It may come as a surprise for some of you that Frankenstein was the name of the scientist that created the iconic creature, and that the latter itself was nameless. This brings upon us the curious duality of calling Frankenstein the monster because, which one’s the real monster?
In Mary Shelley’s novel, we follow Victor Frankenstein as he narrates the story of his decline into madness and misery. He’s revisiting the accounts of the reasons that led him to create the creature, and the repercussions that came with it.
Victor is not the best person there is. He cared about his family and friends but, he was really self-observed. He believed it was destiny that caused all his torment, and throughout the story, refused to accept accountability for his actions. In an attempt to “play God”, he gave birth to his own Adam. When he took a glimpse of what he had created, he ran away and ultimately neglected his child.
Another surprise I had while reading this story is that the creature is able to talk, and his ideas are actually well-developed. The creature presented more human characteristics than Victor in that sense. He longed to be accepted by humans, but even his own creator was scared of him. It was heartbreaking to read that even his own reflection in the water scared him. This brings us to a Dorian-Esque topic: is everything that’s ugly evil? And in that case, is beauty good? In Dorian Gray, beauty is a sign of virtue, benevolence, and superiority; ugliness, on the other hand, is the work of the devil. We see this way of thinking in Frankenstein.
The creature is rapidly judged to be evil because of his deformities, and his intentions to make genuine connections were harshly declined. From what Mary Shelly wrote, I believe the creature was good to a certain point, he was just misunderstood and the victim of prejudices.
Frankenstein was a sorrowful experience to read. I saw the creature as an eight feet tall baby that wanted to be protected, but all he got in return for his benevolence was hatred. Hate made him act in heinous ways and he was aware of it. This is why I think that the real monster was indeed Frankenstein… the scientist.
I wouldn’t like to give too much away so you can also have the experience of reading it and feel moved by it. It was touching and for a book that was written in 1818, it doesn’t feel outdated. The writing style is very approachable and, if you’re thinking of starting to read classics, this read would be a great way to start that journey. Frankenstein is an amazing pick to get into the fall/Halloween reading spirit.
