The Role of Poor Parenting in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

In Mary Shelley’s seminal work, *Frankenstein*, the relationships and family dynamics play a crucial role in shaping the characters and forwarding the narrative’s tragic elements. Among the various familial interactions, the role of Alphonse Frankenstein, Victor’s father, is particularly significant in understanding the theme of poor parenting and its consequences throughout the novel. Alphonse’s parenting style, marked by a mix of detachment and indulgence, has a profound impact on Victor’s psychological development and decision-making, which in turn, sets the stage for the novel’s unfolding tragedy.

Alphonse Frankenstein is depicted as a kind and affable man, devoted to his family’s welfare but fundamentally flawed in his approach to fatherhood. His interactions with Victor often display a lack of engagement with his son’s deeper emotional and intellectual needs. For instance, when a young Victor expresses an interest in the works of the alchemists, which are outdated by the standards of modern science, Alphonse dismisses these as “sad trash” without offering a guiding hand towards more contemporary scientific understandings. This dismissive attitude denies Victor critical guidance at a formative moment, indirectly encouraging him to pursue his interests in isolation and without a proper scientific or ethical framework.

Moreover, Alphonse’s approach can be seen as broadly permissive, allowing Victor considerable freedom but failing to provide the moral compass and direct parental intervention that might have steered him away from his perilous path. This permissiveness culminates in Victor’s departure to the University of Ingolstadt, where, unguided and alone, he begins his fateful experiments. Alphonse’s failure to perceive the growing obsession in Victor with creating life reflects a deeper parental disconnect, which ultimately contributes to the catastrophic outcomes of Victor’s endeavors.

The consequences of Alphonse’s parenting extend beyond Victor’s immediate actions to the creature Victor brings into the world. Like Victor, the creature suffers from a form of parental neglect. Victor, mirroring his father’s failures, abandons his creation, leaving it to fend for itself without guidance or support. This abandonment by Victor, which can be traced back to the emotional and intellectual abandonment he felt from Alphonse, sets off a chain of violence and misery. The creature’s path of vengeance and the deaths that follow are, in a sense, a direct reflection of the failures of both Victor and Alphonse as father figures.

In the broader context of the novel, Alphonse’s poor parenting underscores a critical theme: the consequences of emotional neglect and the importance of responsible nurturing. Shelley uses Alphonse’s character to critique the era’s parenting norms, which often involved a more hands-off approach, especially with sons who were expected to grow into independence and self-reliance without much emotional support. The novel suggests that emotional closeness and active guidance are critical in parenting, without which individuals may lose their moral and ethical direction, as Victor does.

In conclusion, Alphonse Frankenstein’s role in Mary Shelley’s *Frankenstein* serves as a pivotal example of how inadequate parenting can have far-reaching effects. His failure to engage deeply with Victor’s intellectual curiosity and to guide him on a path of ethical science sets the groundwork for the novel’s tragedies. Through Alphonse’s character, Shelley critiques not just a single family’s dynamics but a societal approach to parenting that undervalues emotional engagement and moral guidance, leading to profound consequences not just for the individual but for society as a whole.

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