“Wait, so he isn’t called Frankenstein?”

Okay, truth be told, I didn’t know literally anything about Frankenstein until I started reading the book for this class. My limited knowledge included: there was a mad scientist who played around with things he probably shouldn’t have and brought to life a creature that would end up causing many causalities. In fact, much like a lot of the other students in class, I didn’t know the monster wasn’t actually named Frankenstein until about a year ago when a friend of mine mentioned that the name actually belonged to the mad scientist (Victor Frankenstein) who created the monster, and not the actual creature itself. I was so ignorant of the story and the characters that for a while, I actually thought the character ‘Lurch’ from “The Addams Family” was the same as the monster from Frankenstein.

It comes as no surprise that as I progressed through the book I was completely blown away by how different—to how I thought it was—and intricate this story actually is. I think the thing that shocked me the most as well as other students was the fact that the monster did actually have a consciousness, he feels things, he actually has thoughts—his character is very much human. A human who is confused and abandoned and just wants to feel accepted by society. Yet because he is left to his own accord without any guidance and because of his “hideous” appearance he is treated as an outsider and is constantly shunned. And this raises the question of who is really the Monster? The cold-hearted mad scientist who abandoned his creation because he did not see what he liked or the initially gentle giant who was constantly misunderstood and forced to seek revenge due to the amount of hurt he received from those around him? I for one sympathize with the monster, and do not blame him for his actions despite them being pretty chilling.

I really am grateful I got to read this novel and am very excited to discuss and analyze each and every theme and/or character in this novel and relate it to modern day.

-Laura Mateo Gallegos

Advertisements

Monster or Simply Misunderstood?

It is evident that the nameless “Creature” of which Victor Frankenstein gives life to, is generally perceived as nothing more than a terrifying monster. In the same way, Victor can be labeled as the demented scientist who granted it life. But are these perceptions a reality or false judgment?

 

 

 

Previous to indulging into the tale that is Frankenstein, my views on it were stereotypical to the story of an insane scientist who invests his life into a creation that ultimately results in the birth of a monstrosity. However, as I now look back on the chronical, having read it, my understanding of both Victor and his creation were not entirely accurate.

Indeed, one can say that Victor Frankenstein is in fact “insane”; having devoted his college studies solely on natural philosophy leading to his obsession with the animation of an inanimate being. Nevertheless, when looking into the start, and later progression, of Victor’s involvement within this science, one comes to realize the reasons behind his infatuation. His unyielding desire for knowledge leads him to encounter philosophers’ who wrote about theories of which fascinated his imagination. By the time he departed for college, Victor idolized these individuals and their scientific endeavors. Continuing his studies in the subject and excelling within it, was the cause of his downfall. My views on Victor Frankenstein changed when diving deeper into his person because what you genuinely see is a person with an undying determination to learn, who some where along the way allowed himself to entirely cross the line.

 

Now, my misconception of the “Creature” was like that of anyone who believes they are familiar with the story of Frankenstein. A mad scientist has given life to what used to be lifeless, creating this “thing” that now lives, breathes and walks among humankind. The nameless “Creature” is perceived to be exactly what it looks like; a monster. Those who lay eyes on it, including its own creator, immediately run for their lives in terror assuming that this hideous abomination’s first instinct is to attack. This wrong perception regarding Victor’s creation was completely replaced by compassion and understanding after I gained more perspective on the “Creature’s” true nature. Although responsible for several acts of violence, it is evident that the cause of these outbursts was the “Creature’s” lack of acceptance within humanity. In fact, Victor’s creation proved to be a kind, benevolent, and curious being from the moment life was given to it. However, because the “Creature” possesses a certain image, it was forced to live a life of solitude, loneliness, and melancholy.

My initial perception of Victor Frankenstein and his creation, proved to be not entirely accurate, in the same way many individuals formulate misconceptions on a number of topics they have not fully explored. Having looked into my reinterpretation of Frankenstein, I leave you with the question: Are Victor and the “Creature” monsters or are they simply misunderstood?

– Juanita Espinoza

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover”

  By: Sandra Tzoc

I was dumbfounded at the truth of the “monster”: Frankenstein. All these years I had been holding onto the wrong picture of Frankenstein. In my mind he was just another myth made up to scare children with no deeper meaning other than entertainment. To me- he was analogous to Jason or Dracula, just symbols of Halloween and scary stories and never did I question more than what was fed to me. Before this class, I had no knowledge about Frankenstein besides costumes and that he was a monster, product of an experiment gone wrong. However, reading and listening to Mary Shelley’s writing has given me a completely different depiction of this creature, which has urged me to see “Frankenstein” in another light. He is more human than monster, he felt alone and all he asked for was a companion to share his existence with. Interacting with others is human nature and Frankenstein wanted to partake in that, which shows how there was humanity in him. Unfortunately, since he did not get an equally grotesque companion, he let out his resentment on innocent people. Frankenstein had emotions, emotions so strong that it led him to drastic actions but in the end he was more than just a monster because he had feelings. Reading about Frankenstein has made me realize how easy it is to be blindsided by the media. Finding this new perspective has definitely urged me to seek my own truth. To question whatever is around me, because sometimes it might be easy to judge a book by its cover rather than reading it. However, it is essential to really analyze the information that is out there because it might be misleading most of the time. This version of Mary Shelley has reminded me that skepticism is essential for the path towards wisdom. I was easily fooled into thinking that Frankenstein was just a ZOMBIE, when in reality he was a creature who was drowning in melancholy and who was on the search for acceptance and comprehension. Just like many of us. Although he might have looked different that did not make him any less human.

The Misunderstood Monster

Christopher Martinez

 

 

Before I start this blog I want whoever is reading this to go to Thesaurus.com and find synonyms for the word monster. One of the synonyms is Frankenstein, however he is clearly not a monster in Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein. Whenever I think of Frankenstein all I imagine is a monster that kills and has no soul. I fell for the typical classification of Frankenstein being shown as malevolent. Likewise, the video for my blog is to show others the cliché that the monster is an ugly and a destructive monster.

Throughout the book, Mary Shelley describes the monster as a person who is innocent and is wanting to love someone. From the beginning of chapter eleven, the monster tells Victor Frankenstein his story up to that point. We learn from the monsters stories that he is an intellectual person who seeks knowledge about everything. The monster reads the books that Victor had in his jacket. These romantic books gave the monster a view of the world he lived in. He knew a lot what humans desired in life. The monster also looked for attention, but everyone seemed to be anxious and afraid to have his presence. Since no one wanted his companionship he accepted himself as an outcast.

I can conclude that at this point I am starting to feel as if Frankenstein is every student right now. Every student is curious to try learning new things and use them in the real world, while also seeking attention and friendships. I realized at this point that the real monster this whole time was the fantasy I had learned about the misunderstood monster.