Also for the month of October, I have read the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. Written in 1818, It was an interesting read. Would I recommend it? Yes!
However, this is not the Frankenstein you are probably thinking of with your typical mad scientist who wishes to bring his monster into society with his trustee partner Igor. It is nothing like Gene Wilder's comical "Young Frankenstein," although I do enjoy that movie very much around Halloween time.
Oh no. Shelley's novel is dark and chilling. It describes the dangerous ambition of scientist Victor Frankenstein that brings this monster into the world by terrible means. Shelley explores the darker, deeper side of nature and science and thrills her readers with her famous monster story. There are so many different themes that can be taken from this text, I hardly knew what to write about! I could have written about the nature of unhealthy ambition (something I explore and write about a lot), about the role of science in that time period, or about the pleasure of knowledge. Here is what I chose to write about--
The the Romantic time period of literature, writers focused on these ideas: 1. Pure emotion, 2. The supernatural, 3. The role of nature in man's spirituality, and 4. This question: Are men born good and become depraved from society? Shelley's Frankenstein is a typical Romantic Literature book. So through reading this and pondering, I have decided to write about the monster's struggle in the book to fit into man's society and why it was impossible for him to do so. A brief analysis of Mary Shelley's, Frankenstein:
Frankenstein versus Society, by Melanie Walker
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley is a haunting and chilling tale about Victor Frankenstein, an aspiring scientist whose ambition to create life thrusts him down to his personal Hell. Frankenstein’s pursuit to create such life leads him to create a monster so terrible and ugly, that Frankenstein turns it away and makes it his fiend. Through the monster’s journey and attempt to be accepted by society, it is rejected and found repulsive to the rest of mankind. This rejection causes it to become a murderer and terror to all. Shelley’s text is an enlightening and thrilling read but also allows questions to rise about the nature of man and his role in society. Through the context of Frankenstein, readers can observe the message about humanity Shelley wanted to convey: men are all born innocent and pure but society makes them evil. If this is the case, what about society makes men evil and leads to their downfall? Shelley’s Frankenstein gives examples that allow readers to conclude that society leads to the downfall of pure men by its resistance to the abnormal and abhorrent, hesitation to anything that is not traditional, and the majority tendency to turn away the needs of strangers thus leading to destruction.
Society as a whole causes man to be evil by its intolerance to anything abnormal. Shelley tries to convey this by her constant description of the monster being abhorrent, sinister, and disgusting. In the book, the monster tells Frankenstein his tale of his pure love for a little family with a blind father he came across in the forest. He told of his desire to meet them in person after many months of observing them and doing kind deeds for them. Eventually the day came when he took courage and went to manifest himself to the family and when the family saw him speaking to their blind father, they cursed him and turned him away in violence, causing angry mobs to hunt for him and rid the world of his ugliness. From that day on, the monster became a menace to society when he began his first days in selfless service and love of others. This proposes an interesting topic about mankind when faced with the harsh reality of society. In the book, the monster states, “Believe me Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone?” (52).
The creation of the monster is another example of why he was not accepted into society; generally speaking, society is not susceptible to things that are not traditional. The creation of the monster by Frankenstein was anything but traditional—Frankenstein created his monster in such unimaginable ways that could not even share with his readers what those means entailed. There have been many examples of hesitation to non-tradition, such as when people conceive babies out of wedlock or when children tread on paths that do not follow the traditional lifestyle of the rest of society. The mere fact that the monster was created out of nontraditional means already predetermined that the monster was never fit to blend in normally with natural society.
Often, society will turn away from the needs of strangers because it presents an uncomfortable situation for the givers. The monster approached the family in need of companionship and love, and they turned him away because of his abnormality and that he was a frightening stranger. Rarely people in society will take in strangers because of the harm it could impose or the distress of offering up their personal living space. Though justifiable reasoning, it also can lead the needy into having a harsh outlook on society and prejudice thus leading to their downfall in the faith of humanity. Often this can lead to individuals becoming menaces to society because they cannot fit in. The monster himself said, “I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind?” (80).
Hesitation and intolerance to anything out of the norm defines society in many ways. Society causes men to be evil because of its resistance to the abnormal, untraditional, and needs of strangers. Those who do not fit in with society often are led to destruction and downfall, thus causing them to turn against society in wickedness. Shelley wanted to convey to her readers about the purity of mankind and send a message to society to not turn away the abnormal and abhorrent. It is up to readers to decide if they will heed to this message and accept abnormality. Perhaps they will save mankind from evil by doing so.
Happy Hallows Eve!
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