By: Mary Shelley
Synopsis
Frankenstein tells the story of gifted young scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who succeeds in giving life to a being of his own creation. However, this is not the perfect specimen he imagines that it will be, but rather a hideous creature who is rejected by Victor and mankind in general.
My Thoughts
Frankenstein. I’m really not sure how to review it because anything I say will be inadequate. However, I will give it a try. It is a heart-rending story, and one that will remain in my collection to be read again. Especially since the version I have (Frankenstein Illustrated) has fantastic illustrations that certainly added to the reading experience.
Shelley uses beautiful imagery to help the reader see where the scenes are taking place. I also thought the letter format gave an interesting perspective to the story. It was almost like a story inside of a story. I was as interested in the letter-writer’s story as I was Frankenstein’s.
I have mixed feelings about both the creature (I will not call him a monster) and Frankenstein. Neither one is all good or all bad; they are morally gray (as a friend of mine put it).
I did not like Victor Frankenstein. I felt he was a self-absorbed, spoiled young man. He did not comprehend the ramifications of what he was doing. I don’t consider him to be evil, but I did feel he was a coward for running away from his creation and not taking responsibility for it. He was full of self-pity and self-centeredness. This was especially noticeable to me when he is in prison and is being nursed by a woman who thinks him guilty of murder, “I turned with loathing from the woman who could utter so unfeeling a speech…” He does not see the irony in being unfairly judged and treated harshly as a result even though this is exactly how he treated his creation. I do think he genuinely loved his family, just not more than himself. Perhaps, though, this is just a ploy to invoke sympathy. He is the one telling the story after all.
Frankenstein’s creature elicited much empathy from me. He just wanted to be accepted and to have companionship. Like a parent is responsible for their child, Frankenstein was responsible for providing for the needs of his creature. Failing to do this set the stage for all that happened. I felt so deeply sorry for the creature that I wanted to cry for his despair. The murders he committed were inexcusable, and while I was angry that he had killed innocent people, I still felt very sorry for him. He seemed to feel great guilt over his actions. He was capable of so much love and compassion if people had only taken the time to look past his exterior. He is the monster in all of us.
These are just my thoughts. What are yours?
