Frankenstein essay :: English Literature

Frankenstein essay The monster is called such because of his appearance; Frankenstein could be judged a monster because of his actions. Who do you think is most monstrous and why? Support your opinion with references to Shelly’s book, Pullmans play and any other interpretations you have seen. To answer this question we must first define the term monster. There are many ways a person can be a monster. If someone does not look good they are defined as a monster, if someone kills people they are defined as a monster, and if their beliefs are different to ours we also call them a monster. Keeping all this in mind it is very hard to label someone or something a monster, but in this essay I will try to describe who is more monstrous- the creator Frankenstein or his creation the monster. Frankenstein could be called a monster because he is trying to play god. He created the monster from the bodies of the dead so this makes him a monster because he will be causing masses of emotional pain to the relatives of the dead. However this could also be a strong proof of his humanity because his experiments show the curious nature that is in every human; he has just taken it one step further and decided to act on his curiosity. Atheist’s who don’t believe in life after death could even call him good hearted because he is recycling! Another reason for Frankenstein being monstrous is that he decided to try and play god a second time when he wanted to create the monster a bride. However this was done at the monsters request so it could be argued that this shows the humane side of Frankenstein because it shows compassion for others. He realized the monster was lonely so decided to create him a companion. The monster could be called more monstrous than Frankenstein because of two reasons. One he looks like a monster and as he is made from the rotting flesh of dead he probably smells like one too. The second reason is because he kills innocent people; this is portrayed in all versions of the story that I have seen/read so far. Pullmans play explains the murder by saying it was a revenge act against Frankenstein who in abandoning him caused him lots of emotional pain. The monster wanted to see him hurt. Most versions of the story agree with this view but brook’s version explains the murder of the child as an experiment. The monster had seen flowers can float so wanted to see if humans could float as well.