Frankenstein

A great example of a gothic element that is at the heart of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is the concept of something that is Taboo. A taboo is a social or religious custom prohibiting or forbidding discussion of a particular practice. These are very prominent in gothic literature as the characters tend to be pushed to extremes while they investigate their limits. Gothic protagonists free themselves from the rules set by society in search of their own intense and selfish desires.

There are many taboos present in this novel, one of the more obvious ones being Victor attempting to usurp God’s power of creation, as well as the woman’s role, when he sets out to create the monster. By creating life and playing the role of God, Frankenstein is effectively breaking the first Christian commandment which states “You shall have no other gods before me”. He has become his own god and completely disregarded his society's main religion. There are also other taboos such as grave robbing, murder, implied incest, and going against the societal norms.

The novel Frankenstein is well-grounded in a realistic world; that is partly why it is so compelling and fits within its gothic nature, we feel as though it is a thing that could actually happen in our world. It explores the role of society and the individual and is a literary case study for the nature vs nurture debate. As we read the novel and see these taboos being committed, we are horrified yet intrigued. Our curiosity is peaked as we eagerly read on to see what fate has in store for those who embrace these desires that society deems as wrong.