How Isolation May Affect the Mental Development of a Human. Essay Sample

The state of seclusion is what is construed as isolation. People need each other for companionship and the realization of a holistic society. However, holistic nature cannot be realized when people live under certain confinement. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one such story that depicts what isolation can lead to with regards to its mental effects on human. The primary characters are Victor Frankenstein and the Monster.

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The story of Victor is one which begins with his childhood tale. His childhood was a model one where everyone was reactive and attentive to his needs. The parents were always there for him. He opined his early childhood as a major contributor to his foundation of character even as he grew to become an adult. Later in life after the death of the mother, life took a different turn. Victor was constantly stressed about his research and the implications that the knowledge will have on society. He leaves home and goes to a far land with the hope of acquiring more knowledge about natural philosophy (Dominy, Nathaniel, and Justin 108). He develops depression because he isolates himself from the family members for a long time as he remains devoted to his studies and research. He is depressed about what society may think of him in case his research becomes unsuccessful. His isolation and depression are caused by the fear of failure which he develops after the passing on of the mother.

The creation of the monster was also initially out of good will but how it is raised changes the innocent creature to an evil being. The society shuns the creature yet gentle and eventually gets affected by the effects of loneliness coupled with cruelty. The results are disastrous. Victor's loved ones become the primary victims. The creature lacks interaction with those who are around him as he feels lonely and alienated. It then faces social isolation which later makes him poor at socializing with people. Due to hate and anger, he instead becomes wild and violent as he kills Victor's loved ones.

We can, therefore, note the effects of isolation to human mental health as follows; it leads to an individual suffering from depression and the fear of unknown just as noted in the previous paragraphs. Victor was depressed and feared by not becoming successful in his quest. The other issue is noted where people may resort to looking for companionship from other unique or unusual fronts (Hughes 233). It is my view that the creation of the unique creature in the laboratory was as a result of being secluded from the people. In the case of the Monster, the effects are many. Some have already been covered. For example, the killing of Victor's loved ones, and being cruel based on how it was brought up. It, therefore, comes out explicitly that isolation may make a person to change his characters and develop certain unique undesirable features especially when the people who are supposed to be part of the person's character development alienate themselves.

Based on the issues discussed, we can draw a comparison from how the monster was raised in isolation to some of the challenges that are attributed by isolation today. There are many cases of depression and cruelty that come because of how people are brought up from isolated settings. It is not unusual to read of people resorting to suicide. Therefore, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein succeeds in imaging the aspect of isolation about its mental effects on human beings (Leahy n.p).

Works Cited

Dominy, Nathaniel J., and Justin D. Yeakel. "Frankenstein and the horrors of competitive exclusion." Bioscience 67.2 (2017): 107-110.

Hughes, Bill. "'A devout but nearly silent listener': dialogue, sociability, and Promethean individualism in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818)." The Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies 16 (2017): 4-233.

Leahy, Richard. "Superintelligence and Mental Anxiety from Mary Shelley to Ted Chiang." (2018).