Reading Frankenstein [2022]

An interpretation and the modern relevance of ‘Frankenstein’

I would like to discuss the modern relevance off the classic novel ‘Frankenstein’ written by Mary Shelley, in 1818. Most of us believe the word ‘Frankenstein’ to be synonymous with ‘monster’ but that’s not quite the case. Mary Shelley tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge who manages to create life. However, this ‘life’ is a hideous monster, so ugly that Frankenstein, horrified by his own creation, abandons it, only to suffer terrible consequences. It’s a gripping novel and it’s really no wonder that it remains a strobe of scholarly and artistic inspiration even after two hundred years.

The most obvious theme to me was the shunning of something so close to you, only based on their appearance. This topic is all too relevant today. We find ourselves tangled in a web of society’s expectations of us – of our looks, our behavior, even something as fundamental and personal as our identity. The creature’s initial innocence suggests that no one is born a monster, and everyone is born needing love as they are. There is a need for not only acceptance but also celebration of individuality.

Then there’s the theme of enslavement. Chained to his work and his ideal, Victor denounces his creation, while the creature finds freedom and power in its rejection and escapes. However, the creature’s means of attaining his master’s affection are monstrous as it murders several innocent people, including a child. This begs the question – how high can we reach without being burnt? Because Icarus did eventually fall out of the sky. My takeaway is that our fight for our freedoms, while essential, should avoid leaving any destruction in our wake. None of us are judges or jurors, and a world of anarchy is one of violence and brutality.

Shelley depicts a self-fulfilling prophecy in the monster. Doomed to be forever unloved and misunderstood due to its creator’s cruelty, it embraces its monstrosity and seeks acceptance in destructive ways, and thus gives people something to truly despise it for – its hateful character. So, I stand corrected. ‘Frankenstein’ is indeed synonymous with the word ‘monster’, but the monster here is none but the one created by Mary Shelley – that is the character of Victor Frankenstein.

[Notes: If made to choose between standing for or against a person’s right to choose who they want to identify as I will always stand for. I have much to learn. Ambition is good but mustn’t we be cautious of how we attain our final goal?]