Karl Marx's “Communist Manifesto” informed the world of the political and economic conflict of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie and by extension, the aristocracy. Marx disputes that the proletariat must own the means of production and that, united, it is capable of overthrowing both the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. He writes that the bourgeoisie creates the proletarian class out of selfishness, oppresses them by neglecting their needs, and creates an ideology to keep the "base" in line. However, Marx argues that ultimately the bourgeoisie is more fragile than the proletariat when united. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Large amounts of these thoughts are present in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Frankenstein is a parable of Marxist literary theory by showing the quarrel between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. This is demonstrated by the parallel struggle between Victor Frankenstein and his Monster. The character of Victor Frankenstein is an allusion to the bourgeois. Victor is Genevan by birth, and my family is one of the most distinguished in this republic. My ancestors had been councilors and trustees for many years; and my father had filled several public positions with honor and reputation” (Shelley 14.) Victor serves as an example to the bourgeois since, as the creator of the Monster, he owns the means of production. Likewise, the bourgeois created the proletariat out of self-interest and neglect of anything except personal desire. Victor is disinterested in everything except his quest for success. This is embodied when he remembers his passion for creating the monster. He says: “The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in the same quest. it was a very beautiful season; but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature. And the same feelings... made me also forget these friends... whom I had not seen for so long'” (Shelley 33). Victor shows no interest other than his own and hasn't even thought to contact his friends and family. The monster serves as an example to the proletariat because it is made of “bones collected from mass graves” (Shelley 33.) all of which come from many different corpses. Marx writes that the bourgeois is made up of a large and diverse group of people, all of whom are similarly situated and in similar circumstances. Like the proletariat, the monster is exploited by its leader/creator. Victor arbitrates his creation and considers himself superior to the monster when he says: “How can I describe my emotions in the face of this catastrophe. Her limbs were in proportion and I had chosen her features as beautiful... but only these luxuriances. formed a more horrible contrast with his watery eyes” (Shelley 35.) Victor considers himself superior to his monster and therefore ignores the monster’s basic human needs. The monster is forced to live in poverty and rely on himself, even though his creator has the means to provide for the monster's basic human needs, just like the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. When the monster tells Victor his story, he says: “'I was cold, I had covered myself with some clothes; but that was not enough to protect me from the dews of the night. I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch” (Shelley 71.) The monster must make do with inadequate shelter because he cannot find a better option. Son: “The place of refuge was built of wood, but so low that I could hardly sit upright there. No wood, however, was placed on the earth which formed the ground... the wind entered it through innumerable cracks, I found there a pleasant refuge from the snow.