In Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, the introduced parent-child relationships are surprisingly central to the way the novel unfolds. Through each literal and metaphorical couple, the path followed by the child is directly related to the quality of parenting. Elizabeth and Victor have very virtuous parents and, as a result, live very positive and fulfilling lives. Similarly, Henry acts as a caring parent to Victor and cares for him, keeping him away from death. However, Frankenstein's monster receives no basic education from his creator, leading to tension and unrest. Justine bridges the gap between kind and warm parenting and cruel and neglectful parenting under the care of the Frankensteins and her biological mother. Through her and the other characters in the novel, it becomes clear that parents' love and care are so important to the well-being of their children that the lack of love can have deleterious consequences. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Elizabeth receives excellent care from Alphonse and Caroline Frankenstein and lives well throughout her young life. When Caroline first notices Elizabeth in the home of a peasant family, she feels compelled to take Elizabeth under her and raise her like a Frankenstein. Elizabeth is soon adopted and begins her life again. Everyone “loves the sweet orphan very much” (17) because her place in the family is solidified. She constantly receives the greatest care from those around her. This becomes abundantly clear when Elizabeth contracts scarlet fever. Although warned, Caroline “takes care of her sick bed… Elizabeth was saved, but the consequences of this imprudence were fatal” (23). Every action the Frankensteins take improves Elizabeth's quality of life. They take her out of “poverty and I want” (17) and offer her a prosperous future. Caroline even sacrifices her own safety and eventually her life to ensure Elizabeth's well-being throughout the duration of her illness. Through the love and care of her adoptive parents, Elizabeth achieves a life that would normally be out of reach. Likewise, Alphonse and Caroline raise Victor extremely well. As Frankenstein's first child, Victor receives generous warmth from his parents. They “seem to draw inexhaustible reserves of affection from a very mine of love to grant them to [him]” (16). Furthermore, “the tender caresses of [his] mother and the smile of kind pleasure of [his] father as he looked at him” (16) are his earliest memories of them, signifying that their affection was continually present. As he grew older, his parents noticed his enthusiasm for science and encouraged him to become a student at the University of Ingolstadt to pursue his interests. His parents watch over his well-being and guide him towards his passions. They always want what's best for him. Recounting his adult childhood, he boasts that “no human being could have had a happier childhood than I” (19). Thanks to the positive parenting that Alphonse and Caroline establish towards their son, Victor is able to live a happy childhood and grow up studying a subject that truly fascinates him. He does not live a controlled life, but rather the life he wants. Additionally, Henry Clerval acts as a parental figure when he treats Victor after creating the monster. Shortly after realizing what a horrible atrocity he is committing by building the monster, Victor falls ill from stress and nervousness. Just the thought of the monster makes him sick. Victor is bedridden for several months during which Henry remains by his sideand take care of him. Henry sacrifices a lot of time to ensure Victor's health. “Instead of being devoted to studies…[he is] consumed in [Victor’s] sickroom” (39). Even after Victor's recovery, Henry continues to act as a parental figure by guiding Victor in his next actions; He encourages Victor to write to his family and assure them of his health. This shows that Henry truly cares about Victor's well-being and that of his family. Henry's actions, through his love and concern for Victor as a friend, potentially save Victor's life and put him in the right direction to normalize his situation and contact with his family. Without Henry, Victor is powerless. Justine, meanwhile, lives under both positive and negative parenting, the feeling of each antithetical. Justine originally resides with her mother and three siblings before Caroline decides to take her in due to her mistreatment. Living with the Frankensteins, Justine benefits from a much better family environment and is taken care of by those around her. Although the Frankensteins' servant, Justine learns because Caroline “conceives[s] a great attachment to her” (41). She is loved and comes to love this new life much more than living with her biological mother. Later, Justine's three siblings die and she is called back to her mother. The very idea of ​​returning to the woman who treats her so badly makes her cry as she leaves the Frankenstein residence. She comes to prefer the care the Frankensteins give her much more than that of her mother. Although his mother attempts to seek forgiveness, she begins to blame Justine for the deaths of his siblings and continues to mistreat him. Living under the guidance of her biological mother, Justine seems completely devoid of any love or compassion. Eventually, her mother dies and she returns to her position as a servant. The Frankensteins offer her an optimistic and fulfilling life while her mother thwarts her. Although no extreme negative consequences arise from her mother's quality of parenting, Justine lives in an oppressive and unhealthy environment, preventing her from realizing her full potential. Living under positive parenting is more beneficial for one's well-being. Victor's relationship with his monster is the epitome of bad parenting that leads to serious negative consequences. While at college, Victor embarks on his quest to reanimate a human corpse. He constructs the body by combining parts of the deceased and breathes life into it. Although Victor is the creature's creator and metaphorical parent, he is disgusted by his work. The mere sight of the monster makes him sick, forcing him to simply run away. Once Victor returns to his apartment, the monster is gone and he feels relieved because his problems are gone. Unfortunately, his mistakes as a creator lead to imminent consequences. At the metaphorical birth of the monster, he is abandoned. Victor fails to positively recognize his creation and leaves him to fend for himself. The monster later explains that he was very confused and scared at the time due to a lack of understanding of his body and surroundings. As the monster's creator, it is Victor's responsibility to take care of him. By failing to do so, the monster is acting solely on the basis of what it knows about the world, which isn't much at all. As a result, the monster learns from its negative experiences and becomes angry. He cannot tolerate feelings of suffering, he fights them. The poor parenting Victor demonstrated early in the creature leads to future consequences as basic ideas such as love and compassion are not taught. More.