For those who don't know the story, Victor Frankenstein is an intelligent man who creates a creature out of dead body parts. (Never a good idea.) Intending for this creature to do good for society, he instead abandons it when he sees its hideous appearance. It is interesting that the appearance itself is enough reason to abandon his dream as well. "I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." Responsible man that he is, Victor thinks that running away will make everything better. The monster is left confused, angry, and afraid. On his own, everyone rejects the monster for his appearance. Later, the monster kills all those who are close to his creator because Victor refuses to create a companion for him. In the end, Victor dies and the monster mourns because vengeance has only increased his alienation, rather than provide peace.
One of the things I came away with is that no amount of strength, intelligence, or power will bring satisfaction. Desiring companionship and a sense of belonging, the monster is instead rejected and alone. All he wanted was a human connection; someone who understood him. I think he rightfully looked to his creator who would know him best. I'm not saying it was right for him to murder, but I understand why he would be hurt and angry by the rejection. So who is responsible for the crimes? The creator who did not provide any sense of guidance and fled or the creation who did the deeds?
Then I think about our Creator. He never left us. He knew us from the womb (Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:4-5). He desires to lavish love upon us simply because we are his children (1 John 3:1). He wants to be our provider and meet all our needs (Matthew 6:31-33). Not only does He wait for us, He runs toward us expectantly (Luke 15:11-32). He took full responsibility for our acts, gave us mercy when we deserved justice, and still desires the best for us. True love. God is the best Creator we could ever have. In the spaces between my frailty and the heavens, you are there. Thank you God, for being You and nothing else.
Our wholeness depends on
our closeness with the Creator.
John Paul Jackson
our closeness with the Creator.
John Paul Jackson
3 comments:
That was a good book. I took this one class about Romantic Fiction (Romanticism, not like romance novels) and that book stood out. It was thematically deeper than what I expected after a childhood of only being exposed to various iterations of Frankenstein's monster in popculture references.
My professor was this British dude who was renowned as one of the top Frankenstein scholars in the world. He got a book published that was a literary sourcebook filled with everything anyone would need to know about Frankenstein, including in-depth analyses and a list of other works that had similar themes. (And he made us buy it as part of the syllabus.)
I like your point about how fiction reveals man's depravity. While it's been a few years since I read Frankenstein, one of the things I remember being interesting is how Frankenstein himself is presented somewhat as a villain, someone to be feared more than the creature he made.
I think Shelley's novel argues that the creator is responsible for the crimes of the creature. Not really a point of view I can agree with, but I think that attitude also goes to show the pride of man. Or I could just be talking out my butt about something I read like six years ago.
1. You're still up at 2AM!
2. Me, too :(.
3. Yeah, I was thinking what really is a monster and who was the true monster in this story?
4. Thanks for your comment! Was the class at Davis? My fairy tales class was also taught by a cool British dude named John Boe. He also headed the study abroad program to England with a focus on literature.
Well, I guess in Frankenstein, the creator was the real monster for just unleashing the creature into the world. But like you said, Victor Frankenstein didn't give his creature any guidance, probably didn't give it a conscience, and instead tried to escape it.
That worldview doesn't really jibe with reality because God gave us the Bible.
Yeah, the class I took was at UCD. I remember that fairy tales class, but I don't think I ever took it. How was it? What did you read?
Here's the book my prof wrote:
http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Shelleys-Frankenstein-Sourcebook-Literature/dp/0415227321/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1289639425&sr=8-14
Check out his bibliography page, too:
http://www.amazon.com/Timothy-B.-Morton/e/B000ARDEYM/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
I think he wrote his own bio. He also has a blog. I don't think I will follow him, though.
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