Alston 1
Tyler Alston
Mrs. DiGennaro
English IV
10 May 2012
Mind of a Beast: A Literary Criticism of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow” (Shelley 47). We question human limitations. Some wish to defy the laws of nature and go against the conformity of human thought. We question our existence and try to define our roles in life. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein imagines a story where all of these thoughts are explored. A relationship between Frankenstein and the monster he creates allows for the reader to discover how human thought develops. An entanglement of questions asked by both Frankenstein and the monster reveal that it is not always a good thing to question things beyond our limitation because it will most likely lead to greater questions that can confuse us more, and ultimately lead to our demise. The imperfections of humans leave Frankenstein wishing to bring to life a perfect creation, but instead, due to his own flaws and over ambitious characteristics, Frankenstein ends up bringing to life an even greater abomination. While this abomination is not originally in nature a savage beast, but instead a highly intelligent being, his appearance is too grim for the over-judgmental human race to look past. Therefore, the flaws of the human race transform an originally docile creature into a disruptive force. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein explores the conflict between Frankenstein and his own creation, exploring the many recurring themes of human nature. Frankenstein’s internal conflict represents the dangerous lust for knowledge beyond human boundaries, while his creation's internal conflict explores life without guidance from a creator or a higher power. The monster also wrestles with how he views himself with society compared to how others view him in society.
Primarily, in order to understand why the monster was created it is imperative to understand how Frankenstein’s original lust for knowledge was born. As a young boy Frankenstein was interested in the philosophy of natural philosophy. Frankenstein was less interested in the current state of science that involved concrete structure involving the scientific method, but more interested in the science of alchemy, that believed it was possible to convert any substance into gold. While we now understand that it is impossible to convert dust into gold, these thoughts showed Frankenstein’s lust to surpass the limits of normal human nature. Frankenstein’s dad originally warned Frankenstein of the worthlessness of the study, foreshadowing to the reader that these works would spark a unique mindset needed in order to take on the task of creating artificial life. “If, instead of this remark, my father had taken the pains to explain to me that the principles of Agrippa had been entirely exploded, and that a modern system of science had been introduced, which possessed much greater powers than the ancient, because the powers of the latter were chimerical, while those of the former were real and practical: under such circumstances, I should have certainly thrown Agrippa aside, and have contented my imagination…..” (Shelley 34). Frankenstein ignored his dad’s warning, continuing to search deeper for knowledge that normal humans have yet to surpass. Frankenstein’s college professor pushed him to explore deeper past his limits when his teacher refuted Frankenstein’s claim that natural science was better than modern science, exclaiming, “The ancient teachers of this science promised impossibilities, and performed nothing. The modern masters promise very little: they know that metals cannot be transmuted, and that the elixir of life is a chimera. But these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles” (Shelley 42). This remark made Frankenstein want to prove that, through natural science, a form of the elixir of life could be created due to his studies. From these many remarks Frankenstein naturally felt inclined to pursue his goals of proving that the natural sciences could be relevant in today’s society. Frankenstein’s drive pushed him to gain interest in the human body. He made a remark that, “One of the phenomena which had peculiarly attracted my attention was the structure of the human frame, and, indeed, any animal endued with life. Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed” (Shelley 46)? The last line indicates that Frankenstein did not believe that the human body was a complete structure but could be improved upon. He was driven to awaken a higher consciousness of the human body. Therefore, a creature that was taller in stature, stronger, could run faster, farther, and a creature that did not have to depend on the normal nourishment of a regular human body was created.
As a result of Frankenstein’s desire to improve the human body a new creature was born. In comparison to Adam and Eve, the monster’s original views of the world were perfect and pure. “Strangely, although the secular theme is continued throughout the text, the religious references and biblical allusions cannot be ignored and are a complex addition to a text that could otherwise be viewed as a secular treatise on the dangerous nature of knowledge. Although it would be simple to pare the text down to such non-religious terms, it cannot be ignored thatFrankensteincontains a great deal of biblical symbolism, particularly the theme of the outcast and the story of creation.” (Nicole Smith Analysis of “Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: Mortality without God). When the monster was originally born, his five senses were struck with an array of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings. Even the simplest of worldly objects intrigued the monster. He proclaimed, “How miraculous did the huts appear! The huts, the near cottages, and stately houses, engaged my admiration by turns. The vegetables in the gardens, the milk and cheese that I saw placed at the windows of some of the cottages, allured my appetite” (Shelley 95). The monster at first believed the simple miracle of life was all he needed. Unfortunately, like all things created, the natural evils of the world corrupted the beast just as soon as he got his first chance to take in the miracle of life. He recalled, “One of the best of these I entered; but I had hardly placed my foot in the door, before the children shrieked, and one of the woman fainted” (Shelley 95). This quote represents the judgmental mind frame of human beings that comes from simply living. The theme of stereotyping that plagues societies from giving any person the chance at unbiased justice immediately struck the monster the minute he was seen by the eyes of humans. The ever famous cliché, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” captures the feelings that were provoked in the monster. While the monster was simply intrigued by the beautifulness of the cottages, the people in the town confused his actions for war. Immediately, the monsters innocence was wrongly ripped from him. The monster was doomed from the start not because of his direct actions, but because he was already created from a being that was already born in sin. Even so, after the monsters rejection, he still longed to have a connection in society. Mary Shelley created the birth of the monster in order to showcase the natural tendencies of human nature. The monster exclaimed, “What chiefly struck me was the gentle manner of these people; I had longed to join them, but dared not. I remembered too well the treatment I had suffered the night before from the barbarous villagers, and resolved, whatever course of conduct I might hereafter think it right to pursue, that for the present I would remain quietly in my hovel” (Shelley 99). Mary Shelley was showcasing that even before we understand the intentions of others, it is natural for people to group together and form communities. The monster said, “I admired virtue and good feelings and loved the gentle manners and amiable qualities of my cottagers, but I was shut out from intercourse with them, except through means which I obtained by stealth, when I was unseen and unknown, and which rather increased than satisfied the desire I had of becoming one among my fellows” (Shelley 124) The Monster wished to become one, but was rudely rejected from society, causing his desire for revenge. The feeling of unjustified resentment from another is a main culprit in today’s society that causes feelings of revenge to grow. Mary Shelley used the monster’s pain to show the pain that other people go through each day when they are rejected from their peers. Therefore, the Monster began to develop a set of introspective questions that he tried desperately to answer. The monster questioned himself, saying “My person was hideous and my stature gigantic. What did this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to solve them?” (Shelley 115). We ask ourselves these questions every day in an attempt to be accepted by society. Mary Shelley used the monster’s self-realization of his role in society to mirror how people try to define their roles in society every day.
Unfortunately, the monster, through a series of heartbreaks, began to define himself as creature that could only find substance in destroying his original creator. The monster was cursed with a hideous face, which develops into another theme of the story. In reference to the bible, God created human kind in his image, but were where corrupted due to the sins of the world. The monster itself announced its need for a pure creator, stating, “Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being inexistence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator;”(Shelley 116). Furthermore, the proceeding of an already corrupt being in Frankenstein caused an even corrupter being to be created. Due to the monster’s already flawed creator, resentment towards Frankenstein grew in the monster because he could not understand why his creator would create something so ugly that he could not be loved by anyone. Further sympathy from the reader is developed because the monster’s fate was doomed from the start, although the monster did have the possibility of becoming one of the purest creatures created. The monster, even without the guidance from others, and from holy books that humans look to explain the world, was developing its own set of morals. Mary Shelley was comparing the morals that the monster developed with its own wits, to the morals that we learn through religious practice. For example, the monster’s morals could be compared to those that don’t eat pork. “Although both the prodigal son and the monster are on the verge of starvation, they choose not to kill and eat the pigs that keep them company. The prodigal son will not eat them for religious reasons. The monster will not eat them for moral reasons, and explained in one of theimportant quotes from Frankensteinby Mary Shelley, “‘My food is not that of man; I do not destroy the lamb and the kid to glut my appetite; acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment” (Nicole Smith Analysis of “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley: Mortality Without God). The Monster immediately developed a connection with the human beings when he learned that the eating of their livestock would damage their health. The monster was willing to sacrifice for others, regardless of the treatment towards him, creating a model that all people should follow. The monster self-realization in society originally led him to be a passive, protective creature that would observe from afar the impurities of the world, trying desperately to hang on to its original pure form.
Ultimately, Mary Shelley walked us through the mind states of how an innocent creature was corrupted due to the injustices of the world. The self-realization of monster in society was used to help the reader look inwardly on how they developed the view of themselves in society. The injustices that the monster felt captured how we similarly feel when we feel cheated by society, resulting in violent behavior. Mary Shelley wanted us to view the monster’s pain so that we would not mirror the harsh behavior that the humans enacted upon the monster. Frankenstein was also used to show the dangers of acquiring more knowledge. Frankenstein’s readings of Agrippa are similar to the media that forever follows us, whether it’s from television, music, the news, or computers sites. Mary Shelley showed us that the lust for more knowledge can result in the complication of simple matters. Overall, Frankenstein and the monster’s hardships represent how people react to the harsh world that we must all live in.
Works cited
Smith, Nicole. “Analysis of “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley: Morality Without God.” Article Myriad, 6 December 2011. Web. Feb. 17. 2012
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein New York: Barnes & Nobles, 2003. Print
Smith, Nicole. “Elements of Romanticism in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.” Article Myriad, 6 December 2011. Web. Feb. 17. 2012
Anderson, Robert W. “Body Parts that Matter: Frankenstein, or the modern Cyborg?” Original Articles, 5 October 1999. Web. Feb 15 2012