Frankenstein

I find it really interesting how the story of Frankenstein evolved into the almost mythic representation of his monster that we think of today. Most of this imagery derives from the many Frankenstein movies. There are no dramatic switches, or lightning strikes, or assistant Igors in the novel. Frankenstein is driven, but he’s not the cackling mad scientist many imagine. And far from being a mindless, animated corpse, Frankenstein’s monster was intelligent and full of very human emotions and desires.  It was the constant denial of these desires, and the lack of loving companionship, that led to his murderous nature.

Frankenstein seems to focus largely on the consequences for not taking personal responsibility, as well as the nature of good and evil. Instead of dealing with his mistakes, Frankenstein continually runs away from them. But in running away, he only makes his problems worse; the stress of not knowing what the monster is doing or where he is gives him nervous breakdowns, and the monster grows more vengeful as time passes.

The monster himself is a tragic figure. He starts off childlike. He wants to be accepted, loved, and cared for, and he wants to care for others in turn. He becomes deeply attached to the family he watches, and our hopes rise with his that they might even accept him. Of course, it isn’t to be; they drive him away and he is left rejected and bitter. Shelley seems to be commenting here on the way society usually equates goodness with beauty and evil with ugliness. After this, the monster passes from childhood to adulthood, and seeks a female partner instead of a family.

Women seem to be held up on pedestals in this novel, not so much as strong figures but more as beautiful ideals that men admire as sisters, mothers, and wives. This makes sense knowing the context of the times it was written in. Women become a sort of prized possession or cherished pet.