Frankenstein

I had never read Frankenstein before taking this class and I knew very little of the original story and its characters. For the longest time, I used to believe Frankenstein was simply about a crazy scientist and the monster he creates. After reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, I realized that was only the tip of the iceberg. Frankenstein was portrayed as a determined man seeking knowledge. He had a rich childhood surrounded by nature, friends, family and so much opportunity to succeed. Frankenstein had a great life, before he was consumed by his creation.

While some people would find themselves afraid of ghoulish, re-animated monsters, I was horrified by watching Frankenstein's descent into madness and secrecy. What's so scary about Victor Frankenstein's situation was that he tried so desperately to keep his creation a secret to his family, that it began to destroy all normalcy from his life and even began to drive him insane. Each time Victor thinks he has a shot at life, that he just might be able to move a little bit past his horrible secret, the monster appears and rips out all hope.

And while the monster was a cause for much of the misery to Victor Frankenstein's life, the monster wasn't entirely to blame. Resurrected by the ravings of a man seeking to be the ultimate creator, the monster begins life striving for the nourishment and attention that a young child would. As the monster explains, he was meant to be an angel in his master's eyes. He was his creation! I find this no different then seeking attention and care from a parent. To me, there could be nothing more hurtful then losing the love and attention of a parent, and I sympathized with the monster's rage towards Victor. I pitied the awful creature, and with him I also began to despise Frankenstein. Towards the end of the book, Victor's existence became a selfish one. He was either encompassed by a longing to forget the monster, or with the passion to destroy him.

I really enjoyed reading Frankenstein, and was happily surprised to find a horror story filled with the kind of drama that Frankenstein portrayed. I wish the kind of horror seen in Hollywood reflected the style of Frankenstein. Pop-up screamers, gore and violence can get a few screams, but the corruption of a man's mind is really terrifying.