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The relationship between humans and strange beings is a separate literary genre that is filled with symbolism. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a legendary novel that is considered one of the pearls of Gothic and science fiction literature. The main character in the book is Victor Frankenstein, who designed the Creature as the result of chemistry and electricity experiments. The Monster is rejected by society because of its appearance and unnatural creation and, as a result, feels moral torment and a crisis of identity. Apart from the sci-fi foundation and plot structure of the adventure, Frankenstein is a philosophical story because of the overtones and symbolism of the characters. In particular, the main problem is understanding the concept of person and what characteristics make an alive creature human. Despite the unnatural creation and social rejection, the Monster can be considered human, as it has self-study skills and shows compassion, kindness, anger, and fear.
Background Information
The 19th century English literature theme had a rapid diversification, including that towards science fiction and mysticism. Frankenstein is an example of a Gothic work in which romanticism is intertwined with fear and mystery. In turn, Mary Shelley projected her personal life story onto paper in the form of a terrible creature. The English writer had a painful fate, primarily due to family pressures. Shelley observed two childrens death, the suicide of a half-sister, and long-term conflicts with parents over early marriage (Hall). In turn, personal tragedy became a lifelong burden that was transferred to paper as part of the writers dream. In other words, the image of Frankenstein and the Monster are symbols of the return of deceased relatives, which was Shelleys fantasy. Thus, the author of the book combined a creative interest in humanoid creatures with a family drama.
Shelley yearned for the deceased children and sister, and it was reflected in the Frankenstein character. In particular, Victor can be seen as the prototype of the books author and the Creature as resurrected family members. The writers personal story is intertwined with the identified problem, namely the events and characteristics that portray the person. The Creature is rejected by society, but, at the same time, it senses human feelings and patterns of behavior. Thus, family drama challenges the philosophical concept of the individual in the context of the persons perception in the environment.
Statement of the Problem
The philosophical separation of humans and non-human animals is based on character traits, cognitive abilities, and behavioral patterns. First of all, understanding the human species goes beyond the biological identity and physiological characteristics of the body. Instead, it is a set of psychosocial abilities that distinguish a person from other living beings. One of the books main topics is the psychographic image of the Creature and its belonging to a particular species. It is created from parts of dead people and is formed on the subject of electricity and galvanism (Shelley 26). Consequently, the author makes a clear argument regarding the non-human origin of the Creature, but further events prove the opposite. Victor denies the Monster and leaves it alone, which means a disclaimer of responsibility for its actions. The restoration of humanity occurs through actions, showing kindness to others, and non-harmful behavior. From a philosophical point of view, such characteristics are the primary human markers and distinguishing features from animals. Consequently, the problem covers the crisis of identification, in which the created non-human being exhibits the opposite characteristics.
The Creature is designed as a gruesome experiment that seemingly failed. Victor fled, and it was forced to wander through the rural local in search of public approval. Permanently feeling a moral crisis and challenges in self-identification, the Monster sought permission and support from people. From philosophical and psychological standpoints, this pattern characterizes evolving people, namely, their ability to learn social models of interaction and manifestation of essential character traits (Rinnelt). Identifying humans and their distinctive psychological skills go beyond biology and, therefore, does not cover the story of the Creature origin. The derived dilemma defines specific cognitive abilities as a marker of social belonging. Victor and the community evaluate the Creature as a non-human being, although further actions describe a vulnerable and self-learning object. Kindness and the initial non-harmful behavioral pattern seem more human than Victors disclaimer of the Monsters creation. Shelley destabilizes the boundaries between humans and animals and adds an entirely new link to this chain, namely, unnatural objects. Thus, the manifested human qualities and behavior of the being create a dissonance with the philosophical definition of the individual, which is one of the novels critical problems.
Resolution
The philosophical concept of human has much to do with an existential crisis. Anxiety about the meaning of living is inherent in humans and is part of psychological development. The Monster experienced a similar identity crisis when the original idea of conducting a scientific experiment became a disaster for the creators family. However, the Creatures wanderings through the countryside could have been thwarted if Victor had accepted responsibility for the experiment. In particular, identifying a human-like creature as a potential member of society would make it impossible to have an existential crisis that caused the Monster to kill several people. This effort covers a plot transformation that may entail a change in the original authors idea.
One way to adapt current efforts is to change the perception of the Monster. It has been noted that Shelley deliberately designed a plot conflict in which Victor creates an insoluble species identity for the Creature, although it proves otherwise (Heringman 131). From the readers point of view, it is an essential element of storytelling as it increases engagement with the story. The perception of the Monster as a human creation will help to empathize with the character and evaluate events from its side. However, the vulnerable side of this resolution method is the loss of plot identity and deep symbolism laid down by the author. Shelley strove for a polarizing perception of the story, which means that the reader is not indifferent. In other words, the image of the Monster should either evoke empathy or hatred due to the catastrophic actions and persecution of Victor. Thus, the transformation of the assessment of the substance is the optimal method of problem resolution in this case.
Counter-argument and Response
The concept of the human species affects not only philosophy but also anthropology and physiology. Although the identified problem is the misjudgment of a being as a non-human object, it can be interpreted differently. It was noted that the Monster could not be considered a human due to biological characteristics, namely, creation as a result of the combination of electricity and chemistry (Houe 102). It is an anthropological point of view that refutes the possibility of a philosophical assessment of the being.
There is a counter-argument since this book has a plot and ethical conflict. Nevertheless, the stumbling block and the critical factor of truth is the authors idea of creating this contradiction. Shelley deliberately introduced this conflict and, accordingly, it is the ethical and psychosocial basis of the novel. The reader must adopt this strategy to create an emotional contact of approval or contempt from the protagonists and get to the truth of human existence. Thus, this counterargument can be assessed as reliable, but it contradicts Shelleys original idea and semantic message of the book.
Conclusion
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley evokes mixed feelings since it has an ethical conflict in the plot foundation. The Creature was designed as a scientific experiment and was perceived as a disaster. However, it displayed more expressive human qualities than the cowardly creator. Consequently, the books main problem is the philosophical perception of individuals and what conditions determine the human species. This dilemma suggests that it is not only those beings that are anthropological humans that can exhibit appropriate characteristics and behavioral patterns. The Creature displayed kindness, fear, and a desire to find public approval, which is characteristic of an existential crisis. On the other hand, Victor declined responsibility, although the man could have contributed to the Monsters socialization. One of the problem resolutions is studying the book, in which each reader will take a personal point of view regarding empathy or hate for the Creature. The author initially foresaw such a conflict, which is the principal literary value of the novel. Thus, the introduction of a personal point of view into the books ethical disagreement is the optimal way of perceiving a given literary piece.
Works Cited
Hall, Harriet. Who Was Mary Shelley and What Inspired Frankenstein? The Independent, 2018, Web.
Heringman, Noah. Science and Human Animality in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein. Wordsworth Circle, vol. 50, no. 1, 2019, pp. 127-145., Web.
Houe, Ulf. Frankenstein Without Electricity: Contextualizing Shelleys Novel. Studies In Romanticism, vol. 55, no. 1, 2016, pp. 95-117. Project Muse, Web.
Rinnelt, Jens. What Makes Us Human? Medium. 2018, Web.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Project Gutenberg, 2008, Web.
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