Review of Frankenstein by Marry Shelley

*Frankenstein* by Mary Shelley (1818). Published by Penguin Classics.

The first time I read Frankenstein I was in high school, and it was in the 12th grade. We had to read the novel as a part of our AP English Literature course, and I remember how agonizing it was to read this book when you were almost free and on the cusp of adulthood.

Needless to say, I felt like that it was underappreciated at the time. I think, in hindsight, a lot of the books we read for classes were actually really good, hence why they managed to be considered classics (although I would argue that term is deeply problematic for so many reasons).

Nowadays when I tend to pick up a book from all of those years ago, I tend to enjoy it. I think something about being forced to read it for class lowkey ruins the book in the short term, especially when you have to analyze it to someone else’s standards and tastes.

I picked up Frankenstein recently because I was reading a lot about Mary Shelley’s mother and her feminist work, and I found myself wanting to revisit this book as a result. I was also recalling the Elle Fanning movie where she portrays Shelley, making the urge stronger.

So here’s my review of revisiting this book!

A monster is created, but all it wants is to be understood in a world that hates it.

Something key to understand about this novel going into it: it’s split into multiple narratives about the same story. So I’m going to run through in order the narratives, as that’s how the reader is introduced to them.

We begin with correspondence between Robert Walton and his sister Margaret. We learn that Robert is a writer going to the North Pole, as he wants to learn more about science, but when he departs on the ship, it becomes trapped in ice towards the Arctic Ocean. There, they spot a figure on a dog sled that’s huge, and a few hours later they discover Victor Frankenstein just floating on ice.

They rescue the poor guy, and then he sees Walton as someone who was just as obsessed as he was. He then launches into a tale about how he created something horrible in his eyes, and we go into the next narrative: the creation of the monster through the lens of Victor Frankenstein.

He tells us he was born in Italy to a wealthy family there, and how he was obsessed with alchemy and the world as a young boy. He realizes that the science he is taught needs to be updated, and then his famiyl adopts a girl, Elizabeth, who he decides he is going to one day marry.

As Victor prepares for university, his mother dies of the scarlet fever. Grieving, he decides to continuously experiment, and finds his calling in chemistry. He discovers a way to infuse life into something that isn’t alive, and then he decides to make a humanoid. He creates the Creature, or the monster, instead.

The Creature is about eight feet tall and large. He tries to make it beautiful, but spectacularly fails. The Creature is considered to be ugly, and Victor abandons his creation because of this. While wandering the streets, he runs into an old friend, Henry, and decides to show him the Creature. The Creature is gone when they make it back to the apartment.

Victor then becomes sick, and Henry takes care of him. He begins studying Asian languages and tries to forget about the Creature, but then word comes from his father that his brother has been murdered. Victor rushes home, and discovers the Creature near the murder. He blames it for the murder, and William’s nanny is accused of the act and killed.

Victor blames himself for everything, and while hiking in the Alps, the Creature comes and finds him. We then launch into his story. After leaving the apartment, he wandered the wilderness, as he quickly found out people thought he was hideous and scary.

He lives near a cottage and collects firewood for the family there, and he teaches himself how to read and write. After seeing himself in the water, he realizes he is a monster appearance wise, and understands why people ran away from him. He becomes increasingly attached to the family in the cottage, and he approaches the blind father, even having a conversation with him.

The rest of the family returns and is horrified at the Creature, attacking him. They then flee their home, and the Creature decides to give up on being accepted, and is set on revenge. He goes to find Victor, and when he saves a boy on his journey, the boy’s father shoots him, worsening the Creature’s anger.

At first, he did not want to kill William, but then William acted out, and th eCreatured kills him. He then took the locket and put it in Justine’s dress to frame her. This is the Creature’s demand now: he wants a female companion, and he has a right to happiness. If Victor does this, they will go to South America and never return again.

But if Victor says no, he kill everyone he loves. Victor agrees, and the Creature remains to watch over him. We then transition back to Victor’s perspective from here, as he ventures to England with Henry. As he makes the female Creature, he has visions of disasters, and he tears her apart in front of the Creature.

The Creature leaves, but promises he will be there on the wedding night. Victor gets on a boat, falls asleep, and ends up in Ireland and arrested for murder. Turns out the Creature killed Henry, and Victor, driven mad, returns home. His father begs him to marry Elizabeth, and Victor prepares to take down the Creature.

As he searches for the Creature on the wedding night, it kills Elizabeth. Victor’s father dies a few days later, so Victor begins hunting the Monster. We then reach the present moment in the Arctic. The crew decides on returning back to the warmth after several die, and Victor gives a major speech about how they need to stay.

Victor demands on continuing to chase after the Creature. He dies not long after, and Walton finds the Creature on the ship mourning Victor. It informs Walton that he is now more miserable because of this, and then he decides to burn himself on a funeral pyre, and Walton watches as the Creature drifts away on the ice.

Overall Thoughts

This is such a fascinating novel to me, as it has so many themes relevant to what it means to be human. Although the Creature isn’t seen as a human being, it still has many of the traits that are considered to be human.

So, at the end of the day, who are we denying humanity? We could make so many elaborate metaphors out of this I believe, and I think this is such an important novel even two hundred years after its original publication.

The Monster is such a misunderstood figure in entertainment and mythology, and this is such a thoughtful book. I am so glad I returned to it and even purchased a copy for my home library.

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