“The Shadow and the Self in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: A Jungian Analysis”

This study offers a Jungian psychological interpretation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein [7], examining the novel through the concepts of the Shadow and the Self as defined in Carl Gustav Jung’s analytical psychology [4]. The research argues that Victor Frankenstein and his creature represent two interdependent aspects of a single divided psyche: the conscious ego and the repressed shadow [3]. By analyzing their conflict as an external projection of inner psychological fragmentation, this study reveals how Shelley’s narrative explores the consequences of denying and suppressing one’s unconscious self [5]. Furthermore, it investigates how the process of individuation—Jung’s notion of integrating the shadow into conscious awareness—illuminates Victor’s tragic failure to achieve self-realization. The creature’s rebellion symbolizes the psyche’s demand for wholeness, exposing the destructive potential of repression. Ultimately, this interpretation positions Frankenstein not only as a Gothic tale of horror but as a profound psychological allegory about the human struggle for integration and self-understanding.

Keywords:

Mary Shelley , Frankenstein , Carl Jung , Shadow , Self , Individuation , Psychoanalytic Criticism ,