In the early 1800s, strained relations between Europe and the rest of the world had a significant impact on modern world history. In 1803, the newly formed United States nearly doubled its domain after purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France. Shortly after, in 1804, Haiti gained its independence from France. Finally, the United Kingdom failed to convincingly defeat the United States in the War of 1812 ("1800-1899 (AD) World History."). As a result of these events, many Europeans realized that Europe was losing its grip on other countries around the world. This created a sense of xenophobia among the most powerful European countries who wanted to maintain their global dominance. The Middle East, and therefore Islam, was an area over which Europeans wished to prove their dominance due to ongoing conflicts between Eastern European countries and the Ottoman Empire ("Ottoman Wars in Europe") . Mary Shelley, author of the 1818 novel Frankenstein, grew up in this era when an attitude of European supremacy was common as well as a strong contempt for the Middle East and Islam. In his novel, there are multiple examples of anti-Islamic connotations and opinions, each of which affects the overall plot and the attitudes of the main characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Mary Shelley's most obvious example of Islamic racism is the portrayal of the only true Muslim character, the Turkish merchant, as inhumane and evil. The Turkish merchant, who is only referred to as "the Turk" and "the Mohammedan" in the novel, is one of two Frankenstein characters who remain unnamed by Mary Shelley, the other being the creature. This draws a focused comparison between the two. Mary Shelley intends to emphasize that, like the creature, the Turk is too barbaric and evil to have the dignity and value associated with having a name. Shelley further develops the Turk into a selfish and base character when he "'became a traitor to good feeling and honor and left Italy with his daughter...'", undeterred by the fact that he never rewarded Felix enough for his kind actions (Shelley 89). In the Frankenstein sub-novel that is the De Lacey story, the Turk is undoubtedly the evil antagonist who brings shame to the family and is "'the cause of their ruin'" (Shelley 86). The Turk's mean, self-centered attitude and inhumane characteristics are said to represent the entire Islamic population and prove "the underlying assumption...that Muslims, and Turks, are not capable of human kindness ("Frankenstein Chapters 13-16 Summary and Analysis."). Mary Shelley's formation of the Turkish merchant as a dishonorable character affects the overall layout of the novel drastically given that the Turk is an underlying character in the novel In short, the fate of the De Laceys and the creature is in the hands of the Mohammedan. If the Turk had been a benevolent and trustworthy character in the novel, then it can be assumed that, like most completely innocent people, he would not have been thrown into prison. In this case, the De Laceys would never have met the Turk and therefore would never have been exiled to Germany. Consequently, the creature would not have been able to stay at the chalet with them. From Lacey, which means she would have developed differently. Even on the condition that the De Laceys met the Turk if he was put in prison simply for "'...his religion and his wealth...'", the De Laceys could still have prospered through this association inassuming he was a trustworthy man (Shelley 86). Under these conditions, the merchant could have provided the family with a generous sum of money to help them escape, which would have allowed them to live somewhere other than their chalet. Again, it is almost impossible that the creature could have come across the De Laceys if they had not lived in their cabin, and it is their presence that shapes the creature into its future self in the rest of the book. Because of the De Laceys, the creature feels "intense love and respect for [its] protectors..." (Shelley 86), but it is very grieved after being forcibly rejected by Felix and lives "without rest or in the enjoyment…”” (Shelley 97). Neither the creature's interaction with the De Laceys nor its behavior resulting from their relationship would have been possible if the Turk had not been a cruel man. Shelley incorporates additional examples of anti-Islamic connotations by distinguishing between the goodness and virtue of Christianity and the inferior. , clearly harmful Islamic actions and beliefs. Like Safie's father, who represents Islamic and Middle Eastern culture, Safie's Christian mother represents Christian and European culture in general. Shelley wants readers to feel sympathy for Safie's mother, and thus the innocence of Christianity, when she is "'seized and enslaved by the Turks…'" (Shelley 87). It is an act that readers will be sure to chastise when they hear of the mother's great aspirations for "higher intellectual powers and independence of mind..." which she is unable to achieve due to the egocentric attitude of the merchant (Shelley 87- 88). Her own inability to achieve the desired levels of freedom in life does not stop Safie's mother from asking her daughter to strive for the same goals. Subsequently, the superlative and grandiose aspirations of Safie's mother are "'impressed on Safie's mind...'" (Shelley 86-87; Shelley 87). It is no coincidence that a generally charming and optimistic character in the novel, Safie, acts because of the virtuous inspiration she receives from her Christian mother. In just five pages of the creature's story, Shelley is able to effectively convey many similar wicked Islamic actions while clearly discerning the moral acts of Christians. If Mary Shelley had only focused on the disrespect of Islam instead of also rejoicing in the brilliance of Christianity, the plot of this novel would also have been greatly different. Without the need to include Christian characters to contrast with the Muslims, there would have been no Christian Daughter of the Turk. Safie is a key motivator for Felix throughout his journey to help the Turk escape from prison, an act that Felix might not have been inspired to perform without the promise of a future wife. Even if the Turk had a Muslim daughter, Felix, being a 19th century European without much contact with people of non-European origin, might not have been as enchanted by a Muslim girl. Then, Felix would not have been so inclined to help the Turk get out of prison, which could have led the De Laceys to stay and live in Paris. This instance would be an exact replica of the scenario in which the creature was unable to take refuge with the De Laceys. Therefore, the creature would have developed in different methods and experienced a different pattern of emotional maturity and emotional outbursts. Throughout the novel, the creature often acted out of intense emotions (such as when he burned down the house due to his "state of utter and stupid despair"), meaning that a change in the The creature's emotional pattern would cause a difference in its behavior. THEactions of the creature (Shelley 99). Without Mary Shelley's unyielding determination to prove her point regarding the differences between religions, the plot of Frankenstein would not be the same as today's famous version. Mary Shelley makes one final attempt to condemn Islam by drawing comparisons between the creature's stage of life and that of Safie. upon their arrival at the chalet, but at different times. By the time the creature arrives at the cabin, he is in the toddler stage. He had learned through simple physical trials, such as touching fire, shortly before creating his hovel near the cottage. The creature's series of physical trials is much like how an ordinary toddler is told by a guardian figure which actions are acceptable and which are not. Although Safie is chronologically older than the creature and one would certainly expect young adults to be past the toddler stage, Shelley implies that Safie did not make it past infancy. when “[she] knock[s] on the door” of the chalet (Shelley 82). Safie takes new lessons on history, geography and the "...system of human society..."", as if everything she learned and learned from Islamic culture was of such low caliber that he was not respected as such. true education (Shelley 85). So, Safie has to relearn all the basic knowledge so that his mind is not filled with discreditable Islamic teachings. Therefore, it makes sense that in Arabic, the name Safie means pure or clean (“Felix, Safie and Agatha”). This represents the need for Safie to purify and cleanse her mind in order to be “saved from the barbarism of the Arab-Islamic world and…[receive] her first lessons in humanization” (Salama). Salama, author of Islam, Orientalism, and Intellectual History: Modernity and the Politics of Exclusion Since Ibn Khaldun, argues that the lack of maturity of the creature and Safie at the cabin is due to their horrible past, i.e. to their Islamic origin. amounts to a literally monstrous education. Shelley's audacity to call the Islamic context horrific and to assert that Islamic culture simply cannot provide a trustworthy education is a final and significant addition to an already racist novel. The effect of Shelley's inclusion of the creature's and Safie's similar life stages can be condensed into the importance of the creature's exponential acquisition of knowledge while living at the cottage. Without the need to teach Safie history lessons to compensate for his horrible teachings as a child, the creature would not have been able to gain "a superficial knowledge of history and an insight into the various empires currently existing in the world”” (Shelley 84). It is because of these lessons, in which he is appalled by the frequency of human "'vices and bloodshed,'" that the creature begins to feel "'disgust and hatred'" toward humanity (Shelley 84). . Later, Felix moves from teaching the story to explaining the basic societal structure, resulting in the creature's agony. He realizes that he has no rank in society and is a loner with little hope of future relationships with other people. These strong, negative reactions due to Felix's teachings were ultimately too powerful for the creature to overcome. He ends up murdering several humans in an act of revenge for his misery. The original cause of the creature's misery, Safie's lessons, are a primary factor in the development of the creature's future wickedness and unsympathetic attitude towards all humanity. Mary Shelley is known for being a bold activist,.