Frankenstein

The Different Angles of Being Alone

Poems and novels are two different forms of literary expression. They both portray ideas in different ways. Poems are condensed and focus on the use of language and imagery. Novels use character analysis and are plot driven. Even though these literary forms are different, they can convey the same ideas in their own way.
Percy Shelley, in his poem “Stanzas Written in Dejection”, as well as Mary Shelley, in her novel Frankenstein, deals with the issue of otherness. In both of these works someone is striving for an ideal, and when they realize that this ideal can never be attained, they feel isolated and separate from society.
In the first part of the poem, “Stanzas Written in Dejection”, the persona describes a peaceful day and the scenes in nature that he is witnessing. This day is equated to the ideal life that this person would like to have. Upon realizing that he will never attain this ideal life, the person feels alone and...