Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Title: Frankenstein

Author: Mary Shelley

Pages: 280

Publication Date: Jan 1, 1818

Genre: Gothic novel, horror fiction, science fiction

Scientist Victor Frankenstein learns how to create life, but his discovery goes quickly awry when he creates a monster larger and stronger than an ordinary man. As the monster uses its power to destroy everything Victor loves, the young scientist is forced to embark on a treacherous journey to end the monster's existence. It's an epic, enthralling tale of horror from a master of suspense.

Review

This was the first read of the year for me (I've been in quite a slump lately). I received this book as a gift on Christmas from my beloved boyfriend, and I am really happy to have started the reading year on a high note! I was pleasantly surprised and engrossed in this novel. I was pleased with the eloquent writing style and the themes. We all know of Frankenstein, the monster in pop culture, but to know of the origin story is of value too. This book is ultimately a statement on the duality and nature of being human, and what it means to be a monster. The premise is quite simple: Victor Frankenstein is a scientist who learns how to create life, but ultimately creates a daemon who is visually disgusting and repulsive, although it is capable of consciousness and complex thought in every form. It is shunned by society, tormented by the misery of being alone, and hated for its appearance. As a result, it kills the loved ones of Victor for vengeance, but ultimately burns itself on a pyre once Victor dies. It is a simple linear storyline, but it holds much material for in-depth analysis and really makes you think about the question, "What does it mean to be good and evil?". It discusses the ethics of scientific invention and morality, which are big discussions that have no easy answer.

After Victor creates the monster, it runs away and resides in a hovel beside a house inhabited by people. He learns the ways of life, human language, and sees affection and endearment through the interactions of the family. This is the developmental stage of his life, comparable to an infant becoming a child as he learns about human interaction and human nature. He learns through observation rather than direct interaction, and sees things in a very idealistic light, completely unaware of the evil and darkness of human nature. Because he witnesses the feeling of belonging and love so much, he cannot help but hope to become a part of it and be accepted into the family. However, it is his appearance that he knows will offset and repulse his interactions with humans. Fortunately, there is a blind man in the family who he approaches and makes a speech about how he'd like to be accepted without judgment into interacting with the family. The blind man listens to him, but he is ultimately left rejected when the other members of the family intrude on the conversation and see his hideous appearance. They leave their house, and the monster wanders the forest. He saves a drowning child, but then he is shot because of his hideous appearance, leaving the monster to feel a plethora of emotions from abandonment, being shunned, loneliness, and immense sadness--so much that this turns into insatiable anger towards his creator, and longing for a companion.

One thing I love about this novel is how it explores the depths of all sorts of emotions from love, belonging, hatred, vengeance, and despair. We see how much longing the monster has for psychological needs once it has its basic needs met. Ultimately, although the monster is a science experiment, I feel like this novel is a psychological experiment on morality and ethics. "If we created life in an unnatural way, could we ever accept the repercussions?" Shelley was definitely ahead of her time by pondering these deep questions. To Victor Frankenstein, the answer is no. The monster pleads with Victor to create a female companion for him, and he swears that they will leave the country and live in isolation from humanity. Although Victor contemplates this proposal for a while and even starts working on the companion, he cannot come to terms with the idea that they may have children one day and populate the earth with daemonic creatures who are capable of doing evil acts.

Victor Frankenstein is basically playing God by creating life, and deciding whether to continue being this omnipresent creator is his moral dilemma. "Should we have the right to play God?" Shelley's answer is also no. Anyone who tries to do that will suffer. And Victor does. The monster kills his brother first. Then because Victor does not create a companion for him he then out of revenge goes on to kill his childhood best friend, his wife, and ultimately his father dies from the despair of it all. If life can be created from the creations of God, in an unnatural way, even if it possesses all the inner qualities of being human, it can never be accepted into society. Although we have to then ask the question, if the monster looked like a real human being, would it be accepted into society? The probable answer is yes, through mere imitation and deception of being a real human. Of course, this was written in 1818 when the idea of a humanoid robot wasn't fleshed out at the time, literally. So the focus is on the appearance of the monster, and how it is the cause of it being shunned by society. But the idea remains of the religious theme that God is the only one who is allowed and capable of creating "real". However, we could argue that the monster is as human, if not more, than the humans in the novel. All of his emotions are rationally justified, and all of his actions are emotionally driven.

So, who is the real monster? Is it Victor or the daemon? Is it society? I think that Frankenstein and the monster are a metaphor for the duality and nuance of human nature. The monster is capable of goodness, of human desire for love and belonging, but it is ultimately twisted by the evilness of humanity by their judgmental nature, which becomes his magnum opus. The main message of the novel is: monsters are not born, they are created; we create the monster. Figuratively and literally. This is the famous question of "nature vs. nurture", and althought he answer is always both, I think Shelley heavily leans towards the argument for nuture in this novel, even though its nature (appearance) predisposes it to be a monster. But the actual nature of the monster was not destruction. The daemon would not have committed all its heinous acts had it not experienced its horrors during its developmental period. In an alternate reality, had he been accepted into the family, all the unfortunate events would not have occurred.

It is a powerful message to ponder. We have to think twice about how we treat people based on appearances, and how judgment, preconceptions, and unjust treatment can ultimately cause horrific repercussions for us. We have to be more open-minded and listen, rather than judge. The novel is brilliant in that it evokes a great sense of empathy for the monster, and we even feel for it more than we do for Victor. He created a human who is even more human than himself. At the end of the novel, we are left with a feeling of sadness. This story is so creative in that it is not a direct telling of Victor's life at the beginning, but opens up with a sailor, Walton, who saves a stranger at sea and that stranger to us is unknowlingly Victor Frankenstein, who tells his life story. The monster appears to Walton on the ship when Victor dies on the ship from hypothermia and sickness. It is such a provocative scene because the monster realizes it has no purpose anymore after its creator has died and he has annhiliated the lives of all the ones Victor loves. He says he will burn himself on a pyre. In the end, both the creator and the monster die. It is important to note that the monster kills himself, rather than dying from being killed by Victor or anyone else. This is very symbolic because it is a metaphor that we are not God at all; we may play God, as with doctors and scientists, but we often do not have all the answers to complex moral and ethical questions. The fact that the monster takes its own life is significant because it treats the monster as an entity completely in control of its own fate, and acts on its emotions and rationality that it has no purpose anymore. Emotions and rationality are two core tenets of being human, but the even more human thing to do is to take one's own life. Humans are the smartest and most evolved animals on earth, but it is the only animal that commits suicide. Thus, this packages the monster in the end to be the most human-like creature in the novel, even though it is the most un-human. The dichotomy of the concept is such an oxymoron, and this ending was so perfect in that it tied in all these themes together and left me in a very pensive state.

Overall, I loved this book, and I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It might be a simple and short read, but it asks complex questions. Frankenstein is a masterpiece and definitely a classic worth checking out!