Throughout the world people are tested through isolation. On one hand, some people learn how to cope with the darkness of solitude; and, on another hand, isolation opens a whole new perspective to those both in and out of solitude. Isolation is a state of being where you are set apart from anything that has to do with society. While being in this state for a long period of time, people may stay behind intellectually those who are mingled into the society and are exposed to everything. Three texts that support and go along with the subject of isolation are Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius, and Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. In Frankenstein, we notice that Victor spends most of his time focusing on his studies of natural philosophy and creating life that he basically becomes insane because he cannot manage to live a normal life while trying to keep control of the monster he created. Then In Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius is put in jail under a false accusation of treason.
While imprisoned he has a discussion with Philosophy, which some could say is crazy because philosophy is an imaginary being rather than a person but, because of this chatting, Boethius maintains sane mentality which leads him to find true happiness. Finally In Metamorphosis, a man named Gregor Samsa is forced into the life of a “monstrous vermin” becoming more isolated then he already was when he was a travel salesman working to pay of his parents debt to an office manager. As his life continues as this bug he begins to lose everything that pertains to his human life. This all goes to show that when in isolation, solitude effects a man positively and negatively depending on the circumstances he is in and how he spends his time during that period of solitude.
Before diving into their lives during and post isolation, it is essential to examine their lives growing up while inspecting their behavior prior to their encounter with isolation. Also, it is necessary to investigate them separately starting with Victor Frankenstein, who grew up as an only child with a well respected parents who cared a lot for him until the age of five when they adopted his sister Elizabeth Lavenza. After moving to Geneva, which was one league away from any city, Victor started to show early signs of being secluded by avoiding crowds and only being attached to a few people. This led him to have a temper and an extreme passion to learn.
“My temper was sometimes violent and my passion vehement; but by some law in my temperature they were turned not to childish pursuit but to an eager desire to learn, and not to learn all things indiscriminately. I confess that neither the structures of languages, nor the code of governments, nor the politics of various states possessed attractions for me. It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn.” (Chpt. 2 pg. 39 Frankenstein)
Here Victor describes his passion to learn about nature and the creation to life which depicts why he falls in love with natural philosophy at the age of thirteen where he says “Natural philosophy is the science that regulated my fate”. Soon, Victor thought it would be best fitting to go off to the College of Ingolstadt but, right before he was about to leave his sister Elizabeth came down with the scarlet fever. Then, when his mother came to her side to help her get better she also, got this terrible sickness and passed away. As Victor is reflecting back on this particular misfortune, he comes to the realization that this was “an omen, as it were, of my future misery.” Not knowing this as an omen at the time though, Victor carries on and goes to college to study natural philosophy with Professor M. Krempe and Professor M. Waldman. He studied and read various texts concerning this subject for two years straight without seeing his family at all, living a very some lonesome life.