Frankenstein: A Product of Society’s Madness

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    Frankenstein’s monster is the inherently evil force in Mary Shelley’s masterpiece.  There is one primary question that the reader faces within this novel: Is the monster naturally evil or is his revenge-based behavior a result of the society around him?
     As the novel progresses, the monster grows in several ways, one of which is becoming knowledgeable of those around him and of language and books; the other is the way in which he becomes progressively evil, seeking only revenge.
     One may even parallel Frankenstein’s creation to the exaggerated life cycle of a normal human being.  The monster starts out as an uneducated infant, newly born and innocent to the world.  The root of the word “monster” comes from the Latin verb “monstro – monstrare,” meaning “to show.”  Monsters in literature and contemporary film show us about society from a defamiliarized perspective.
    On page 88, Shelley writes from the monster’s point of view, describing a scene of nature as seen for the first time by the monster:

‘”I started up and beheld a radiant form rise from among the trees.  I gazed with a kind of wonder.  It moved slowly, but it enlightened my path…”’

     Here there is clear innocence evident, as the monster does not even express ‘the moon’ as such.  Instead he describes it with such wonder, as the expression “Live every moment of the day as if it were either your first or your last” exemplifies.  Here, the monster is living it as it is: his first.  Furthermore, the symbolism of the moon is also prevalent; the monster’s feeling of exploration soon closes with the takeover of his vengeance.
     Society, that is, those whom the monster regards as peers, do not treat the monster as an equal.  They see and treat him as very differently than themselves.  Instead of naming the monster as they would name a baby, and entreat him with care, Frankenstein continually views the monster as an ongoing experiment.  This encourages a feeling of ostracization and contempt in the monster and projected from society that many circus “freaks” and “freaks of society,” whether willingly or not, have had cast upon themselves.  He is constantly viewed as “the demon,” or “modern Prometheus” instead of being christened with an actual name.  Surely the way others see the monster reflects on both his self-image and the way that he sees his peers.
     Furthermore, unlike a typical infant of the monster’s contemporary time, the monster never experienced true growth with a mother and/or father.  He is not cared for or loved, whether that be due to the nature of his creation, the nature of his creator or a combination of the two.  The monster constantly wants to be accepted by his creator, and when he does not receive this acceptance, he desires a female companion, perhaps as a direct result of the lack of a mother figure in his life.
     As part of the monster’s mock growth, he learns language and becomes literate while other characters learn as well.  He is at this point both an equal as the learners and a student as a child may be.  With this knowledge of language comes a method of communication and expectation of equal treatment, or at least acceptance, from Frankenstein.
 In the span of only days, the monster undertakes many questions which humans take lifetimes to answer, such as the presence of Creation and Fate (who am I and what is my purpose?)

“’And what was I?  Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant… hideously deformed and loathsome… I was not even of the same nature as man.  I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections inflicted upon me; I tried to dispel them, but sorrow only increased with knowledge…’”

     As the monster grew more intelligent and learned more things, he became more susceptible to sorrow and pain.  The worst of these being societal knowledge founded upon his dealings with people, such as when the monster saves a girl in the forest but a man shoots at him.  This results not only in the reader’s realization of a defamiliarization, but the monster’s own defamiliarization with society.  The monster did good deeds; he shoveled snow and saved a girl, yet people reacted negatively.  In turn, this produced enough abandonment and hatred for the monster to take vengeance in his own turn.
     Furthermore, there is an underlying religious commentary. The monster has no faith in Frankenstein, his creator, therefore how can he have any faith within himself or the society which batters him?  How can he know who he is with no sense of parent or place?  All of the guilt and isolation that the monster experiences are a result of society; society’s ills, even when personified as a monster, are still results of society.