Introduction
Arguably one among the most prominent European gothic novels, Frankenstein is one of the stories that have evoked various reactions and criticisms from different scholars and gurus in European and American literature. Having been cited as one among the most common science fiction novels, Frankenstein covers a wide array of themes, making the book qualify for numerous argumentative topics among scholars. The story, whose main characters are a monster and a human being, who apparently is the creator of the monster, is set in Europe during the gothic period. Among the many scholars that have sort to criticize, analyze and carry out comparative studies about Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, is Craig Ashley Lancaster. According to Lancaster, Frankenstein’s monster is so much comparable to Lester Ballard. Lester Ballard is a man described by Cormac McCarthy as a stigmatized other. He, just like Frankenstein’s monster is alienated, isolated and lacks social identity. According to Lancaster, Frankenstein’s violent and aggressive nature is as a result of lack of social acceptance. I agree with Craig Ashley Lancaster in his argument that Frankenstein’s monster is rendered dangerous and murderous by the fact that he is subjected to human rejection, hence lacking social identity.
A brief of the story
Frankenstein is the name of the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein. The story begins with Walton, an explorer and his crew of sailors trying to find a way to the pacific through the arctic. On their way, they come across a helpless emaciated man – victor Frankenstein. They rescue him from the exposure and cold. Victor tells his story to Walton. From what victor tells Walton, he grew up as a bright young man that loved science. Frankenstein had promised himself that he would pursue science. When he joins the university, he meets his professor who, as things turn out to be, is impressed by Frankenstein. Two years at the university, and victor Frankenstein is struck by a weird thought – that of making a live being from corpses. He does. He makes a monster using chemistry, alchemy and electricity. Not long after making his creation and victor already hates and is disgusted by the monster. The monster wanders hopelessly in the countryside while Frankenstein seeks refuge at a local tavern. In the meantime, the monster kills Victor’s youngest brother by strangling him. Heartbroken, Frankenstein retreats to a mountain where he later meets the monster, who demands that Frankenstein creates him a mate – something Frankenstein is not willing to do. This prompts the monster to kill Frankenstein’s fiancée on the night of their wedding. This marks the beginning of an endless chase between the two across Europe and Russia. Victor Frankenstein dies when he is just about to catch up with the monster. The monster mourns the death of his foe and wanders away.
Discussion of the Thesis
As a matter of observation, the monster that victor Frankenstein creates becomes isolated right from the point of creation. Not even its creator is ready to adopt it or stay close to it. For this reason, the monster, who is created in the image of a human being lacks in social identity. He cannot associate himself with the human community. According to Lancaster, the creature’s lack of identity is emphasized by the fact that he does not have a name. In comparing the monster to McCarthy’s Lester Ballard, Lancaster notes that the lack of a name makes Frankenstein’s monster lack representation. By the simple fact that McCarthy names his monster Lester, it reduces the degree of stigma. In my opinion, I agree with Lancaster regarding isolation as the cause of violent behavior. Notably, Frankenstein’s monster lacks originality – he is a product of science rather than nature. He is made from fragments of races and conglomeration of human corpses. For this reason, human characters in the book reject him – anyone would.
As a matter of fact, the monster goes on rampage after his creator detaches himself. After creating the monster, victor fears and is disgusted by it. As a way of attracting Frankenstein’s attention, the estranged creature kills the youngest brother of Frankenstein. This is the first heinous act by the monster. The act comes after rejection. The monster faces rejection because of many reasons. Foremost, there is no creature like him in the society – this is why he asks Frankenstein to create him a mate. This desperate search for identity agitates the monster causing him to kill Elizabeth. According to Shelley, the monster is 8 feet (pg. 338). Such physical characteristics make the monster unacceptable in the human community. In his article, Thomas H. Schmid, a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, says, “the monster was dependent on none and related to none” (pg.1). in other words, the monster had not one of its kind in the society. For this reason, he resorted to killings and violence as a way of trying to persuade Frankenstein to create one of his own.
As opposed to what other critics have argued, it is not the violent nature of the monster that made him face rejection. On the contrary, it is the rejection that makes him violent. In her book, Shelley says, “no mortal could support the horror of that countenance” (pg.319). This is to say that the creature looked horrible. The society was not ready to embrace him due to his appearance. Violence is one among the many desperate moves by the monster to convince the society that he really needed a sense of belonging and affiliation. The manner in which he struggles to penetrate and gain a place in the human society is evidenced by his efforts to read and understand, so that he can communicate effectively with the human race. When Frankenstein refuses to make him a mate, he turns violent. Fundamentally, the monster is reasonable as he is willing to discuss the matter with Frankenstein. Only his loneliness makes him wild.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I will mention that Thomas H. Schmid, a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, gives the best explanation to the violent conduct portrayed by the monster. Schmid says, “ isolation from friends, family, and community often accompanies addictive relationships to substances and behaviors has been well established in both clinical research and modern-day treatment paradigms” (p.3). Essentially, what Schmid is trying to say is that isolation will always lead an individual into doing that which they could not have done if they were accepted as an integral part of the society. The monster’s behavior is a result of the society’s reaction to his existence. This fact is explained by Lancaster when he says, “ society as a main contributor to this social deviance from which it yearns to separate itself” (pg.1). This disapproves the presumption that it is the violence that caused the alienation. On the contrary, it is the alienation, as Lancaster and Shnid argue, that caused the unbecoming conduct of the monster.
Works Cited
Lancaster, Ashley Craig. "From Frankenstein's Monster To Lester Ballard: The Evolving Gothic Monster." Midwest Quarterly 49.2 (2008): 132-148. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
Schmid, Thomas H. "Addiction And Isolation In Frankenstein: A Case Of Terminal Uniqueness." Gothic Studies 11.2 (2009): 19-29. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
Shelley, Mary W. Frankenstein. London: Collector's Library, 2004. Print.
