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Frankenstein essay 2

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Frankenstein's Monster and Milton's Satan
An Essay on Paradise Lost and Frankenstein
By Chris Davidson

Almost all great works of literature contain allusions to other great works of literature that enhance the meaning of the work. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is an excellent example of a major literary work that contains a sustained allusion to another major work. Frankenstein contains many references to Milton’s Paradise Lost, and the two stories are parallel in many aspects.
In Shelly’s novel Frankenstein’s monster in often compared to Adam from Milton’s epic work. In fact, the monster himself tells Victor Frankenstein that he sees himself as being very similar to Adam. Like Adam, the monster was, in a sense, perfect at his …show more content…

Rejection of one’s offspring is another theme in Shelly’s novel and is reinforced by comparing the monster to Satan because Satan was one of God’s heavenly children but was ultimately rejected by God. However, Satan and the monster differ in a key aspect: Satan fell with companions. The monster fell alone, and the monster himself brings this fact to the attention of both Victor and the reader, saying that his loneliness was the most loathsome part of his existence, reinforcing the theme that happiness lies in close companions who complete the person. The monster is also similar to Satan in that neither he nor Satan directly attacks his creator in retaliation. Rather, they both attack those closest to their creators, inflicting more pain than any direct attack could. Satan attacks God’s beloved new creation, man, and the monster attacks Victor’s closest friends and family members. The pain caused by the attacks on these close companions again illustrates the romantic idea that close companions are essential to life and the peace of the individual.
Allusions are also made that show that Frankenstein himself is also similar to Adam in Paradise Lost. Like Adam, Frankenstein brings about his own downfall by making a choice to attain knowledge that he should not have. Shelly uses this comparison to bring a very important

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