Frankenstein - Becoming monstrous in isolation
Mary Shelley on taking responsibility for those who need us
Welcome to By the Books, a newsletter dedicated to capturing and distributing wisdom from works of classic literature.
Each post will take less than 5 minutes to read, and will feature one great book, including:
A brief summary
A distillation of relevant themes
One actionable insight
Live by the best books, one day at a time.
“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley
A young scientist named Victor Frankenstein creates a living creature in his laboratory through a combination of science and alchemy. Frankenstein abandons his creature, who must then navigate a hostile world. Ultimately, the creature seeks revenge against its creator, and questions the morality of its own existence.
Shelley’s seminal work is a warning against the dangers of unchecked ambition, and terrible consequences of failing to take responsibility for your actions, particularly in regard to those who are most harmed by that failure — i.e. Frankenstein’s monster, who becomes a horrific incarnation of isolation and loneliness.
“I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.”
Actionable Insight*
Personal responsibility is the perfect antidote to the feelings of victimhood that permeate so much of modern culture. We can each do more than we have done to take responsibility not only for our actions, but for our relationships.
Ask yourself: Is there someone in your life who deserves your attention, but hasn’t gotten enough of it? What can you do today, right now, to strengthen that connection?
*As a lover of literature, I must emphasize that the best way to truly absorb the wisdom of any work of literature is to actually read it, from start to finish, the way the author intended. I hope By the Books will occasionally inspire you to do just that.
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