Frankenstein is one of the most successful stories that Mary Shelley wrote, and it has remained to become a legend to her writing and literary works. While this story was published in 1816, the inception of its story line began way before this date, and its eventual writing was a manifestation of life espionages that Mary endured. In fact, this story was written as a lamentation to the life’s discourse that Mary had experienced, especially after people she so much loved faced the cruelty in the hands of gruesome death. Therefore, the life discourse that Mary had experienced significantly influenced her into writing Frankenstein. Besides, it is ideal to note that the Frankenstein chapters are organized according to the horror and tragedies that Shelley witnessed her loved ones experience as she watched (Gordon 23). The nature of influences that triggered Mary into writing this epic story, which would later become a legend in the Gothic romantic pieces; were emotive and real (Bloom 31). Therefore, this essay focuses on how Mary’s life influences her to write the Frankenstein.
The first and what is deemed as the most fundamental influence that made Mary write the Frankenstein refers to her apparent life experiences. The epic to these discourses relates to her nightmare she had on 16th, June, 1816. The opening part of the Frankenstein gives a count of how the Nightmare influenced her to write this masterpiece of her life (Bloom 34). First we shall examine why should would such a nightmare despite her tender age.
Indeed, the horrific nightmare was a turning point to Shelley, and it marked the beginning of this novel. But, what actually precipitated to this nightmare? The nightmare was influenced by the tragic ordeal that Marry had been subjected to while she was just a teenager. These tragedies, thus acted as inspiration to her in realizing a story that would later become an epic among the Gothic writers. The first documented tragedy that Mary met, and apparently shrugged with bitterness, but with oblivious innocence refers to her mother’s death days after she was born. This was a horror shadowed by the innocence of a child, but would later account greatly to her inspiration to write the Frankenstein, which was entirely anchored on horror (Reed, Frazer, and Mary 45). Even though, she did not have the privilege to see her mother, her presence and the ensuing revelations to her mother’s death was a living imagination of losing a parent; more so, having not chance to share and talk to a mother that everyone regards a lot. This imagination influenced her nightmare, and thus the inspiration to go forth and express her life ordeals in writing of the Frankenstein.
Yet another tragic incidence that signified the writing of the Frankenstein by Shelley relates to her own tragedy. After 1812, Mary met another poet Percy Shelley, who was a frequent visitor to her father’s home. She fled with Percy to France in 1914, and later gave birth to a child who never actualizes the light of the day. This was another horror and tragedy as Mary lost her only baby in 12 days after birth. After 1816, Harriet, who was the wife to Percy drowned herself. These are some tragic experiences that transpired into the life of Mary, and as a result influenced her to write this novel. With the death of her baby, drowning of Harriet, Shelley was lift with volumes of tragic imaginations that would later translate to writing in her novel (Gordon 26). Thus, the onslaught to her motivation in writing this novel had to do with the nightmares she had after witnessing tragic ordeals in her life. These tragedies inspired her to narrate and inform the world about her life that began on a sad note, and was culminated by sadness one after another. In as much as death is viewed as a rite of passage, tragic deaths happening so often could be attributed to bad luck. In the beginning of this novel, Shelley writers that “I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and” (Shelly 67) “He opens his eyes; behold the horrid thing stands at his bedside, opening his curtains, and looking on him with yellow, watery, but speculative eyes. I opened mine in terror,” (Shelly 67). This quote is a reminiscence of Shelley’s dream to what was actually taking place in her life. Therefore, these experiences of tragic moments exposed Mary to a life of self-consolation as she had no one to turn to, but to unleash her sadness by writing an epic novel, whose legendry hue mesmerized the world, and it is still celebrated in almost equal recognition.
Mary’s idea to write the novel Frankenstein was influenced by her religious life where she believed that disobedience to God’s laws invokes punishment. This belief is equally manifested from John Milton’s Paradise Lost, which holds to religious principles in the society. Shelley’s interaction with the Milton’s novels could have influenced her to write her masterpiece. Milton’s epic poem alludes to the work of creation, and as such Shelley eludes a lot of content to her work.
In Milton’s life, Shelley came to believe that disobedience to God is the genesis of tribulation, or what she refers to as the fall of man. Thus, this deeply entrenched religious belief propelled Shelley in believing that God’s laws are paramount to humanity, and no man can claim to have powers over creation, and can confront God in His works. With regards to Frankenstein, Shelley insinuates disobedience to God through Dr. Frankenstein, who believes that he can emulate God’s creation and make life. This does not end well with him, and instead experience God’s wrath. The downward spiral exhibited by Dr. Frankenstein was due to his apparent competition against God. Therefore, the inspiration that Mary obtained from the religious works of other epic writers influenced her life to religious accord, and thus the implication to write her novel on a religious note (Bloom 38). Moreover, Mary could have attributed her tribulation to disobedience to God’s laws. For example, when she fled from her father’s home in London to accompany the Percy’s family, only led to the loss of baby. This could perhaps been due to her action of eloping with the Percy’s family without the consent of her father. It is this religious acrimony in Mary’s life that she conceived the idea to write the Frankenstein.
Shelley’s influence to write the novel Frankenstein was attributed to her closer interaction with Percy Bysshe Shelley who later becomes her husband. Mr. Shelley was a well-celebrated gothic romantic writer, whose works inspired upcoming writers. In fact, some of Mr Shelley’s works were documented as legendry works. The inspiration of writing first downed on Shelley, even before her marriage to Mr. Percy. For example, Mary interacted with Percy several while they were in London, and this became an inspiration to the young girl, whose ambition was firmly focused on writing. This inspiration was magnified when Mary got married to Percy (Gordon 29).
One of the most influences that the two shared as couples was about living a positive life and generating meaningful impacts in the society. Besides, Percy had wished that her wife would one day become an icon in writing, and would be counted as the few female gothic romantic writers of the age. Therefore, this positive interaction with poets like Percy steered Percy to become a writer, and specifically write the Frankenstein. One of the direct quotes that signifies the existence of positive interaction between Mary and her husband relates to her enhancing comments that her husband played a role to her manifestation as writer, “ “My husband, however, was from the first very anxious that I should prove myself worthy of my parentage and enroll myself on the page of fame. He was forever inciting me to obtain literary reputation” (Shelly 7). This statement signifies the validity of the statement that Mary’s life into writing Frankenstein was influenced by her marriage, which became a source of inspiration to her writing course.
Thus, Mary’s interaction with scientific experiments and authors championed her course to write the Frankenstein. For example, considering this quote “I collected bones from charnel-houses and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame” (Shelly 82), it is evident that Mary relied on some scientific test in order to prove certain philosophical and social courses. This to an extent influenced her to write the novel Frankenstein that had incidences of science and theology. This novel has some juxtaposed facts and experimentation about bringing a person back to life, which according to the author was a contest against God.
In conclusion, the Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley after a series of life influences had triggered her. One influence is the nightmare that unfolded all tragedies that she experienced while she was young. These provoked her thoughts to speak to the world about what she felt, and how she would later perceive these experiences. Other life influence include; her interaction with poets like Percy, who later became her husband, association with gothic poetic works like John Milton’s paradise lost, among other works (Reed, Frazer, and Mary 45). Finally, Mary’s interaction with scientists and experimentation triggered her to write this novel as she needed a scientific justification to the failure of man, or man’s inability to create life.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. New York: Chelsea, 2013. Print. http://www.worldcat.org/title/mary-shelleys-frankenstein/oclc/882543278
Gordon, Charlotte. Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley. , 2015. Print. http://www.worldcat.org/title/romantic-outlaws-the-extraordinary-lives-of-mary-wollstonecraft-and-her-daughter-mary-shelley/oclc/907537696
Reed, Gary, Frazer Irving, and Mary W. Shelley. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: The Graphic Novel. New York: Puffin Books, 2005. Print. http://www.worldcat.org/title/mary-shelleys-frankenstein-the-graphic-novel/oclc/60496172
Shelley, Mary. Classics Illustrated: Frankenstein & Notes. New York: Acclaim Books, 1997. Print. http://www.worldcat.org/title/classics-illustrated-frankenstein-notes/oclc/244158469
