Taking AP Lang in high school, I found myself laughing at the teacher's analysis more often than not. "By describing the sky as misty, the author was clearly trying to convey the ambiguity of the protagonist's feeling toward mornings." Give me a break.
Since beginning my college studies in literature however; I have come to look at this type of interpretation in a new light. It does not necessarily always have to be about what the author absolutely meant to show, but rather what we, as readers, can obtain from studying a piece of writing. So when we are asked in section: "Does Frankenstein have a moral?" I am compelled to say yes. Now, I cannot pretend to know exactly what lesson, if any, Mary Shelley was intending to teach in her story. I can however; say that there are several to be discovered by its readers.
We are presented with the ramifications of "playing God"- a phrase that today's right-winged loonies are fond of using in an attempt to scare us away from stem-cell research. Although I think these people are crazy, there is no denying that this is a theme shown through Frankenstein's messy attempt at playing creator. He makes a man that not even a mother (or in this case a "father") could love. Shelley implements moments of the sublimity and beauty in the novel when Frankenstein visits the mountains to try and relieve his stress. There is also the monster's peaceful reaction to the arrival of Spring. These things, unlike the science that caused the whole mess in the first place, are natural and pure. Frankenstein tried to take on this role of nature by making a man, and thus inadvertently and indirectly causes the deaths of five "innocent" people.
Which brings me to the next lesson that is touched on in this narrative. There is the perceived innocence of people in general. It is fair to say that almost every human in this novel can be construed, to some degree, as a monster him/herself. Victor, of course, has his vanity, which is the catalyst for the disasters that take place. Then there are the people that Frankenstien's monster interacts with, who are certainly no gems. They are incredibly uncivil to him based solely on his outer appearance, despite his efforts to be a helpful and kind creature. He is never received with kindness by anyone, so why should he act as such. They strip him of any humanity that he had within him. Murder is a pretty extreme turn to take; however it makes for a powerful argument. After all, it was teasing and cruelty in school that incited the tragedy that was Columbine.
Then there is always the concept of human connection. Victor continuously isolates himself throughout his life. He does have relationships with a friend, his family, and his future wife, but he thinks so highly of himself that he cannot truly connect with anyone on a real and intellectual level. This is his own fault as well, seeing as how he refuses to interact with his fellow scientists. His lonely lifestyle continues to grow, particularly at the loss of his family and friends at the hands of his own failed creation. He allows his life to be taken over by vengeance and exists in solitude. The secret of the monster that eventually drives him to madness. He only reveals this to Walton directly before his death. Shelley may have been hinting at the basic need for human connection. Because he has no one to talk to about his mistakes, Victor is left to deal with his guilt on his own, which essentially is his own ruin.
There is plenty more to gain from this novel and I like to think I only reached a portion of it in my reading. That being said, these are a few clear-cut and important morals that can be obtained from this story. I think that it is one of those novels that does not lose meaning with time, but perhaps takes on more. As the world changes, the story takes on new relevance that Shelley did not even have a chance to intend. Not to mention the several different publications and changes made.
So I guess the moral of my own entry is that the moral of the story is whatever the hell you take away from what you've read.
No comments:
Post a Comment