Many people would agree that they have heard of the story of Frankenstein; Ironically, however, they associate the monster as Frankenstein, when in fact, the monster is never given a name in the original novel: “Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus” by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Victor Frankenstein is the name of the scientist who created the monster. This distinction is made more ironic when debating whether the monster is represented as human or not in the novel, because the misconception might lend itself to some truth, where the human creator, Victor Frankenstein – as I may argue, be the real “monster” of the story, whereas his creation was a product of injustice; “the fallen angel [who became] a malignant devil” (pg. 221), thereby making him perhaps more “human” than his creator.
In many ways Walton, Victor, and the Creation are similar and string the threads of narrative together by their underlying feelings of loneliness. Walton, in his journey to the Arctic, writes to his sister in his second letter about his yearnings for a friend, who could “participate [his] joy… sustain [him] in dejection”, and “approve or amend [his] plans” (pg. 15). When Walton rescues Victor, he finds in him a friend, albeit short lived. Victor, in his pursuit of knowledge, willingly alienates himself from his friends and family. Finally, as his creation comes to being, rejected by the rest of humanity, the Creation pleads Victor to create a mate to “make [him] happy” and free from the misery he now feels (pg. 145). In this way, all three characters are victims of their loneliness; they are motivated by pleasure and the avoidance of pain, thereby making the Creation no different from the other two, as not only is the Creation able to feel but is also influenced by the same principles. I would argue that the Creation’s response to injustice is entirely a human response. Similar examples can be found in many of the recent works of gothic fiction, such as The Dark Knight and the Joker, where the antagonist is a victim of their environment, thus descending into mental illness and tragedy.
Furthermore, there are many debates about the characteristics and qualities that distinguish humans from other species – such as animals or intelligent technology. One argument is that complex thought and self awareness are distinguishing qualities of humans. As such, the Creation exhibits extensive evidence of an intelligent mind, one that acquired knowledge to survive, having accidentally discovered fire; the family structure and the love and compassion that binds it, as he observes that “nothing could exceed the love and respect which the younger cottagers exhibited towards their venerable companion” (pg 110), when watching the DeLacey family; and the art of language, as he pleads his case with his creator to alleviate some of his suffering.
Moreover, I would like to take the argument further, and posit that our system of moral beliefs is what distinguishes humans from other species, as neither technology as of yet, nor animals possess the faculties of reasoning advanced enough to anticipate the consequences of one’s own actions in conjunction with the ability to make value judgements. Considering this, Frankenstein’s Creation is portrayed as a human, as he proves to possess understanding between good and bad, and “urged thus far” by tragedy, willingly chooses evil as his version of good (pg. 220).
For future discussion, I pose the question: why is the differentiation of humans from other species and even technology necessary or even important.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK210003/#:~:text=Humans%20have%20a%20moral%20sense,between%20alternative%20courses%20of%20action.