An Unholy Mess

“Even now my blood boils at the recollection of this injustice. But it is true that I am a wretch. I have murdered the lovely and the helpless; I have strangled the innocent as they slept and grasped to death his throat who never injured me or any other living thing…You hate me, but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself.”

-p 210

While mulling over the denouement of Shelley’s Frankenstein, I was finding it incredibly difficult to place sympathy with either Victor or his creation. Both are flawed in nature and morality; neither one is truly heroic. Victor is primarily driven by his senses of ambition and pride. He selfishly risks all those dear to him in favor of accomplishing his goals first. In the end, it is this obsession with ambition and pride which leads to the demises of his loved ones and, ultimately, of himself. The monster, on the other hand, seems to be benevolent at first. However, he becomes hardened by rejection and self-loathing. While this would initially evoke sympathy, his murderous acts of revenge turn off any possible sympathy that could have been devoted to him. In the end, the audience can only look on, shaking their heads as both beings blindly succumb to their tragic flaws in a vicious cycle of destruction that only ends in their mutual demises.

Loss of Goodness

“She was there, lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed, her head hanging down and her pale and distorted features half covered by her hair.”

-p 186

And with Elizabeth’s death ultimately comes the death of benevolence. One of my group’s themes is that of benevolence. Victor and his creation both have encountered several people who displayed benevolence toward them. In the end, however, these people’s benevolence always disappeared. In the monster’s experience, the family’s benevolence dissipated with the monster’s revealing of himself. In Victor’s case, however, benevolence disappears from his life. In each case, as benevolence disappears from their life, the monster and Victor choose to decrease their own benevolence. It seems that Victor’s and the monster’s benevolent feelings only originated from others’ benevolence. This differs from Henry, Elizabeth, and Victor’s father, whose benevolence came from their own kindness. Victor and the monster only mirrored benevolence, yet their internal intentions are not rooted in good.

A Moralistic Sense (Foil)

“[Clerval] came. Alas, how great was the contrast between us! He was alive to every new scene, joyful when he saw the beauties of the setting sun, and more happy when he beheld it rise and recommence a new day…In truth, I was occupied by gloomy thoughts and neither saw the descent of the evening star nor the golden sunrise reflected in the Rhine.”

-p 147

This passage aptly portrays the foil that Clerval serves to Frankenstein in each of his interactions with him. During their trip to Scotland, Henry constantly rejoices in nature’s beauty and revels in being alive. Victor, on the other hand, is a dismal wreck, unable to see beauty due to his morbid obligation to his creation. This is not, however, the only instance in which Henry serves as a foil to Victor. Frankenstein earlier commented on Henry’s fascination with morality rather than science. He seems to speak of Henry’s preference with bemusement at the apparent foolishness of choosing morality over science. Yet it is this lack of morality which led to Victor’s horrific predicament. Indeed, Henry’s presence emphasizes even more Victor’s sinfulness and flawed nature which created such a miserable situation. Shelley uses Henry to prove to the reader how flawed and foolish Victor's endeavors were without morality.

Any Questions? (Rhetorical Question)

“And now, with the world before me, whither should I bend my steps?...How was I to direct myself?”
-p 133

One of the creature’s more interesting mannerisms in telling his story is his penchant for asking rhetorical questions. Mary Shelley writes the creature’s monologue in this style to increase reader sympathy. This occurs because the creature repeatedly asks Victor these questions to appeal to his own sense of sympathy. The monster is not only telling his story; he is pleading for Victor’s understanding. He is hoping that by asking these questions, Victor will understand the monster’s sense of a lack of direction and helplessness. He hopes that Victor will sympathize with the monster’s lack of guidance and mercifully provide the monster with a benevolent protector. In doing so, the creature also evokes sympathy from the reader, who also is asked these same rhetorical questions. The unique aspect of the frame story allows Shelley to apply these rhetorical questions not only in a pragmatic view which carries function within the plot, but also evokes sympathy from the reader.

Through New Eyes (Theme)

“These wonderful narrations inspired me with strange feelings. Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous, and magnificent, yet so vicious and base? He appeared at one time a mere scion of the evil principle and at another as all that can be conceived of noble and godlike…For a long time I could not conceive how one man could go forth to murder his fellow, or even why there were laws and governments; but when I heard details of vice and bloodshed, my wonder ceased and I turned away with disgust and loathing.”

-p 114

Mary Shelley seems to prefer to reveal a great portion of her thoughts on human life through the thoughts and struggles of the monster. Frankenstein’s creation seems to be used to express Shelley’s themes particularly well due to his relative innocence. He was just born about one year ago; he has only one year’s worth of experience and one year’s worth of understanding of human nature. It would do Shelley little good to convey her message simply through another human; inevitably, that human would contradict their own reflections on humanity because he is, first and foremost, human. Yet by imposing such themes on the monster, Shelley is able to ponder human nature through fresh eyes. Frankenstein’s monster dwells on mankind’s duality of conscience for the first time and in a way that most humans, who are used to this conflict, would not be able to think. Frankenstein’s creation provides Shelley with the only way she could properly convey her themes concerning the paradox of man.

To Be Human Again (Situational Irony)

“ ‘Abhorred monster! Fiend that thou art! The tortures of hell are too mild a vengeance for thy crimes. Wretched devil! You reproach me with your creation; come on, then, that I may extinguish the spark which I so negligently bestowed.’

[…]

He easily eluded me and said, ‘Be calm! I entreat you to hear me before you give vent to your hatred on my devoted head. Have I not suffered enough, that you seek to increase my misery?’ ”

-p 95

I found this passage to exemplify a rather odd case of situational irony. In this confrontation between Victor and his monstrous creation, one would assume that the monster would not actually be able even to communicate with Victor, let alone express human emotions. Yet surprisingly, the monster has learned to speak quite eloquently and seems to express a great sense of understanding of Victor’s rage, as well deep sorrow and misery. Victor, on the other hand, would be expected to be the more human of the two. Instead, however, Victor seems to be possessed by a wild rage against his creation. He makes no attempts to understand his monster, instead savagely threatening to commit the same crime which his creation had committed against his brother. Yet in being consumed by this blind rage, Victor seems to lose some of his humanity and compassion. This loss, combined with the monster’s newfound humanity, creates a reversal of expectation toward this scene. In a clever twist, the human acts like a monster, and the monster displays his humanity. By writing thus, Shelley poses an interesting question as to what exactly identifies man as being human: simple biological status, or true compassion and emotion?

Church and State

“ ‘I did confess, but I confessed a lie. I confessed, that I might obtain absolution; but now that falsehood lies heavier at my heart than all my other sins…Ever since I was condemned, my confessor has besieged me; he threatened and menaced, until I almost began to think that I was the monster that he said I was. He threatened excommunication and hell fire in my last moments if I continued obdurate.’ ”

-p 83

This passage seems to make a bit of a political and religious message about Mary Shelley’s culture. Shelley portrays the judicial system as one rather overbearing in nature. Justine’s interrogators, who now believe they have sufficient proof of Justine’s guilt, intimidate and threaten her savagely in order to get any sort of confession. Finally, completely broken down and dispirited, Justine lies and confesses guilt, despite her full knowledge that she is in fact innocent. What perhaps is even more startling than this reflection, however, is Shelley’s observation on the Church. It is not a mere city official who fiercely questions Justine; it is a priest, a “confessor” called in to hear her confession. This representative of the Church, who is supposed to offer consolation and peace of mind to Justine, instead reduces her to tears with his accusations and threats. Shelley seems to be hinting at a veiled attack on the Church of her time; I’m a bit curious as to how her contemporary readers took this criticism.