Free Essays,College Free Essays,Free College Essays at Anti Essays

The Parental Role

The way that people behave throughout their like can reflect their parents and how they were raised. “Without parents, we would not know how to grow up and raise our own kids. We would be helpless”. (Rebecca Prewett April 28, 2008). In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley shows the importance and effect that parents can have on their children. Shelley shows that Victors “perfect parents” do not create anywhere near a perfect son. With having such amazing parents, you would think that Victor would fulfill the role of parenthood but instead he abandons his creation at birth. Throughout the novel the monster survives without any knowledge of the world or any guidance at all.

“Many people believe in the myth of the perfect parents - the ideal mother and father who raise happy, well-adjusted problem-free children. In truth, there is no such person as a perfect parent - or a perfect child.”(Robin Collingwood April 28, 2008). Through the character of Victor Frankenstein, Mary Shelley creates the idea of a perfect family. But even that “perfect family” does not raise the perfect son. Victors father, Alphonse Frankenstein, is the moral leader of the Frankenstein family. Victor turns to him when he is in need. Alphonse comforts Victor when he is grief and makes him remember the meaning and importance of his family. “He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl, who committed herself to his care” (Shelley pg.18.). This quote is showing Alphonse Frankenstein as a hero for he is saving poor Caroline Beaufort from a terrible life. Many of the women in this novel are in need of being rescued by the men. The Frankensteins rescue Elizabeth Lavenza from a poor peasant cottage in Italy. They take in this orphan and care for her as if she was their own child. As Victor speaks of Elizabeth he says “Everyone loved Elizabeth. The passionate and almost reverential attachment with which all regarded her became, while I shared it, my...