An Analysis of Human Nature in "Frankenstein", as it Connects to Freudian Psychology Anonymous 10th Grade

Erin Erkocevic

8 December 2010

An Analysis of Human Nature in Frankenstein, As it Connects to Freudian Psychology

In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley skillfully laces a chilling tale of horror with social commentary to create an exploration of human nature that unfolds alongside with the story. The novel opens with Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein's mad quests for scientific glory. Both of these men are hell-bent on obtaining glory in the field of science. Both of these men are slaves to the basic human curiosity, specifically, the Id, which is the darkest part of the human psyche. The Id represents the long list of a human being's primal demands and needs immediate satisfaction. For Victor, his curiosity, results in his creation of the monster, the literal incarnation of his Id. The second aspect of this theme in Frankenstein is that there will always be a conflict between the creator and the created. In terms of Freudian Psychology, there will always be a conflict between the Ego and the Id. The monster represents the purest form of Id, and Victor, the creator, has some responsibility to bestow some sense of conscience, or Ego, upon his creation. However, Freud describes the rooted conflict between the Ego and...