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Frankenstein Bad Parenting

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In her novel, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley covers an array of themes which have been subjects of heated debates and controversy. The provocative nature of these themes has also arrested the interest of numerous literary critics, resulting in a huge assortment of critiques that detail their understanding and interpretation of the content and sentiments expressed in the novel. Topics of interest among the reviewers have ranged from the materialist inclinations and utopian ideals expressed in the novel, to the creativity of the author and relevancy of the content, to her own upbringing. This paper seeks to critically analyze the article, “‘Frankenstein’- a cautionary tale of bad parenting” by Susan Coulter, which reviews Shelley’s novel in relation …show more content…
In doing so, the author intends to point out that Frankenstein’s upbringing had a negative influence on his adulthood and the goals he sought to achieve later in life, particularly the desire to create a creature (Coulter). This thesis is agreeable given the fact that Frankenstein was spoilt and indulged by his parents, friend and the adopted sister to an extent that, he grew to be a misguided and self-centered individual (Coulter). The author’s observation that Frankenstein was bestowed with love and unlimited friendliness by his parents when he was growing up, is reflected in Frankenstein’s assertions that his mother showered him with tender caresses while his father always smiled warmly towards him (Shelley 33). Additionally, his sister would always soothe him whenever his temper turned violent. Moreover, his parents never admonished him for fear of being perceived as tyrants, thereby leaving him to handle things his way (Shelley 37). Similarly, his father does not offer him proper guidance when he comes across the book that ignites his desire to build a creature, thereby leaving him to learn and explore the world on his own (Shelley 38). Lack of proper childhood guidance and supervision subsequently leads Frankenstein into disregarding his lecturer’s guidance, as he is not used to …show more content…
Martinez-Russ observes that spoiling a child through excessive affection can make the child a self-serving and self-centered individual. She corroborates that Frankenstein was left to act as he wished and that his parents did little to direct his behavior (Martinez-Russ). This leads Martinez-Russ to conclude that poor parenting negatively affects individuals later in life. As demonstrated, the upbringing of a child affects his adulthood and hence, the thesis advanced by the author is

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