For the History of Horror, SciFi, and Fantasy Literature class (if I fail this class, there might as well be no hope for me) I had the pleasure of once again diving into an old favorite. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. The novel, popularized by the 1931 Boris Karloff masterpiece, has ingrained itself within pop culture. The creature is as popular today as he ever was, perpetuated by the publics fascination with tales of the undead. Often do we find parodies or loving jabs at an undead behemoth with a phobia of fire, an on/off affiliation with angry mobs, and a vocabulary learnt by the same rosetta stone program Tarzan must’ve gotten a hold of.
It is rare however to see pop culture recognize the original fallen angel of Mary Shelly’s novel. The creature within the novel is more Man than Monster, more misunderstood than malevolent. You won’t find green flesh and bolted necks here. Instead, Shelly’s creature is one of pale white skin, pearly teeth, and yellow eyes. The collapsed skull of famous imagery, here a full head of long ebony hair. His speech is pure eloquence. This is a creature who’s brain is not abnormal, but innocent. He is born into the world instantly abandoned by his creator. It is at this moment, the creature enters the world as a baby does, completely unaware of its workings.
Right off the bat, he is attacked by townspeople, simply for the way he looks. After this brutal attack he survives off the forest, to satisfy the very human pangs of hunger. Finding a hovel, adjacent to a small cottage, he lives vicariously through it’s inhabitants. It is by observing these gentle beings that he learns speech, forms ideas and concepts, enlightens his mind with the exploits of history. The bliss of growing into humanity is short lived as he reveals his existence, and is shunned. Once more he is reviled by the world and shortly there after burns the cottage. He commits an act of destruction as justified by the histories of Plutarch’s Lives.
Interesting how many have gotten this poor man all wrong.
Most commonly, he has been referred to as Frankenstein’s Monster. Shelly is quite careful to avoid “monster” yet dons him “creature.” This entitles him simply as non-human, not inherently malevolent. The Creature’s malevolence is borne from his learnings. He has learned the art of murder and destruction by filling his mind with the histories of others. Shelly’s not so subtle accusations on mankind are furthered when The Creature bargains with his creator for a bride. The Creature tells his creator that once he is betrothed, he shall run away with his soul-mate to South America and live amongst the wilds of the amazon, far from humanity. The Creature seeks solace from us.
For the longest the time the monster has had the mistake of being called Frankenstein. Ironically, at the end of the day, maybe this isn’t such a mistake after all.
