Frankenstein: A Deep Dive

Through the exploration of the consequences of mere scientific curiosity into far more treacherous waters, Mary Shelley's masterpiece remains a literary classic. Born out of a writing competition proposed by Lord Byron while on vacation at his house on Lake Geneva, Frankenstein is one of the most prominent cautionary tales about the double-edged sword of science and creation, and of course, is one of the most chilling and well-known horror stories still told today.

At the start of Victor Frankenstein's life, he is enamoured by a thunderstorm, more so by the lightning strike that burns the tree to a stump. This invokes a sort of rabid fascination with his scientific pursuit for glory and to destroy the ordinary bounds of life and death. However, his disruption of the natural cycle of life comes at a tremendous cost. Born out of lightning himself, the monster becomes the potent symbol of destruction throughout the novel in Frankenstein's life. The dichotomy of nature, used to give birth to a monster and simultaneously destroy a tree, is powerful in hinting at the very essence of humanity itself.

Lightning, as a symbol of the natural order, plays a very important role in the story. It is used to destroy and create. Used by Frankenstein to play God, it follows both Victor and the monster in the first volume of the novel. It serves as a foreboding sign of further trouble to come. Illuminating the monster in a grove of trees, the lightning reminds Victor of his lost code of ethics, and consequently, the effects of undertaking his journey, to punish him for playing God.

In fact, following the first murder by the 'daemon', so-called by Frankenstein, Victor becomes an accomplice to the murders which destroy him and everything he holds dear bit by bit. Through his dangerous pursuit of knowledge and his desire to transcend human limits, he becomes maniacal, turns on his creation, and instead becomes obsessed with his hatred towards his creation. Through the novel, we can explore the thoughts of both the monster and Frankenstein, allowing us to get two vastly different perspectives and opinions.

The superficiality of Frankenstein and the rest of the human race is explored through the monster's tale. Although Frankenstein feels guilty about the monster being set loose upon the entire world, he does not take full accountability for the fact and does nothing to try and reconcile with the monster or reason with him. He is so infatuated with aesthetics over substance that he flees upon seeing his own creation, which, in turn, proves to be vital in shaping the character of the monster. 

Through the monster's eyes in the second volume of the novel, we understand how justified he is in turning on Frankenstein and the human race at large. Through his actions and his naivety of the world, we understand he is nothing more than an innocent child ignorant of the evils and the true state of humanity. The physical and verbal abuse he has been facing ever since his inception clearly justifies his need for vengeance. The cruelty humanity has inflicted on him and the fact that even his creator has spurned him induce within him a hurt that can only be healed through revenge of the highest order. For this reason, he becomes a character of our pity and sympathy instead of our hatred. His mere creation highlights the darkness and moral weakness beneath the guise of goodness of all men. Through the monster's willingness to learn and grow and emulate human beings, he ends up being ostracized and isolated to the point where he begins to hate himself and his creator. This further draws attention to the fact that even though Frankenstein selfishly created the monster, he assumes no responsibility for his creation and abandons the monster without an ounce of compassion, valuing aesthetics more than anything.

By allowing the monster to have a voice of his own, Shelley lends him identity and agency. His perspective allows more depth to the story and creates a more multifaceted character than a mere 'daemon'. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it allows a deeper insight into the ugliness of humanity and exposes the complete and repulsive nature of its true monstrosity.

In the third and last volume of the story, we finally switch back to Robert Walton's narration. This helps to break the tensions from the dual narration of the monster and Frankenstein. Moreover, this lends a voice to the reader and the common man who is the audience for this far-fetched, yet enticing story told through the lense of a scientist driven to the brink of mental and physical collapse from chasing the unattainable and failing to deal with the results of his explorations. Through both Walton's letters to his sister and his continuation and ending of the novel, we get to know the intimate feelings of the readers and the common humanity his character represents; revulsion towards the monster, sympathy and a certain fearsome reverence towards Frankenstein, and in the end the proof of gullibility of the masses towards a sorry figure of a man.

Although he commits several murders, humanity has been guilty of committing murders and other brutal crimes since the dawn of time. It is human nature to murder its own kind and wreak havoc without an ounce of feeling. Therefore, the credibility of the human race and its innate goodness can be called into question, the very thing that Frankenstein was trying to preserve, while thinking about his condemnations for releasing the 'filthy beast' upon the world, and in turn, trying to hunt and kill his creation.

Therefore, who is the monster and who is the man?

The answer lies concealed somewhere between the 210 pages of the novel, waiting to be exposed.