Frankenstein Understanding the Frankenstein Monster

Frankenstein

Understanding the Frankenstein Monster

The Frankenstein monster created by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley stands as one of the undisputed classics of all times. The psychology behind both the author and the monster that she created has been the topic of psychologists for many years. It has been argued that the Frankenstein monster gives the reader a glimpse into the psyche of the author. This being said, many have tried to understand the reasons for his actions and his change in disposition. This research will support the thesis that although Frankenstein's creature behaves viciously and performs the act of murder, he is not inherently evil or malicious but a creation of rejections and neglect.

Understanding the Monster as a Creation of the Doctor

Literature addressing the psychoanalysis of the characters in Frankenstein focuses on the psychology of the Doctor. However, the monster does not stand alone as a character. He is an outward expression of the psychology of the Doctor. As the story progresses, the monster develops his own unique psychology and reactions to the world around him. The ability to develop his own psychology gives the monster a more human aspect. The monster has feelings and thoughts that are all his own, even if his creation was not born by the ordinary means.

Until the audience gets to meet the monster in person, they can only view the monster's actions and its affects on Victor and those around him. However, when the monster is allowed to speak, the audience finds that he is an intelligent and sensitive creature. His demeanor forces the audience to put themselves in his place, even if it is difficult to imagine oneself as a hideous monster. The audience is able to feel compassion for him, and a desire to understand why he committed murder. This important change occurs as the story progresses from the beginning to the end of the story.

An important change takes place with Victor as well. In the beginning of the story, he is consumed with the knowledge that he has found and passion for his project. However, it is not exactly all in the name of science. The ability to control the secret to life itself gives Victor an incredible sense of power. His need to keep the monster secret also demonstrates that he is worried about what others might think. He has doubts about his own morality, perhaps that he is carrying things too far. However, the feeling of power and exhilaration drive him to complete his project, causing him to bury his feelings of doubt. It is not until the monster kills for the first time, that the full weight of his actions comes crashing down and he must take responsibility for what he has done.

Psychology of a Monster

The psychology of the Frankenstein monster is similar to that of a serial murderer, regardless of the skin that they wear. There are many common elements involved with the Frankenstein monster that can be found in the psychology of the most violent offenders in society. To understand the Frankenstein monster, we can turn to text that examines the psychology of a violent criminal offender. There are few differences between the two types of monsters.

Maternal Rejection

Victor's feelings towards the monster contribute to the remorse and loneliness that the monster feels. Even the one who created him regrets having ever given life to the creature. As the creator, the Victor is much like the "mother" of the monster in many regards. Rejection by Victor would have a similar affect as rejection by one's own mother for any other child. Psychology finds that rejection by one's own mother has a dramatic effect on the internal thoughts of the child. In this case, the monster takes on the role of the child and is the recipient of "maternal" rejection.

As soon as the monster comes to life, Victor is filled with intense revulsion. He explains, "The beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart" (Shelley, 1818, p. 42)

Victor's rejection of the Frankenstein monster was immediate, similar to that of infant rejection. Victor's immediate reaction was to lock the monster in his apartment and to leave him all alone. The monster never felt the maternal loving embrace of Victor, but was immediately cast into loneliness and a sense of being rejected by his creator. This was the beginning of the psychology that led to violence.

A child's sense that their mother has rejected them was found to be a key source of anxiety leading to behavioral problems in school among a group of 8- to 11-year-olds (Yazdkjasti & Harizuka, p. 125). One must also remember that Victor was left motherless at an early age, and may not have developed a strong sense of maternal bond. He may not have had the social background to form a strong maternal bond with his creation. A lack of paternal or maternal support has a positive correlation with depressive symptoms in adolescents (Liu, p. 705). Depression can manifest in a number of maladjustive coping mechanisms, including murder or violence.

Maternal rejection and an association with murder was a common theme in 17th and 18th century literature. The most common form of murder in historical literature was the murder of a child by its mother. This was a symbolic rejection of the traditional maternal role and the paternally dominated society (Botelho, p. 111). The entire work of Mary Shelly is filled with the consequences of rejection of the maternal role. It expresses a new type of feminism through reiterating the importance of maternal roles in the future generation. Shelley's work supports the importance of the role of the mother through showing the dire consequences that can result when it is not present. From this standpoint, Shelley's work echoes the social norms of her time.

Humanity: An Outsider's Perspective

The monster is not a part of human society and through education, comes to understand that he never will be. He begins to see humanity as a race of wars and barbarity. He begins to see himself as a creation of this barbarity. He wishes desperately to become an integral part of human society, wishing to have companionship and to live a life other than the isolated life to which he is doomed from the beginning. There are several turning points in the development of the monster's personality that are found in his quotes. These turning points provide valuable clues as to the internal dialogue of the monster.

At first, he tries to learn about human society, with hopes of eventually being accepted for what he is. The monster's desire for companionship is evidenced by his insistence that Victor create a mate for him. He learns that respected men in society have wealth and with that wealth they can influence others. The monster laments, "I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property.." (Shelley, p. 85 ). The monster begins to realize that he does not have what it takes to be accepted in human society. This realization begins the downward spiral of the reality of what his life will hold.

The audience begins to pity the monster. With the realization that he will never fit into society and that he will remain a lonely outsider for the rest of his days, he begins a downward spiral of depression that eventually ends in a fit of anger and a vow to wage war against humanity. The monster says,

"There was non-among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? No: from that moment I declared everlasting war against the species, and, more than all, against him who had formed me and sent me forth to this insupportable misery." (Shelley, p. 121).

This quote marks a key turning point in the life of the monster. There are many psychological layers that are revealed through this quote. The first is that he feels hopeless and that he will never fit into society. He feels alone, that no one cares enough about him to help him. This hopelessness is a hallmark of suicidal depression. This is often seen in elderly people who are at the end of their lives and can no longer see a positive outcome for themselves (Loebel, p. 260). Hopelessness is a key risk factor in near lethal suicide attempts (Durant, Kresnow, & Simon, p. 300).

The monster knows from his reading that as a human, he should be expected to show compassion and kindness towards his enemies. However, he finds this difficult through his sorrow and pain. He examines the logic of this perspective and finds that he is unable to comply with this human expectation. The fact that he calls humanity his enemy demonstrates that he has slipped from isolation into a position of animosity towards humanity. His unresolved loneliness has developed into contempt and anger. He declares "war" against humanity, particularly against the one who created him.

One can see similarities between monsters decline into homicidal tendencies and other homicidal persons. Homicide and suicide are often closely linked. Those that have suicidal thoughts are often prone to homicidal thoughts as well. In the case of the monster, he desperately wants to end his own life, and also, to seek revenge against the one who brought him this misery. Homicides followed by suicides are seen mainly in the type of relationship that exists in families and other close partnerships (Liem, Postulart, & Nieuwbeerta, p. 99). Once the person has committed murder, they know that inevitable dire consequences are likely to follow. Rather than face these consequences, they will often commit suicide. The hopelessness that led to the homicide becomes even more hopeless once the act is committed.

The positive correlation between homicide and suicide is a well-documented phenomenon (Bills & Li, p. 837). Major depression is present in a majority of suicide attempts following a homicide (Barber, Azrael, & Hemenway, p. 285). Mental illness is present in most fratricide cases, these symptoms are accompanies by a tendency towards impulsiveness, and family stress and strife (Bourget & Gagne, p. 531). Much more is known about the connection and pathway that leads to homicide and suicide than was known in Shelley's time. However, she managed to paint a classic case of an at-risk person for committing such acts.

The monster and Victor both demonstrate the key hallmarks that are precedents to homicides and suicides. In a sense, the guilt that Victor feels for creating the deformed "child" will eventually lead to a similar depression and despair that are seen in the monster. Victor demonstrates maternal feelings when her "child" misbehaves and commits a heinous act. Victor expresses guilt for the actions of his "child." Both Victor and the monster sink into homicidal/suicidal depression. The only difference is that Victor sees a way out. If he kills the monster, he will be in the clear. The monster never sees a way out, he will always be a monster that will be persecuted and hunted like an animal. Victor sees homicide as a way out, but the monster sees it as a means to seek revenge before the end of his own life. The monster knows that he will be hunted and probably killed for his actions, he may see homicide as an eventual means to suicide, thus ending his misery.

Another factor in Victor's psychology is that during the time of Shelley, the birth of a disfigured child, stillbirths, or children that were not otherwise seen as 'perfect' was seen as a sign of God's punishment for a sin. To have a disfigured child was viewed with contempt, accusation and disdain by the whole of society, as it was a sign of sin and internal impropriety (Warnicke, I Hoak, p. 31). To purposefully create a disfigured child, such as the monster was unthinkable. It was to play God and any consequences suffered by Victor would only be regarded as his "just punishment" for his acts. He could expect no mercy or pity from society, but rather contempt and rejection for his actions. He realized this as soon as the monster came to life. He felt that the only way to rectify the situation and to restore his own sense of morality was to kill the monster, thus "fixing" his earlier sins. As long as the monster still walked about the earth on a murderous quest, he would be morally responsible for them, along with the monster. In Victorian eyes, this would be his eternal punishment for attempting to "play God."

The Nameless Beast Within

Another facet of the monster's psychology is that he is never given a human name. A person's name is seen as sacred, a representation of their place within humanity. To be denied the gift of a name is to be denied acceptance into the human race. For the monster, it was the ultimate symbol of his destiny and the lonely life that he would live. Without a name, he would always be destined to a place lower than human. Even animals had names, but the monster would never have a name, setting him aside from all other life on the planet. To have a name is to have value and to be recognized among humanity for the being within. A person considers the utterance of their name to be the most beautiful song in the world. The monster would never hear this beautiful song.

The monster remaining nameless also has an effect on the rest of the world around them. To kill another human being is a sin, an unthinkable act for a moral person. However, to kill a nameless animal for human consumption or use is acceptable, for the most part. One of the key distinguishing features between an animal that is considered livestock and one that is considered a "pet" is whether is has a name or not. Pets are typically afforded some of the same privileges as humanity, living in the house, love, attention, affection, and other more human treatment. Livestock to be killed for meat seldom is afforded these privileges. The name of an animal is an indication as to their status in the human world. For a person, a name is a basic right, one that is given at birth to every human that is born. It is as unthinkable to deny a human the basic right of a name as it is to kill a person.