"frankenstein or the modern prometheus" of mary shelley

"FRANKENSTEIN OR THE MODERN PROMETHEUS" OF MARY SHELLEY

1 - The plot of the romance

Frakenstein, a Swiss scientist, manages to create an human being by joining parts selected from corpses. Despite careful preparation, the result of the experiment is ugly and revolting; the Monster becomes a murderer and in the end he destroys his creator. The story is non told chronologically and is introduced to us by a series of letters written by Walton, a young explorer on a voyage of expedition to the north pole, to his sister, Margaret Saville.

2 - The monster as an outcast: one of many themes

The main themes of the novel are many:

the quest for forbidden knowledge, wich is present throughout;

the overreacher, in the characters of Walton and Doctor Frankenstein;

the double: Doctor Frankenstein and the monster, two aspects of the same being;

the penetration of nature's secrets, wich is related to the theme of the overreacher;

the usurpation of female role, since the creation of human beings becomes possible without the participation of women;

sociale prejudices trough the figure of the monster as an outcast.

This last theme requires a careful analysis, in fact thanks to the character of the monster, expression of fear, very frequent then, the novel became immortal due to technological development.

Frankenstein is one of literature's myths indeed because its roots rest in human fears, that's why it's still considered a topical book. The creature represents the 'different' which, being so, causes terror. The monster, therefore, wasn't born a monster, but it becomes so because of other people's opinions, who only dwell upon his terrifying and repulsive appearence. So Dr. Frankenstein describes him:

"His yellow skin scarcely  covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrat with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in wich they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips."

(Mary Shelley, Frankenstein or the modern Prometheus)

The creator's refusal represents the first encounter-fight with reality that the monster is forced to experience, he doesn't understand why he is deprived of his 'father's' love, and runs away. Later on he learns to speak French by hiding and observing De Lacey, a noble Frenchman fallen in disgrace and retired in Ingolstald. The family, composed of the rich and blind De Lacey, and of his son Felix and his sister, dedicate their life to agriculture and breeding. The monster helps and observes them in secret, bringing them wood for the winter and vegetables in the hard times, at night. When he decides to show himself they violently drive him away, disgusted by his appearence.

Because of his diversity from the other human beings, the monster ends up isolated from people and society, rejected and emarginated. He suffers this condition of involuntary exile, due to his dreadful looks, for which he is not to blame. Dr. Frankenstein's monster shows love and generosity towards everyone at first, but his terrifying appearence causes fear and disgust, almost hatred in whoever surrounds him: therefore, because of the society's emargination he changes hisattitude and becomes evil, violent, the kind of monster everyove thought him to be.