Frankenstein: some thoughts
Sadly, I’ve just now read Frankenstein. One would figure being the literary geek that I am that I should have read that book before, that, along with Moby Dick (which, coincidentally is not yet finished and is awaiting my next bout of holiday reading). But alas, you all must have grander visions of who you think you’re dealing with. I am not “reader extraordinaire”, but simply a reader (who also happens to be paying people to do it in the form of another degree).
Anyway on to Frankenstein. Thinking of classic 50s horror movies I expected the “it’s alive! it’s alive” mantra, but was disappointed. I also expected to be scared and yet was again disappointed. The novel is rather of the “what happens if humans had the power to create life” variety of scariness rather than the things that go bump in the night kind of scary. The novel (for those who haven’t read it) is the story of a man who has grand plans to make something of himself. This narrator runs into Frankenstein (who is the scientist NOT the monster contrary to popular usage) in the northern climes. Frankenstein has been chasing his monster in order to destroy him and is found nearly dead. He revives and tells his story of his idyllic childhood and the various stages that lead to his doom to create life. The monster finds Frankenstein a few years after he was created (and after he’s murdered Frankenstein’s brother) and is extremely lonely — after having learned culture (including reading Paradise Lost, Plutarch’s Lives and Goethe’s Werte) he feels unconsolable as humans seek to kill him after seeing his grotesqueness. All he wants from Frankenstein is a mate and he swears he’ll leave the habitations of men (and will lead a virtuous rather than vicious life) if he will have one thing which will sympathise with him. Frankenstein acquiesces and then revokes his promise fearing that the new monster might endanger all of humanity. The monster kills his family one by one as revenge. It ends with Frankenstein dying amidst his revenge of fever and starvation in the northern pole while the monster is finally repentent and vows to kill himself. Thus ends a rather sad story.
I have a few thoughts after reading the book. One is, should Frankenstein have created a mate for the monster? Is such a thing selfish (he thinks he’d be prizing his family above humanity) or not? Should one take pity on something entirely “evil”? Secondly the book brings out the depravity innate within all of us — it’s not so much about science and sympathy but about the baseness of humanity and the dangers of “playing God.” It seems that current issues of cloning and stem cell research could quite easily be our modern day Frankensteinian problem — we’re all in a fuss to get it done but the moment of realisation — the “it’s alive” phrase — will/may be as utterly horrifying as it was for Frankenstein. In the end, I feel sorry for the monster and yet there doesn’t seem to be a way out of a moral quandry that Frankenstein created and without a rescuer, we’re doomed to the same destruction. How’s that for a rather downer post? 
October 28th, 2005 at 12:06 am
Frankenstein, ever since I first read it last year, was a book about the need for human relationships, too. Frankenstein gets so obsessed with revenge that he cuts himself off from other people and dies almost crazy; the monster kills other people because he’s been cut off from them. “It is not good for man to be alone,” indeed.
Now, should Frankenstein have created a female? I’m never sure how to answer that.
October 28th, 2005 at 9:54 am
what a downer
October 28th, 2005 at 11:21 am
Sounds like an interesting read. I should add it to my list of books I should have read years ago.
October 28th, 2005 at 10:35 pm
I loved reading Frankenstein in a theory class two years ago. I was shocked by the seriousness of the nested narratives, and like yourself, awaiting the “It’s alive! It’s alive!” tone of it.
Another interesting factoid, I heard that Mary Shelly, Byron and (some other literary great) were vacationing together when they decided to have a “scary storytelling contest.” Shelly’s Frankenstein won.
October 29th, 2005 at 6:46 am
So much of modern literature is concerned with the question: “what makes us human?” Frankenstein is no exception. Certainly, Dr Frankenstein is seeking to ‘become like God’, creating life. His efforts only serve to make him less than human, spurning his pitiful creation, endangering his loved ones, becomming driven by revenge and rage.
Clearly, men aren’t ready for the kinds of dilemmas posed by taking on the role of God. I think your analogies to cloning and stem cell research are apt. And doesn’t it really go back to questions of abortion and birth control. Somehow, modern men think that fundamentally they are 100% in control of who is and isn’t born.
November 6th, 2005 at 6:07 pm
Even though im taking frankenstein for “academic”reasons this year, really enjoyed reading this book, it is full of quotes, interpretations and studies on human psychology and relationships and It’s surprising how something so old and far from our time can still be related to our lives and the society today. It is indeed a scary book: prejudices are scary, and so is loneliess and alienation. We all feel sorry for the monster when we read the story, but we can identify ourself in him…how many times have I felt that way? Also, the background of the novel is interesting: Mary Shelley’s life(and the fact that she was only eighteen when she wrote the book!) and how the novel relates to women, scientific progress, religion and humans. It might not be the most exciting book I’ve read but it’s definitely very interesting, well written and a classic that must be read! =)
oh n by the way im going to have exams soon about Frankenstein(yes the scientist, not the monster!) and I’ll keep my fingers crossed!hehehe