A STUDY OF THE ELEMENT OF FEAR IN THE CHARACTER OF THE CREATURE IN MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN THROUGH FREUDIAN’S PSYCHOANALYTIC LENS

Abstract

The figure of 'Creature' in Shelley's esteemed novel furthers the narration of the repressed dread that embodies denial while also serving as an augmented construct of the human spirit in the story. This paper aims to analyse the figure of 'Creature' in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' from the perspective of fear in Freudian ideologies. Moreover, it also tries to examine the role of fear in the character development of Creature in the novel.  The study probes in detail how Shelley has used the idea of fear not as a part of Gothic formula but as a dimension to study the inner turmoil of human psychology. Keeping the Gothic element of the novel in background, this study applies Freudian psychoanalytical theory to recognize the fear factor in the Creature’s character. In addition, the study through the application of Freud’s theory of the ‘Psychoanalytic’, further tries to unfold the truth behind the known i.e. the creature, presented as strange (fearful) – enriching further the psychological dimension of the novel. The study is qualitative in nature and uses textual analysis for doing a literature review and engaging with the multiple layers of interpretation and the psychologically textured meanings beneath fear and repression. Beside fear, the analysis is extended the study of other Gothic elements like darkness, isolation and scientific hubris, the study connects these dark features to Shelley’s anti scientific discourse. The research establishes the fact that fear in the novel is much more chilling and is linked with much deeper philosophical and psychological issues of identity, loneliness, and the outcome of human greed.

Keywords: Frankenstein, Fear, Freudian analysis, Gothic literature, Psychological conflict.