'Hateful day when I received life!' I exclaimed in agony. `Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even YOU turned from me in disgust?" 

 

              Mary Shelley's gothic novel conveys themes of creation, isolation, death and romance. Her mother was a strong women activist which influenced Shelley and how she wrote literature. Written in 1817, Shelley addresses the idea of whether or not a person is born good or evil. Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist, is a scientist determined to create life. After many attempts, he makes a menacing monster that eventually begins to haunt him. Appalled by its ugliness, Frankenstein neglects the monster, leaving it to learn the norms and attitudes of society by itself. The monster, only wanting to be loved by his creator, lashses out in anger and kills those important to Frankenstein. This provokes the question of whether or not the monsters actions are justified.