In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, prejudice (which is basically an opinion made on a person due to the way they look, the color of their skin, their religion and how the dress) and perceptions of a person based on their appearance play an important role in the events that occur in the book. One can see this is both the treatment of the creature and later in the story of the fall of the DeLacey family. This paper will look at the prejudices in the novel and if and how they still exist today.
We can see prejudice in Victor Frankenstein before the creature is even awoken. Victor makes it a point to create a man who is better than all other men. He makes him eight-foot-tall, and the epitome of white male beauty (at the time) with pale skin, black hair and perfect teeth. Then when these attributes fail in making the creature beautiful when he “awoke”. Victor shunned him, running away in fear as soon as the waking creature reached out for him. Despite people’s opinion of him due to his looks the creature is in the beginning of the book benevolent and kind hearted. He realizes that his looks are off putting to people after he is attacked the first time when he goes into someone’s house unannounced and proceeds to hide in the shadows so that he does not elicit the same reaction.
However, despite the creature’s understanding that his appearance has caused him to be ostracized from society. When he hears Felix teaching Safie, who is Arabian and does not seem to know the language yet, from Volney’s Ruins of Empires he is taken back by the cruelties that man has committed against one another. He is shocked further when he discovers the prejudices that society has against each other based on nothing more than the color of their skin and their race. He mentions learning that the Asians were lazy, while the Greeks were geniuses, the Romans were virtuous and full of great military leaders until their empire fell. He also learned of the rise of Christianity and the cruelty of the Europeans against the Native Americans and the Mezo-Americans. From listening to Felix speak, he was also able to ascertain how he should have been treated at his “birth” (Shelley 1996).
In regards to prejudices one can see that in Ruins of Empires, and Felix’s explanation of it that there is an intolerance of the “other”. Any culture that is not white European is portrayed as being dangerous or lesser. However, even though the story that Felix was reading was set in their past, the world in which Felix and Safie live was still a place where prejudices were prevalent. We will learn in chapter 14 that Safie’s Turkish, merchant father had been imprisoned because he was Muslim and that this upset Felix, who had vowed to help him. Safie’s father promised Felix her hand in marriage only to betray him because he was a Christian. Later after Felix’s family is imprisoned because he helped the merchant escape, the merchant did nothing to help the family. Safie decided to reconnect with Felix because she did not want to live the oppressive life of a woman in Islamic society.
One can see a lot of prejudice, racism and sexism in the aforementioned story. Safie’s father is judged because of his religion. He in turn judged Felix because of his. Safie is seen as being better than her father because she has Christian heritage. One can see sexism in Safie’s father promising Felix Safie’s hand in marriage without consulting her first. The reason for this is because even though it is normal for the time period for women not to have many rights and to marry both for status and according to their father’s wishes. Most time the woman does have a degree of input in regards to whether or not she marries a person. In Safie’s case her fate was decided entirely by two men.
This speaks to Shelley’s and 19th century society’s perception of Muslims and Turks. They were seen as being untrustworthy, lying and self-involved. This is both because of the color of their skin and the religious faith. Nevertheless, Shelley makes sure to “humanize” Safie by giving her a Christian mother in order that her being a Turkish-Muslim gets offset and also to explain why Safie is a better person then her father. The perception and prejudices in Ruins of Empires and Frankenstein have not really changed, although in some cases the reasoning behind them has shifted. Most people no longer see Asians as being lazy, instead they are viewed as being overachievers. Mexicans are seen as being lazy, job stealing, dope smugglers who all sneak into the country in the middle of the night. Blacks are seen as dangerous, uneducated drug dealers whose danger levels increase with the darkness of their skin. After 9/11 anyone who look to be from the Middle East has a tendency to be viewed with suspicion. This suspicion increases if the person can be identified as being Muslim. This is because people have the tendency to equate all Muslims with terrorism.
The reason prejudice is because (1) it is that is ingrained into people at a young age either consciously or unconsciously that being white makes them better. This is done overtly by people making negative comments regarding people of other races. It is also done to people of color on a subconscious level when a person’s race is not seen in magazines, on TV, in dolls and even when a person has to change their hair by straightening it or getting weaves put in in order to abide by a white standard of beauty.
Works Cited
Shelley, Mary W. Frankenstein. Charlottesville: U of Virginia Library, 1996. Print.
