat up the monster and Agatha runs away with Safie, I felt bad for the monster and disappointed in the family's reaction. Then I realized that myself and everyone around me does it all the time. So many conversations are passed up because we can’t look past what someone is wearing, how much money they have, their ethnicity, the rumors that were spread about them, or even the way they wear their hair. I find it very interesting that many centuries have passed yet we still judge each other on the some of the same things.