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Alien on Earth - Frankenstein
In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, although the Creature yearns to be human while gaining knowledge about the world around him, he comes to feel increasingly alienated from society. The Creature is treated as an outsider from the moment he is given life, and his newfound understanding of humans solidifies his sentiment of self-resentment. After fleeing from unwelcoming villages, the Creature wanders through Germany, and eventually settles down in a cottage hovel, unseen by its residents. One of these residents is a visitor, who is taught history and language by her friends in the cottage. Through listening in to their conversations, the Creature is able to more formally learn about the world and human values. However, this causes him to become more self aware of how different he is from humans, and he says, “I was, besides, endowed with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man… was I then a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled, and whom all men disowned?” (87). The Creature wishes to be more like the humans he watches from the hovel, lamenting about the drastic physical contrast between them and himself. This longing feeling increases his sense of isolation from society and causes him to believe that he does not belong among the people on the earth. The Creature describes himself as ‘loathsome’, revealing his deeply rooted self-hatred. His resentment for himself builds a psychological wall that heavily contributes to his feelings of alienation. The phrasing of his doubts as a question demonstrates his uncertainty as he navigates through his feelings of seclusion. The Creature continues to learn more about human values through listening from his hovel: “I heard…of brother, sister, and all the various relationships which bind one human being to another in mutual bonds. But where were my friends and relations?” (88). The Creature’s understanding of human connections causes him to feel emotionally divided from society. As he observes the bonds between like beings, he is reminded of how alone he is, with no one to share experiences with. The ‘mutual bonds’ that he lacks, but desperately yearns for, further emphasizes his sense of isolation. The Creature then questions about the relations that he lacks, proving his understanding of the harsh differences between himself and human beings. As the Creature gains awareness of the world around him and the humans that live in it, he feels increasingly like an outsider.
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This piece deals with the theme of isolation in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.