Character Connection is hosted by Jen of The Introverted Reader every Thursday. It's a great meme to gush about the characters we love. Head on over and join up.
Frankenstein's monster.
Yes, I'm one of those picky people that get mad if you call him Frankenstein. He doesn't have a name and is known only as Frankenstein's monster in my favorite book ever! Frankenstein is Victor Frankenstein, the man and creator of this sad wonderful, and, yes, scary monster. Let's just not get them confused, okay?
He's portrayed as a monster. He's supposed to be scary, and he sort of is, but what I never expected going into this beautiful book years ago was that I'd get to read a good portion of the book from his perspective.
Seeing things through his eyes gave me insight into his evolution from rejected and feared creation to monster, and evokes such sympathy and understanding that I can't help but feel for, and pity him.
From the moment he is brought to life he is hated and feared, first by his own creator, then by humanity, and then, even by the family he watches for months and dares hope might accept him.
I can't even begin to do this character justice. You should hear it from the author's mouth. Enjoy the beautiful, passion evoking prose of Shelley and breathtaking art work of Bernie Wrightson.
My mode of life in my hovel was uniform. During the morning, I attended the motions of the cottagers; and when they dispersed in various occupations I slept: the remainder of the day was spent in observing my friends.
Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; 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...but I was wretched, helpless and alone...Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?
There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? No: from that moment I declared everlasting war against the species, and, more than all, against him who had formed me and sent me forth to this insupportable misery.
"You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being? This alone you can do; and I demand it of you as a right you must not refuse to concede. "
I thought with a sensation of madness on my promise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion, tore to pieces the thing on which I was engaged...."Shall each man, "" cried he, "find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone?"
Victor Frankenstein had created a man with his hands but by his actions, created a monster. Who can't help but feel sympathy? I hope you enjoyed the pictures and prose. I had fun searching through the book again and re-reading some of my favorite parts and I never get sick of looking at this artwork. So, do you think my sympathy for the monster is crazy?
I can not decide if I want to read that book and your review doesn't help it just keeps me torn. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! And no you are not crazy for feeling sympathy, I think if someone reads this book and DOESN'T then they are the crazy one! :) I should re-read. Like you, I was blown away by the sections from the monster's point of view and couldn't believe that that side had never been portrayed in all the movies and etc.
ReplyDeleteAre there any films that are based on the actual novel story and not just about Victor as a mad scientist and the monster as an inarticulate ape.
DeleteI love Frankenstein's monster, too. Such a tragic figure. One of my fave books!
ReplyDeleteI admittedly can't relate to receiving no affection or benevolence and/or compassion from absolutely anyone but I can surely understand what it is like to be treated as though you are different, unwanted and unworthy. That is I can empathise with the monster and even though I am horrified at the things he does, I do not feel contempt for him as I can understand his motives which are not unreasonable.
DeleteTrust me, I 100% feel sympathy for Frakenstein's monster, so you are not crazy! I would just hate to be treated like that because I am diverse. Thank you, great post!
ReplyDeletePerfectly understandable. Your point that is.
DeleteAdams family, I can't believe you haven't read it yet!
ReplyDeleteSuey, I agree and yet, I also feel sympathy for Frankenstein himself. Both sides are equally heartbreaking.
Belle, It's a great book. Someone mentioned it should be required reading. I think so too.
Roxy, Good to know I'm not alone. It's such a sad story but sooooo good.
I do feel sympathy for Victor himself, however, I hold him in contempt for never once acknowledging outright that he had a responsibility to the monster as his creator regardless of anything else. He flees from the monster in disgust shortly after its creation. When he next meets it, he feels anger at its horrifying actions (The murder of William and the framing of Justine that caused her death. The murders of Clerval and Elizabeth. Inadvertently from this he caused the deaths of Victor's father who died of grief combined with old age after Elizabeth (the final victim of the monster's wrath)'s death), while refusing to acknowledge its actions being a product of his neglect of it. While their deaths, especially those of Justine and Elizabeth (who were portrayed as the few characters of note that were untouched by prejudice of any kind and therefore possessed a purity to them unseen in most other characters) were horrific and you can feel for Victor's grief for their deaths, one can still not feel that his sufferings and those of his loved ones stem from his refusal to take responsibility for his actions in the monster's existence. His reactions to deaths of his loved ones was a combination of grief at their fates but denial at his involvement (the later part of the reaction increased after each incident). He felt he was in part responsible for the deaths of Justine and William but merely for creating the monster and not for neglecting him. Same With Clerval's. On the other hand, he believes the monster solely responsible for the death of Elizabeth, overlooking the fact that his refusal from the beginning to take responsibility for the monster's welfare or to give it the one happiness of a mate with whom it could find bliss led ultimately to Elizabeth's death. Even later he claims that while he may have had a responsibility to his creation, it was overridden by his responsibility to his own kind (humanity). He never at one point acknowledges there was an understandable rationale behind the monster's actions. He never acknowledged that he he had a fair motivation behind his actions.
DeleteI've read this book three times for school and each time I do I love it more and more! No matter how many terrible things Frankenstein's monster may do... I always end up placing most of the blame on Victor ( I actually wrote an essay for my Gothic lit class examining nurture over nature in the book....I definitely think this is an example of nurturing going wrong). The monster's perspective just give me so much pity for him that I can't help but love him.
ReplyDeleteIf children commit crimes as a result of having neglectful or irresponsible parents then, it is ultimately their fault that their offspring turn out the way they do.
DeleteOh how I love this book. F's Monster really was the most fascinating character and I think it's best when we feel sympathy for him. Now I need to reread this. Or read This Dark Endeavor.
ReplyDeleteWhat's better is to be able to empathise. To be able to understand and appreciate how someone else feels.
DeleteNatalie, That's awesome! I'd love to read your paper. The funny thing is, I always end up feeling just as much sympathy for Victor too. :(
ReplyDeleteMelissa, Yeah, I love him. I have not heard of This Dark Endeavor...I'll have to look into it.
Absolutely not! My heart broke for the monster -- his yearning to be loved and treated with humanity was so raw.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful artwork!
ReplyDeleteI do feel bad for the monster. He really had no chance to be other than what he was. If circumstances had been different, I think he would have been good, but when the world hates you, who can help but hate back?
I wrote a Character Connection for Halloween about Victor. I have no patience for him. He's more of a monster than the monster is to me. I'm glad you can stir up sympathy for him though.
Victor is flawed but not completely devoid of honor or decency. However, it is his inability to overcome these flaws that lead to his destruction and that of those around him. He has pride in his elite status, he feels a degree of contempt for those who are of lower class, of a different nation to himself (thus to a degree xenophobic), by the treatment of the monster one can assume he may have racial prejudice, he shows religious prejudice by referring to what is presumably Muslims as Infidels. I imagine he would be sexist, that is have sexuality based prejudices (misogyny and misandry are gender prejudice not sexual prejudice), e.g. homophobia. But otherwise he does possess decency (he is not portrayed as an overly cruel man). I'm not saying he is the noble hero but he isn't the dishonorable psychopathic villain either.
DeleteTheBookGirl, Wasn't it? It's so heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteIntrovertedJen, I can and do feel sympathy for Victor. I could write a whole post about him too. But the monster has always been my favorite.