Mental Illness In Frankenstein

Reading through Frankenstein there are many examples of state of mind and health being closely related. Most of these are examples are shown in Victor, as he is the main character. Often some of these examples are negative, but other times can be positive. Many examples are related to the guilt, anger and remorse Victor feels. At one time Victor is convinced that nature, nurtures and that has an affects his health in a very positive manner. One can argue that not only are state of mind and health related but they even affect one another on a broader scale.

Anxiety has both mental and physical effects, it is our internal alarm system to put our mind on a physical alert and prepares for us a "fight or flight response". This alarm can go away when we know that everything is okay and there is no danger nearby or nothing is going to happen but sometimes our alarm will not shut off and then an anxiety problem persists. There are different types of anxiety disorders and I will discuss generalized anxiety disorder

Victor Frankenstein was a regular scientist until he became obsessed and mentally ill. “This state of mind preyed upon my health… all sound of joy or complacency was torture to me; solitude was my only consolation-deep, dark, deathlike solitude” (Shelley 77). Mary Shelley created the character Victor, who devoted most of his time, research, and effort into creating a being which can hold life. Victor became successful, yet mentally scarred after the sight of his creature. This hurt Victor, but not as harshly as the creature's following actions. The creature goes on to kill members of Victor’s family and kill his closest and dearest friends. The creature’s actions cause Victor to suffer both mentally and physically. Victor then falls back

What makes us human? Is it a beating heart and living flesh? Is it encompassing advanced psychological and social qualities? The classic gothic novel, Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley and the modern horror novel, Warm Bodies, written by Issac Marion have lead many readers to question the complexity of human nature. Both novels explore several principal themes that develop the reader’s understanding of what it means to be human. We are miraculous creatures who are capable of both good and evil; humans are intricate beings who depend on love for survival, some can be troubled by or lack remorse, and in some cases, our actions can be motivated by fear. Throughout both novels, the main characters struggle with these aspects of human nature.

Foolish, chaotic, crazy, all ways to describe the state of a madman, and these just so happen to perfectly describe some characters in the works we have read and discussed. The theme of madness is heavily displayed in the literature pieces of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, and Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. Victor Frankenstein, The Creature, Hamlet, and are the characters that most express the course theme of madness in the works. These characters display similarities on their way to that unstable state of mind.

Human nature is unchangeable. Human nature also applies to just about every living thing. Human nature isn’t so human, is it? In Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking novel, Frankenstein, it is shown just how universal human nature is. In Frankenstein, Robert Walton tells the story of Victor Frankenstein through a series of letters to his sister, Margaret Saville, in different perspectives. Upon his ship on an expedition to the North Pole, Robert befriends a scientist, Victor Frankenstein. He reveals that he is looking for his creation, a being that was never truly alive, whom he bestowed life upon. He then tells an account of his life until it switches in perspective to the monster’s, followed by a switch to the present. In his tale, Victor tells of his early childhood, where he was an avid bookworm, and became enraptured by science. This led to him delving deeper and deeper into the world of science until he became a man obsessed. He dedicated himself to science and conducted an experiment to see whether he could bring life to a being that never had life in it before. Rather than being overjoyed at his successful experiment, he was disgusted. He came out with a humanoid resembling a monster. This disappointment led to Victor abandoning the Creation, leaving him to find his own way in the world. Given the proper care, the Monster could have succeeded, but Frankenstein's monster will not because the neglect from Victor, treatment by others, and the internalized self-hatred deign a

Impulsivity. It hunts, it haunts, and occasionally it can eat a person alive to the point of sheer destruction. Impulsivity can alter a human’s life in just one single second. An impulsive decision has power far beyond what one might imagine or originally perceive. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein deeply senses the repercussions of his impulsive as well as passionate decision to create a creature without thinking about the major consequences that could occur. As a result, his life is transformed. The primary truth of consequences of impulsive and passionate decisions are revealed in this novel through experiences and warnings of loneliness, rage, and unhappiness of Frankenstein.

Anguish, pain, torment and suffering are all a part of our day to day lives. These may issue from a variety of causes such as great deprivation, hardships to emotional and physical loss. Many texts, such as that of Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelly in the early 1800's, depict unalleviated suffering caused by living within societal norms. However very often, these sufferings are inflicted upon people by one individual and in the case of Frankenstein, this source is Victor Frankenstein. This statement becomes evident when examining the intersecting cultural beliefs of gender, class and ethnicity of the time.

One of the more noticable works of Gothic literature which displays an accurate reflection on the subject of mental health would be the novel of Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. In this piece, Shelly paints the protagonist as pathological narcissist, Victor Frankenstein, who is in pursuit of a spiritual quest for the divine power. Frankenstein hopes to imitate this divine power by creating an unnamed creature that reflects his inner grandiose fantasies. By focusing on the protagonist and the monster, it can be said that this romantic was successful in creating a piece that portrays a personal story as well as underlines several of intellectual and aesthetic themes of its time period.

In the book, Ffrankenstein, I would diagnose Vvictor with Depression and Anxiety. “Difficulty sleeping or excessive sleeping” are symptoms of depression (Ford-Martin & Odle ). Shelley wrote, “Sleep fled from my eyes; I wandered like an evil spirit,for i had committed deeds of misschief beyond description horrible, and more,much more (i persuaded myself) was yet behind” (77). By reading the article about depression and the book i said he has depression because he can't sleep very well. Feelings of worthlessness or guilt are also symptoms of depression. (Ford-Martin & Odle ). “The blood flowed freely in my veins, but a weight of despair and remorse pressed on my heart which nothing could remove,” (Shelley 77). The article also said feeling worthless and guilt

Anxiety is a feeling of numerous of things, whether its danger or a sense of threat and even butterfly’s when becoming nervous. In Fact, anxiety disorder was discovered in the 1980s by the American Psychiatric Association. In my opinion, everybody has had a moment of anxiety, it’s a major part of life. Due to the fact, that life has a lot to do with social interaction and based on human characteristics. Many people with this disorder, feels the need to act upon something. Anxiety, helps the mind get ready or be prepared in certain situations. On the other hand, some people experience panic, fear and even nightmares. This happens when the thoughts in the mind become over whelming. This illness can also just run in the family as a genetic trait. In fact, I think anxiety is most common in women. Especially, women that are pregnant, with all the stress and feeling judged by becoming bloated with the baby and fluids. Some even go through the depression stage after the baby. At the same time, when a baby is born, some babies are frightened easy or their nerves become very

     Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults. These disorders fill people's lives

The topic of anxiety is one that has always been interesting to me. This is partially due to my own experiences with anxiety in my own life as well as stories I have heard about its effects on other people’s lives. It is one of those natural human conditions like depressing that you really do not understand unless you have been there before. People suffering from anxiety may appear irrational and weak willed, however what they see as logical and what an outsider sees as logical could be completely different. While I personally have not been diagnosed with any anxiety disorders, I am well acquainted with the feeling of having high anxiety. If I had to describe the feeling, I would have to compare it to being pushed of a cliff. It is an impending