Frankenstein, Social Ostracism and Playing God
Shelley’s Attack on Prejudices and Romantic Ideas of Solitude
Jun 2, 2009
The Monster in Frankenstein has become one of the most famous horror figures in both literature and cinema. Often he is portrayed as an angry, violent, and blood-thirsty creature acting on cruel instinct. His slow movements and his gory appearance are reminiscent of brainless zombies.
Nonetheless, the original character conceived by Mary Shelley is a much more complex creature. In her book we get a glimpse of the amount of his cruelty but also of a fragile and sensitive being beneath who is shunned by other people because of his gruesome and fear-inspiring appearance.
Frankenstein’s Boundless Knowledge and the Creation of Life
Frankenstein, a young and highly ambitious scientist, endeavors to create a living being and devotes all his time and energy to this experimental task. Yet he is horrified at his result. He realizes that he has created a monster and that his scientific pursuits have turned into a nightmare. So he runs away and turns a blind eye to this horrifying creature.
The Monster’s "Sentimental Education" and the Rejection of the Outside World
When the monster is released into the world, he attempts with curiosity and strong idealism to make sense of his environment. Yet wherever he goes people are immediately frightened by his scary appearance and they either run away from him or attack him.
Consequently, the monster goes into hiding and begins observing an idyllic and good-natured family. Slowly he learns about their fate and at the same time through his constant and diligent observation he learns their language. During this period he also becomes a witness of pathos, emotions and romanticism.
All these new experiences elevate his soul yet at the same time he realizes that all this happiness is never going to be meant for him because he will always be an outsider and always be persecuted by the others because of his outward façade. This realization causes inner turmoil and frustration within and his baser instincts draw him towards revenge on his creator and general violence and destruction on humanity itself.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as Criticism on Romanticism and Lofty Ideals
Mary Shelley’s work is not only a tale of horror, but it includes a lot of emotional depth and density. During the Romantic Period both solitude and the quest for absolute truth, in terms of alchemy and other occult arts, were seen as essentially rewarding and grandiose endeavors.
But Shelley criticizes both in the novel Frankenstein. Solitude is not personally nor emotionally fulfilling but it is marked by a lack of interaction with other people and as Aristotle says, mankind is a social animal and needs the company of other people to survive and thrive.
In addition, knowledge should not be boundless but should be aware of its limits and limitations. To attempt to create life or to play God is an inherent danger and a double-edged sword. The scientist Frankenstein learns it the hard way and because of his experiment he and his loved ones must suffer both death and loss.
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