Should Individuals Be Blamed For Actions That Are A Result Of Their Upbringing? by Elise Martocchio

Isolation by John Cunnane

emartocchio20241 — 2024-05-06 16:02:52 UTC

This piece of art connects to Frankenstein as among the themes of parental influence and responsibility; isolation is another central theme in the book. After his mother's death, Victor isolates himself from his living family in hopes of creating artificial life. After finally successfully animating the creature, Victor condemns him to the fate he longed to escape, however, without the option of returning to the familiar company. This element of the book connects to the art and raises questions about isolation and how isolating yourself vs. it being fate you didn't get a choice in differs in interactions with the world around you.

Mary Shelley

emartocchio20241 — 2024-05-06 16:10:54 UTC

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born in Sommers Town, London, on August 30th, 1797. She was a romantic English novelist best known for her work Frankenstein. She wrote the famous piece in the summer of 1816 when she, her husband, and a poet, Lord Byron, decided to compete on who could write the best ghost story. When the idea for Frankenstein came to her in a dream, she started writing it and winning the contest. She later went on to flesh it out and publish it. Throughout her life, Mary helped her husband with several of his works until he drowned. After her children had died at young ages, she was left alone until her death on February 1st, 1851, in London.

Introduction Video

emartocchio20241 — 2024-05-06 16:11:11 UTC

Ted Talk

emartocchio20241 — 2024-05-06 16:11:22 UTC

Nadine Burke Harris discusses childhood trauma and how it can affect one throughout their life.

The Cry Of An Abandoned Child

emartocchio20241 — 2024-05-06 16:11:29 UTC

The poem is reminiscent of the way Frankenstein's creature feels everyday. The poem talks about watching other children with their families and mirrors the feelings the creature has while watching the Delacy family interact, and after encountering William. The third stanza has imagery about being left alone in the woods and having to brave the elements; while it serves as a metaphor in the poem, it's reminiscent of the creatures both figurative and literal struggles. The poem ends with a feeling of acceptance and closure, which the creature never gets to achieve, but possibly could have reached if he found someone to guide him.

I Bet On Losing Dogs By Mitski

emartocchio20241 — 2024-05-06 16:11:47 UTC

I Bet on Losing Dogs is about a relationship the writer invests all of themself in despite knowing it will fail. This song is an accurate representation of the creatures attitude towards his creator, Victor. In the first verse, Mitski composes the heartbreaking line: "Tell your baby that I'm your baby." This directly connects to Frankenstein, as the creature kills Victor's son, William, out of the heartbreak of knowing his father had abandoned him to raise someone else. Despite the songs orginal depiction of a romantic relationship, it can easily be interpreted to fit Mary Shelley's text. The creature pursues a relatinship and connection with his creator despite being rejected from all other human groups he had tried to associate with. Even after being rejected by Victor twice before, the creature continues to follow him, dedicating himself and his life to something he knows he'll never get.

Connection to the real world

emartocchio20241 — 2024-05-06 16:11:58 UTC

The questions Frankenstein raises can be applied to the real-world problem of mental health issues and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). BPD is a personality disorder characterized by its five pillars: anger, impulsivity, fear of abandonment, identity disturbance, and inconsistent or unstable relationships. The disorder is not transferred genetically and surfaces as a result of great trauma, usually from childhood. There is no cure for BPD, as it cannot be treated with medication or therapy effectively. The only way proven to reduce symptoms is Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT), which is usually administered in an inpatient or outpatient hospital setting. Individuals who suffer from BPD were subjected to the disorder based on someone else's actions towards them when they were young and vulnerable, which would later skew their entire perception of life and relationships with other people. Frankenstein allows the reader to explore the question of whether individuals with those kinds of trauma and perhaps BPD because of what they went through are committing acts one could quickly dismiss as morally incorrect with different intentions than assumed.

The Good Place

emartocchio20241 — 2024-05-06 16:12:02 UTC

The Good Place is a TV show that connects to the overarching question of this project. The main character, Eleanor Shellstrop, is a self-described "Arizona trash bag." At the beginning of the series, she is selfish, a liar, and unable to accept she's wrong. It's revealed throughout the show that Eleanor is this way because of the way she was raised. Her mother, Donna, and father, Doug, were absent and distant parents, always modeling poor behavior and unethical ways of thinking and being. Eleanor grows up to become silent to them; however, because of her parent's lack of attention on her and having to spend most of her childhood fending for herself, she becomes set on me vs. the world mentality. It isn't until she bonds with her group and accepts her faults that she can grow. Eleanor is a contemporary example of the question I posed from reading Frankenstein. She is the way she is due to a poor upbringing, which raises the question of who is to accept real responsibility for her actions. Though she's committing them and making poor choices at the beginning of the series, it's clear later she's doing certain things because that's exactly what she was taught to do. However, what may appear as a selfish act to the average onlooker is a fight or flight response developed by years of not being put first by her parents or feeling secure in those relationships.

Time and Setting

emartocchio20241 — 2024-05-06 16:12:43 UTC

Frankenstein is set in an unspecified time in the 18th century, at the beginning of industrialization and new machines. Along with the moral questions it raises addressing the creature, his creation is also a metaphor for the new intelligence and machines being created. Shelley questions how much thought is being put into them, and whether or not it's necessary. Frankenstein is set in rural areas all over Europe; some places being the Swiss Alps, Germany, France, and Scotland. The secluded setting allows for the plot to advance without added interruptions that might happen in a more populated setting, and magnifying the feelings of isolation.