Erotic Tension in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay

In Frankenstein, Shelley overtly reveals romance and erotic tension, both heterosexual and homosexual, through symbolism pertaining to eyesight, although this subsequent gaze proves the strong relation of death and sexual tensions in both human and nonhuman. The first occurrence of sexual tension in this story is between two men. Robert Walton, Victor’s â€Å"affectionate brother,† says that he â€Å"desire[s] the company of a man who could sympathize with me, whose eyes would reply to mine,† and â€Å"need[s] them most to support my spirits. I love you very tenderly.† (Shelley 33). Admittedly, instead of expressing the longs for women, Shelley uses the language of erotic desire for a man. Also, despite his being completely surrounded by men on the†¦show more content†¦The gaze, again, highlights the homosexuality and a utterly unconventional psychoanalytic implications of homosexual tensions between Victor and Henry’s death—â€Å"[the glimmer of two eyes was] languishing in death†¦sometimes it was the watery, clouded eyes of the monster†(157). Tragically, the gaze in Frankenstein, as the symbol of erotic affair, repeatedly and deeply indicates the connection between salaciousness romance and death. Even though, not a normal production of sexual union process, the monster still develops his own sexuality while awaken by the inability to connect with his creator or with any other being, he realizes it is impossible to establish any sexual relationship with human being, therefore. To abreact his sexual constrain, the Monster decides to make others suffer. In fact, his monstrosity is evidently introduced by his interaction with William, the monster’s urge to â€Å"seize him† is a violent impulse based nonetheless on a desire to connect with another being (126). This indicates that the motivation of monster’s murder is shifted from revenge to sex, and his demand for a sexual partner along with his libidinal drive interprets the sexual tension are the origin of his violent impulses, whereas death is always t he end of this sexual pursuit, the relationship of erotic tensions and death is ever so determined.