Marys Concept of Social Evil and Humanization of the Monster - Book Report/Review Example

Mary’s Concept of Social Evil and Humanization of the Monster Introduction In the novel, “Frankenstein” the cluster of symbols that Mary Shelly manipulates to conjures up the monster ultimately propounds the theme that a monster is not monstrous by birth; rather a monster is what it receives from its creator as well as others. Most of the symbols, related to the character-traits of the Monster in the play, are engaged in assigning the visually horrifying features that are the typical characteristics of a traditional monster. But some of these symbols dominantly go on to purport that Frankenstein’s Monster is the victim of its creator’s as well as the society’s injustice towards him. Frankenstein’s Monster with an over sized “muscular body”, “yellow skin”, “teeth of a pearly whiteness”, “[yellow] watery eyes”, “shrivelled complexion” and “straight black lips” invoke the image of ferocious cannibal that eats up human beings. In contrast to these visual symbols, the humanly quality of the monster is expressed through behavioral ones. Indeed the behavioral symbols such the monster’s longings for a female monster, its rescue of the peasant girl, its remorse upon the killing of the creator Frankenstein, etc generate the monster in a humanly fashion. Indeed these two opposing sets of symbols together conjure up a newborn baby with a traditionally horrifying monstrous appearance. Again there is another symbol of the “peasant girl” that serves as a foil to the monster’s ugly appearance, while propounding that the monster himself is as harmless and innocent as the girl is. Behavioral Symbols of Humanization in the Monster’s Character Shelly’s monster is not the conventional evil. Though she chooses to portray the monster in a ferocious human eater’s image, psychologically he is a newborn baby, as the monster claims, “My food is not that of man; I do not destroy the lamb and the kid to glut my appetite; acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment” (Shelly 148). Here Shelly attempts to propound that simply creating one does not draw an end to the creator’s responsibility. At the opening of the novel the readers learns that the monster is hideous and repulsive. But later the reader learns that in spite of his physical ugliness, mentally the monster is something like a newborn baby. From the very beginning of his existence, the monster has been deserted by his creator because of his horrible appearance. Being abandoned by his creator, he tries to adapt himself with human society. But he realizes that he is doomed because of his ugliness since the society is grossly obsessed with his ugly look. Therefore he takes revenge on his creator killing him and his relatives. All of these murders that Frankenstein commits considered as the reflection of the society’s attitude towards him. Also he murders Victor’s wife and his best friend, only when Victor deceives him by destroying the female monster. Mary’s Conception of Social Evil and Injustice In the novel, Mary advocates that a monster or evil is man’s own creation. The monster also gives what he receives from the society. Mary proves that the monster is the reflection of human society’s behavior. Though the Monster often shows generosity and sensitivity, the society has denied acknowledging it. He rescues the peasant girl from danger. But instead of being rewarded, he receives hatred and beatings only because of his ugly look. The monster laments over the society’s cruelty and rejection in the following manner: “I admired virtue and good feelings and loved the gentle manners and amiable qualities of my cottagers, but I was shut out from intercourse with them, except through means which I obtained by stealth, when I was unseen and unknown, and which rather increased than satisfied the desire I had of becoming one among my fellows” (Shelly 129) In the “Frankenstein”, the readers feel a strange humanity behind the surface level savagery. Shelly’s monster is visually savage. The human part of the monster’s image is further concentrated by his rescue of a peasant girl. This rescue essentially makes the readers more confused about the monster’s humanly quality. Initially the ugliness that appalls the readers initially turns into a kind of empathetic feeling for the beast (Klein, 2006, p. 139). The readers indeed find their own tender feeling of love in the beast. Since the monster is brutal and since his countenance does not go alone with the expectations of a commoner, this human-like monster appears to be the most unfamiliar to the readers. Therefore at some point, the readers are convinced that he is essentially the reflection of Victor’s alien behavior. Now if Victor is supposed to represent the mother-society, then the monster represents the society’s hostility. But in the novel Shelly never explicitly tells about the society’s evil behavior and Victor’s intentional animosity towards his creation; rather it is Victor’s instinctive hatred for the ugly and his failure to feel the child and human being in his ugly creation, as his innate hatred is evident in the line, “I started from my sleep with horror….I beheld the wretch—the miserable monster whom I had created” (Shelly, 1818, p.98). On the other hand, the monster is endowed with some rational capability to brood over his misery, as he says, “[which] I obtained by stealth…I was unseen and unknown, and which rather increased than satisfied the desire I had of becoming one among my fellows” (Shelly, 1818, p.129). Though he is hated and abandoned by Victor, he feels compassion to his creator. At the end his vengefulness ends with the death of Victor and he gets relief from agony that is reflected in the monster’s speech, “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on” (Shelly 187). Conclusion In the novel, “Frankenstein” the monster is the embodiment of Shelly’s concept of evil. The author purports that evil is the ultimate manifestation of society’s hostile behavior. By humanizing Frankenstein’s monster she advocates that every evil has its root in the society’s injustice. She reminds his readers that the monster possesses a human mind that longs for company, love and compassion. Shelly’s attempt to humanize the monster effectively advocates that monstrosity or social evil is the ultimate reflection of what a monster or an evil-doer receives from the society. Indeed, in Shelly’s view, the real evil is a society’s collective antagonism towards what the society does not like. Therefore though monstrous activities are never acceptable in human society, they deserve the society’s constructive attention. Also in the text, there is another implication that loving attention and sympathy can cure one’s monstrous behavior. This statement appears to be true on a number of levels. Throughout the whole novel, the monster laments over the cruelty of human being to his unnatural ugly appearance. Also Frankenstein’s monster imitates and reflects what he receives from his creator and his society. Again the way Shelly develops her concept of monstrosity essentially proves that Victor Frankenstein is the real evil who, being secluded from his society, seeks to fulfill his ambition. Works Cited Klein, J. Michael. “Beholding the Uncanny: Replicants, Cyborgs and Clones in Science Fiction”, [online] December 02, 2010. available at Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1818. Ed. Paul J. Hunter. New York: Norton, 1996. Read More