Frankenstein Bibliotherapy Essay

405 Words2 Pages
Frankenstein Bibliotherapy While hiding near the De Lacey's cabin, the monster read four books: Paradise Lost by John Milton, Plutarch's Lives, The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and the journal of his maker, Victor Frankenstein. These books had a profound impact on the monster's personality, and negatively shaped his life. It is possible that with different literary material, the monster would have avoided the path of evil and instead pursued good. Paradise Lost is the epic poem written by John Milton, which tells the tale of Satan as well as Adam and Eve. Because the poem places a large emphasis on Satan and the fall of man, it could give a sense of rebellion to an uneducated reader, which it certainly did with the monster. However, if Paradise Lost was replaced with the Bible, this influence would be reversed with many positive influences, including “Thou shalt not kill,” and “Love thy neighbor as yourself.” Plutarch’s Lives is a collections of historic retellings of the lives of famous Greek and Roman figures. While there are many positive stories, there are also many negative influences. Many tales of betrayal create negative precedents that the monster followed. However, if a different selection of Lives were chosen, then the monster could have learned of valor and honor. I would not have replaced Lives, but I would have provided a different selection. Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther was the story of a man selling his soul to the devil and the many negative effects it had on his life. The story eventually ends happily, but this story would have a negative impact on a naïve, inexperienced reader such as the monster. I would have replaced this with either The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, because they are easy, entertaining reads and they teach the importance of
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