Being familiar with the pop culture image of Frankenstein, the sort of, “mad scientist breaks laws of nature and unleashes a lumbering, curious brute of a monster upon the populace,” makes actually reading the original story a very bizarre experience. The legacy of the story is completely different from the novel that began it all. The first thing I noticed is the framing device, or rather, the series of framing devices that make up the entire book. Instead of the bulk of the story being presented to us straight on, we are told stories within stories, with the primary viewpoint being that of an explorer writing to his sister. The layers add on as Doctor Frankenstein dictates his story to the man, eventually going even deeper once the monster reveals its intelligence to Frankenstein and the audience, and describes its life experiences watching a downtrodden family from a distance.
The characters of the novel are far more complex than the pop culture icons they would spawn. Victor Frankenstein is not simply a mad scientist pushing past nature’s limits, and accidentally killed by his own twisted creation, but a man with depth. He is a genius, although one prone to poor decisions, and his monster’s malice is primarily borne due to his inability to take responsibility for his actions. The Monster himself is a tortured soul, created with no outlet for his pain, and no reference for his morality. He is genuinely shown none of the sympathy or understanding he deserves, and his hatred for mankind is fully understandable for a creature of a blank slate whose viewpoint has being constructed entirely under prejudice and fear. All the monster wants is companionship, and he attempts to force Frankenstein to provide him with such, rightfully pointing out that the entire situation was the doctor’s responsibility. Frankenstein becomes paranoid that the monsters will reproduce, and backs out of his promise to create a mate, despite knowing the Monster will lash out at his loved ones for breaking his word. This is another example of Frankenstein’s problems stemming from his poor judgment, as he could have simply rendered the female sterile.
Frankenstein’s words attempt to convey the lesson of seeking happiness instead of ambitiousness, but his actions speak more loudly in teaching us to carefully apply both knowledge and common sense.
