Although many people make the mistake of thinking that the creature in the novel is named
Frankenstein, the truth is that Frankenstein is actually the name of the scientist
who created the monster.
The story is narrated by Victor himself,
who makes it quite clear that his quest for knowledge will be his undoing.
I thouroughly enjoyed this novel. I found everything about it to be interesting.
I especially like the way that the plot unravled and jumped from place to place.
It did not get confusing either. It was quite easy to follow.
The characters were well drawn and in everything that they did,
their motives were clearly known to the reader.
None of the characters did anyhting that seemed out of context.
There were parts of the book that were a little drawn out and slow,
but it always picked right back up again. Mary Shelley presents an issue that is
very applicable right now. Is it morally right to play God and attempt to create life?
Obviously, Shelley's opinion is that it can only lead to disaster.
Those who know Frankenstein only from movies and television
may well be surprised to read the original book by Mary Shelley.
Victor Frankenstein appears as a wretched creature stranded on
an ice floe beside the ship. After he is rescued and recovers somewhat,
he tells his incredible story to Walton, who in turn preserves the story in writing.
Frankenstein reminisces about his happy childhood,
particularly the close relationship between himself
and his "cousin" Elizabeth, and then explains how his interest
in discredited natural philosophy led him to create a living man of his own design.
The creature is a hideous, misshapen, giant of a man who so disgusted Frankenstein upon his awakening that he fled his laboratoryotn and residence.
The creation process, it should be noted, in no way involved
an elaborate machine powered by lightning such as is portrayed in the movies;
in fact, beyond the fact that chemicals are involved,
we are told nothing of the process. For two years, Frankenstein goes
about life with a clinging sense of guilt and nervousness, hoping the creature has perished.
When his little brother is murdered, though,
he returns home and soon discovers that it was the monster who committed the deed.
In an isolated mountainous area, the monster appears before
him and explains his actions. Although the creature does nothing
more than grunt in the movies, the original Frankenstein was possessed
of great eloquence and intelligence, and he tells a moving story
about his attempts to make a connection with a society that is revolted at the sight of him.
He describes living in a small hovel at the back of a small house for many months,
watching the interaction of the family inside, learning how to speak their language and eventually even learning how to read.
When he eventually tries to interact with the family, he is assaulted and runs away,
and it is at this point that his virtuous and peaceful nature begins
to become inflamed into a torrent of hatred for mankind.
When he rescues a girl from drowning, he is rewarded with a bullet in his shoulder.
Each time he performs a good deed, mankind runs from him in disgust or attempts to harm him. Living in total isolation and loneliness,
his one purpose in life eventually becomes tormenting his creator,
and many terrible misfortunes ensue for Frankenstein, who himself eventually becomes dedicated to the sole purpose of destroying his tormentor.
Both Frankenstein and his monster are tragic figures.
The complete alienation of the creature makes him a very sympathetic character
in many respects, and he does perform many kind deeds for humans early on.
Frankenstein is an utterly pitiable character utterly destroyed
by his mad decision to create the monster; he burdens his soul with responsibility
for every crime the monster commits, and his inability
to tell anyone his secret for so long destroys him in body, mind, and soul;
everyone and everything he cares for is taken from him by his horrible creation.
His tendency to bemoan his fate at every turn of the narrative can get rather tiresome,
but one cannot question the depth of his turmoil.
Both creator and created seem to be mirror images of each other in important ways,
their fates clearly tied to one another, each soul deserving both blame and pity.
There is much about human nature, both good and bad,
revealed in the monster's life as well as Frankenstein's; the novel is a far cry
from horror for the sake of horror.
