Frankenstein Symbols

Frankenstein, a masterpiece written by Mary Shelley, is a novel about a beast. A combines novel of romantic and goth genres, Frankenstein is a story that has a lot of symbolism in it. The novel was written in 1818, turned into a movie, and had helped create the Universal Studio’s monster as we know him today.

The way the book, Frankenstein, was written creates a horror/nightmare image in the reader’s head as Shelley and a group of friends stayed in a castle during a horrific thunderstorm. Each of the members were challenged to write a ghost story.

Shelley had a dream which turned into one of the greatest horror based novels of all time. Shelly wrote down her dream and with a few tweaks beat the others in telling one of the greatest ghost stories ever. This experiment with the dead novel possesses a lot of symbols which we’ll discuss.

Fire, in the novel, is a symbol of protection as well as defense. We all know that fire can warm us up on cold days, but also burn us when we get too close to it. Fire, as a defense mechanism, is seen as a form of early day weapon.

The monster, Adam, can also be argued as the Biblical figure who was the first man on earth therefore it can be said that there are religious undertones within the novel. Adam, who was created by Doctor Frankenstein was seen as an alien, a monster who was misunderstood from the beginning.

The doctor in the novel, Frankenstein, is a known symbol of God since he was responsible for the creation of the monster. Although he used the limbs and other body parts of thieves, he had create something that eventually came alive.

The monster, Adam, due to being put together out of the limbs and other body parts of thieves and murders, can be a symbol of evil making him Satan. Evil and control are very prevalent in the novel, Frankenstein.

There is an innocence regarding the monster that makes the reader feel bad for him. He is simple yet very destructive. We regard him as being childlike, but he possesses the strength of man who eventually has to be destroyed.

There is a combination of beauty

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