"You are my creator, but I am your master-obey!"
Frankenstein
written by Mary Shelly.
We all think we know the story of Frankenstein; crazy scientist, dead body parts sewn together, a bolt of dramatic lightning, and then "IT'S ALIVE!" Yes, it is true that Dr. Frankenstein created a monster, but the story is so much more than that. First I would like to address a few common misconceptions of media. Firstly, Frankenstein is the name of the doctor, Victor Frankenstein, not the monster. Although a forgivable mistake, it gets confusing, so there is Frankenstein and his monster. If you don't like it you can name the monster yourself. Secondly, Frankenstein is not trying to bring his brother, or anyone, back from the dead. He is trying to create life. Thirdly, the bolt of lightning and the jubilant shout of "It's alive!" is not anywhere in the book. Now that that is cleared up, the plot;
Sir Robert Walton is going on an expedition to the north pole on a search for adventure. After a period of sailing him and his crew come across an estranged man in the ice. This man is Frankenstein. Walton nurses him back to health and befriends him. After Frankenstein has his health back he will allow Walton to hear the story of how he lost everything. Frankenstein came from a well off family in Geneva. The story of how his parents fell in love and how his "cousin", Elizabeth, was adopted is embeded in the story. Briefly his childhood with his friend Henry is also explained. He then tells of how he went to college for science, and became obsessed with the desire to unlock the secret to create life. After much toil he succeeds the details are vague of how. When he beholds his creation he is horror struck and hides from it. The monster leaves and Frankenstein, traumitized, falls into sickness and is nursed back to health by Henry. He never spoke of what he did to anyone, but when he hears of his brothers murder he knows for certain it is his own creation that killed him. On top of that an innocent girl is executed for the murder which she did not commit. Fury and guilt consume Frankenstein. On a trip he comes face to fave with the monster, and wants to kill him, yet the monster is too powerful. At this time the monster tells Frankenstein his tale. The tale is an interesting account of becoming familiar with the world, and ,sadly, how cruel humans can be in the presence of a cruel monstrous appearance. The monster, angry at Frankenstein for giving him this life had killed Frankenstein's bother out of spite and loneliness. He requested Frankenstein make him a companion, a wife. Frankenstein is appalled and conflicted. He begins making the companion, but after the monster appears in front of him he destroys it. He does this because he must not let this race of monsters begin to bring terror to man for countless generations. So, there is no bride with a strange bone-chilling up-do. Spoilers. In retaliation the monster kills Henry, and tells Frankenstein he will be there on his wedding night. Frankenstein, engaged to sweet Elizabeth, fears for his life, yet still refuses to make another monster. However the doctor finds he was mistaken for fearing for his own life when Elizabeth is killed by the monster. After that his father, the last in the family, dies of grief. Frankenstein, a broken man, now dedicates his life to finding and destroying this heartless creation of his. In a chase across the Arctic Frankenstein loses the monster, and this is where he is picked up by Walton's boat. Frankenstein later passes on the boat, and the monster, finding his last hope for a happy life with another like himself gone, leaves with the intention of ending is existence. End of Spoilers.
Frankenstein was not at all what I expected it to be. I went into blindly without looking up any kind of synopsis and I was surprised. We all know the basis for this story; doctor creates monster. I thought it would be just that with complicated language, vocabulary, and things to analyze for high school english class'. However Mary shelly has constructed a story that grabs the reader and sucks them in like Tom riddles diary in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The book is written in letters that Sir Robert Walton writes to his sister. When I began reading I feared it would be confusing and disorderly written in so many letters by this random captain, but Shelly had our backs. When Frankenstein begins to tell his story Walton explains to his sister that he is going to take notes on Frankenstein's story and send it to her. Then again when Frankenstein's monster tells his story the perspective merely shifts for the time being. Always first person, this book is written in layers. If it helps think of it like the movie Inception. First there is Mrs. Saville(who is never heard from) the sister of Sir Robert Walton who gets letters from Walton who hears the story from Victor Frankenstein who heard the monster's story. The perspectives shift in from Walton to Frankenstein to the monster then back out from the monster to Frankenstein to Walton all being read by Mrs. Saville. Whew. That might have been hard to follow, but it was seamlessly done and it added flavor to the book. Also other stories were told within this story. Such as the story of how Frankensteins parents fell in love and also the story of the cottagers that the monster observes. These small stories embedded in the book give depth to both the minor and major characters. Also the language used in Frankenstein was easy enough to understand if you paid attention, but not so easy you feel like the book is mediocre. It is a good balance of understandability as to not taint the story while being elegant and enough of a challenge that you feel like you are bettering yourself by being exposed to this work of literature.
So, well done Mary Shelly! It's no wonder why your book lasted for generations. Thank you.
