Explored by Mary Shelly’s Novel Frankenstein Essay

The morals and views explored by Shelly display those of modern days in so much as how they are portrayed, and societies reaction towards these issues. In Shelly’s novel ‘Frankenstein’, people’s reactions are very similar to those of modern society. The attributes that people have to be susceptible to in society to try to avoid being an outcast are alike those of modern day society. People are still narrow-minded and nai ve to anything that is unusual or stands out of context with society. The novel is not set in a specific era of time; this is done deliberately to create a sense of mystery. Also I believe that this displays the belief of Shellys, that the opinions that were existent to anything different in Shelly’s time would be existent for years to come as these are traits of society itself they are not exclusive to a period of time or a gender, just society as a whole. The Novel starts with letters from Sir Walton, to his sister; this gives us an insight into the emotions and ambitions of Walton. This automatically will embrace any reader to continue throughout the book, the natural curiosity of human nature will make the audience want to discover more about the subject (In this case Sir Walton). This opening has the same effect on a reader as a personal diary would. Once the reader has read the letters they feel they have a bond and an understanding of the character, this is an effective weapon used by Shelly because when the story begins the reader can comprehend the feelings of Walton and will want him to succeed but will also realise the sufferings of the crew, â€Å"This breeze, which has travelled from the region towards which I am advancing, gives me a foretaste of those icy climbs. † Letter 1 Pg15 This is just one example of Walton’s ambition; any audience would find this want of success and fame commendable. If Shelly did not include these letters his actions would be view as arrogance. This entices the reader as they will try to relate to this situation and will ask themselves what actions they would take if they were in a similar situation. The reader will also acknowledge that there are no specific dates set for these letters of this novel alone. This is done for a few reasons, a practical reason is that if Shelly does not limit herself to a certain time period then she is able to create certain advances in technology that if combined with others may stretch over many time periods yet in this novel are related together. It also implies that Shelly intended this novel to appeal to readers for many years to come, not just her era. This method alone displays Shelly’s unique ability to appeal to any vast audience.