Humanity and Monstrosity in “Frankenstein”

Siddharth G. Desai

Roll no. - 07

SEM - II

Paper no. – 06  E-C-201

Year – 2010-11

Topic: Humanity and Monstrosity in “Frankenstein”

Submitted to Mr. Jay Mehta

Department of English,

Bhavnagar University.

          Mary Shelley has portrayed these two concepts- Humanity and Monstrosity through the unforgettable and the unbelievable characters like, Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist and the creator of catastrophe and another character is the Monster, the grotesque creation of Victor and the doom of his creator. The novelist has presented these two things in an unbelievable way. Can the Monster have humanity? Can the Monster ever have the Human feelings? Can he crave for human relations? Because the Monster, the name itself suggests the destroyer who is not at all human being and completely different from humans by his outward appearance. All these questions can be answered by studying the Monster’s character, because the way Mary Shelley has inscribed the character of the Monster in this novel, there is a new portrait of the Monster who is created before us.

          Talking about the Monstrosity, Mary Shelley has described- how far a person can go to fulfill his dreams? What kind of situation can the monstrosity create? How can the knowledge be destructive? Mary Shelley has manifested all these aspects explicitly.

          Victor Frankenstein and the Monster, both fare in this novel by their life-force in which both reflect the humanity and the monstrosity. Here, Mary Shelley has shown humanity and monstrosity in a juxtaposed way. She has displayed the humanity of the Monster along with the monstrosity of Victor Frankenstein. Humanity of the monster and monstrosity of the human, something like, the incredible that we never imagine. This is the core of the novel.

          Victor Frankenstein has desired to discover “the secret of life”. In short, we can say that he has thirst for knowledge which is completely against the Nature. The thirst which has destroyed his life and his love ones. Because of his excessive desire for knowledge, he becomes mad behind his desire. The standards of morality have been collapsed by his insatiable desire in Victor’s character. He cannot control himself that he is ready to do anything, which can lead him towards his success. When Victor realizes the results of his thirst for knowledge, he has lost his courage completely. When he knew that Walton has also a desire and he can do anything like him to attain his goal. He says…

“Learn from if not by my percept, at least my example,

how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge

and how much happier that man is who believes

his native town to be the world than he

who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.”

          Victor Frankenstein becomes fascinated with “the secret of life.” When he leaves the study of alchemist which he studied in Geneva but he is convinced to study science by his professor. He says…

“I will pioneer a new way,

explore unknown powers and

unfold to the world the

deepest mysteries of creation.”

         The above quotation sounds Victor’s keenly desire to discover “the secret of life”. “unknown power”, these two words show that nobody has never tried to know that thing which Victor is going to explore. These above words display how thirsty he is! Entering in the new world of knowledge (Science), he is so much conscious that he wants to explore the mystery of the life’s creation. Victor jumps on his study vigorously. His enthusiasm of learning about human body increases day by day and he becomes so much involved in quenching his thirst for knowledge that he ignores the social relations and keeps himself alone and moves towards progress in his study.

          He avoids contacting with people and he studies in his apartment by hiding himself where no one can see him. There is one reason which responsible for this secretly study and that is his selfishness. He does not want to share or tell his desire that he is going to dig out “the mystery of life”. And because of his true devotion to his work one day he discovers “the creation of life”.

          Victor starts creating the animated creature. For creating this animated creature, he goes to charnel house and he collects the body parts of human being from there. After lots of laboring to his creation, he creates the creature but the creature’s appearance is so hideous that he cannot see and that so horrifies him.

           Victor labors to create the animated creature secretly. He does not tell anyone, even he doesn’t tell his bosom “Henry Clerval” about his desire. By hiding himself, he constantly works on his creation that displays his selfish nature and the most hideous and coarse thing, that is Victor’s monstrosity. His insatiable thirst for knowledge leads him to charnel house to saturate his desire that no one can ever do this type of execrable act. He neglects his social relations like family, friend, study and social life. He keeps himself in an isolated place and works on his animated creature secretly. Here, we can see the theme of secrecy.

          His extreme desire for knowledge leads Victor towards his doom. The creation of the monster is a grotesque act of Victor Frankenstein. He never thinks that this creation of animated creature will turn into the Monster and this Monster will put an end to his life. Victor commits crime by going against the Nature.  In a way, by creating this creature or the Monster, he has broken the rules of the Nature. Victor is so pale towards the Nature that we can see in his below noted words:

“My eyes were very insensible to the charms of Nature.”

         

           These words show that Victor is an apparent human being but he must be an abnormal person or a monster from within. By these words, we can see the monstrosity of his mind. His creation, the Monster destroys Victor’s life along with the lives of his loved ones. On the basis of this, we can say that Victor is responsible ultimately for such devastation. Had he not created the Monster, would anybody have been killed? The crux of this discussion is that it is Victor’s keen desire to discover the mystery of life’s creation which is responsible for the sinister repercussions faced by Victor.

          Holistically speaking, Victor challenges the very laws of Mother Nature. In a way, he wants to transcend the territory of Nature by creating an animated creature that turns into a catastrophe. Victor wants to remove all diseases from the human body by his scientific power, by opposing Nature; he wants to attain God-like power by using scientific power. We can compare Victor with Dr. Faustus because Dr. Faustus also had the desire to gain God-like power and he also offends God by using black-magic witchcraft. Especially, Victor’s words: “My eyes were very insensible to the charms of Nature.”

          This symbolizes that he has nothing to do with the Nature. Whatever the result be, Victor wants to achieve his goal by hook or crook. He is completely conscious with his desire to discover the mystery of life. All these actions are the ripple effects of his fatal monstrosity.

          When Victor looks at his bizarre creation which is not a normal human being but a pernicious creature, he gives up his coarse creature in his apartment. He doesn’t share with anyone the secret of his creation. When he observes his Brother William’s body, he catches the sign of the Monster’s cures clasps. Victor doesn’t inform anyone at that time about his atrocity: his hideous creation- the monster is the culprit for William’s murder. Justine Mortiz is frames for the murder of William. Victor proclaims about the innocence of Justine but he never lets the cat out of the bag.

          We saw Victor’s monstrosity, but as a human being, he has humanity. First of all, he never tries to create this type of disastrous creature-the monster, but we know that it is his excessive desire to discover the mystery of human life’s creation. That’s the major reason which is responsible behind this whole havoc of his life. He wants to remove all the diseases from the human body, by thinking in this way; he tried to discover the Secret of Life. But, his formula or endeavor, fails and by default an ugly, eight feet-tall, huge monster is created by him. He feels guilty and grief for William and Justine Moritz, that at last he is responsible for their death. This is called a human feeling, that only a human being can feel and we can see that feeling in Victor. When the monster demands a female monster from Victor, first he is ready to create female monster by thinking that if he create her, the monster will stop killing his loved ones. But, then he thinks that if a female monster doesn’t like the monster’s company, perhaps she can also create disaster in his life. He also thinks that if the monster and the female monster both will live together there will be a new species created by them. Then Victor destroys his work of female monster. Victor does this for rescuing the humankind from the devastation. We can see here, Victor’s true humanity also the theme of abortion that is presented here.

          We saw the monstrosity and humanity of Victor Frankenstein. But if we look at the monster’s character, we can say that he has been introduced in a new way. The Monster, in whom we can see his fatal monstrosity, but he has also humanity for people except Victor and his love ones. When the Monster is shunned by his creator, he has to suffer a lot because he looks mature from his outward appearance, but he is a child from inside. Gradually, the monster gains the maturity by observing people’s action. But when the monster knows that he has been relinquished by his creator. He erupts with venom and kills Victor’s love ones and at last, the monster brutally kills his creator, Victor Frankenstein.

          The Monster brings catastrophe in Victor’s life and he destroys the whole world of Victor. When Victor realizes his mistake, he cannot endure. Grief-stricken Victor becomes insane. The act of destroying the creation of a female-monster adds fuel to fire to the Monster’s rage. And this rage of the monster brings a cyclone in Victor’s life, and declines everything. The monster says to Victor…

“Beware for I am fearless and therefore powerful.”

          We can, here, see the fatal monstrosity of the monster in a threatening way. He is completely fearless. He has nothing to lose. By observing his creation, Victor is affected by grief and guilt because his creation, the Monster is completely different from his desire which he had hoped before this. Victor’s love ones become scapegoats in between the revenge of Victor and the Monster.

          We saw the Monstrosity of the Monster but he has also humanity towards people. When he rescues the girl from drowning, by doing this the Monster says…

“It will afford me true pleasure to be

In anyway serviceable to human nature.”

         The above quotation shows us the true humanity of the Monster that we can never imagine. Can the Monster have this type of feeling? By quoting this quotation of the Monster, Mary Shelley has immortalized the character of the Monster. How devoted to human kind the Monster is!

But when the inhabitants of village see the monster with that girl. They attack on him. One of them fires with a gun. Then, the monster escapes from there. But he never tries to attack on them. The monster says,

“This was then my benevolent reward for me”

The above words earn our pity for the monster. These words are lamenting that shows the monster’s inner weeping. There is another portion in this novel where we can see the humanity of the monster.

When the monster is observing the peasant people, he realizes that they are unhappy and the reason is the monster himself, because he surreptitiously steals their food. The monster feels guilty and he resolves to reduce that family’s hardships by gathering woods at night to leave at the door for their use. This action shows the monster’s true humanity towards people. By observing that peasant family, the monster knew that they are able to communicate with each other by using strange sounds. He vows to learn language at any cost this shows his curiosity to communicate with people. When he saw his reflection of his grotesque appearance in a pool of water, he resolves to stay away from humans.

While offering a female monster Victor, we can see his craving for human relation. Like a normal human being, the monster also wants a female companion, with whom he can share his emotions, a companion with whom he can love and he can live his life like a human being. Comparing Victor as a creature of him, the monster says Victor that Satan had his fellow devils but he was solitary and abhorred.

“No Eve soothe my sorrows nor my

thoughts. I was alone.”

All these words show his utterly strong desire for human relation. In a way, the monster, here, compares himself with Adam and also with Satan. We can feel that the monster has human emotions, feelings, and awareness toward human relation.

Here, in this novel, Marry Shelley has manifested the humanity and the monstrosity through the creature like, Victor Frankenstein and the monster in a marvelous way. How destructive the thirst of Knowledge can be! That we can see, explicitly, by the example of Victor Frankenstein. Marry Shelley has tried to convey that excessive thirst of Knowledge can lead you towards destruction. Victor breaks the rules of the nature. He goes against the god’s territory therefore he has to pay his life. In the case of the monster, this thing is completely akin to Victor. Ultimately, the knowledge of the monster realizes him that he is shunned by monster have to die at the end. We can see, here, Marry Shelly’s use of Christian concept in the case of Victor. Victor tries to go opposed to the ultimate power, the god and he has to pay a great cost that is his life. Whenever anyone will go against the god, he or she has to pay his or her life.