The+Monstrous

THEME: The Monstrous 
 * picture provided by D'Nea Galbraith **

Things to be on the lookout for: 1. Track the use of the word “monster.” **

pg. 153 (Mo L)
(CO, DG, JG, SL)
 * 2.Track all adjectives used to describe Victor’s creation[[image:eng10frankenwiki/perfect_monstrous_wordle.PNG width="800" height="378"]] **


 * Wretch (BP Mo L)
 * Daemon (BP Mo L)
 * Evil (BP Mo L)
 * Miserable (BP Mo L)
 * Disappointing (BP Mo L)
 * Devil (BP Mo L)
 * Unsatisfactory (BP Mo L)
 * Innocent (BP Mo L)
 * Vile Insect (BP Mo L)
 * Vampire (BP Mo L)
 * Abandoned (BP Mo L)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Lonely (BP Mo L)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Murderer (BP Mo L)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Catastrophe (D'Nea G.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Ugly (D'Nea G.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Ghastly (BP)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Villian (Mo L)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Invinsible (Mo L)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Unavoidable (Mo L)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Beast (Mo L)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">“A mummy could not be as hideous…” (Marissa L.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">“Hideous guest" (Marissa L.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">“Stature…exceeded that of a man" (Marissa L.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">“Sight tremendous and abhorred” (Marissa L.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">“His expression bespoke bitter anguish…disdain and malignity” (Marissa L.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">“Its unearthly ugliness rendered it almost too horrible for human eyes” (Marissa L.)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">"Miserably alone" (Jane G)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">"Ogre" (Jane G)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">"...a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled, and all men disowned.." (Jane G)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">"Even to me, poor wretch! who had never beheld aught beautiful before." (Kendall C)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">"Unable to bear emotions" (Kendall C)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** 3. Who is the monster, Victor or the Creature, How and why? **

==== <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although the creature engages in murder, these actions were instigated by the cruel treatment by his creator. From the time of birth Victor leaves the creature alone to fend for himself. The creature's first interaction with Victor begins with name calling, including the words "demon" and "wretch". The creature is abandoned by his creator and left to survive in a society that rejects and despises him. Encompassed by isolation and depraved of nurture, the creature reveals, “Every where I see is bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded” (66). He never did anything to his creator that would make him deserve such unjust treatment. The creature does not ask to be created and Victor fails to take responsibility for his actions. Who is the real monster? Is it the living being that looks different compared to the rest of the society, or is it the creator who ignores this being? Mary Shelley suggests it is the latter as Victor’s failure to nurture his creature ultimately leads him to seek revenge. Despite the revenge that is achieved, the creature laments his existence further, proving his virtue. (Sydney DeVoe) However, by the end of the text the two roles have changed. The creature is no longer an innocent character. He has become a rash being that is responsible for many deaths. This proves that overall, both Victor and the creature can be considered monstrous. Their actions have been driven by rage and revenge, because the creature wants to make Victor feel the pain that he has endured. Victor seeks revenge and ultimately destruction of his creation. Without communication, neither of them can understand the true reasons of this violent chase and the hatred they both possess for each other. With communication they would be able to converse and in the end they would be able to forgive. This lack of communication and understanding leads to both characters acting upon their rage full of thoughts and nothing else. Ultimately, both Victor and the creature are monstrous by the end of the novel. (Mo Leitner) ====

Spoken by: Creature (first words) Spoken to: Victor <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"I expected this reception," said the dæmon. "All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us. You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life? Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine towards you and the rest of mankind. If you will comply with my conditions, I will leave them and you at peace; but if you refuse, I will glut the maw of death, until it be satiated with the blood of your remaining friends."

Spoken by: Victor <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"His words had a strange effect upon me. I compassionated him, and sometimes felt a wish to console him; but when I looked upon him, when I saw the filthy mass that moved and talked, my heart sickened, and my feelings were altered to those of borrow and hatred." pg.99 (BP)
 * about the creature

Spoken by: Victor Spoken to: Villager <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"We can never again inhabit your cottage. The life of my father is in the greatest danger, owing to the dreadful circumstance that I have related. My wife and my sister will never recover their horror." pg.93 (BP)
 * about the sighting of the creature

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Spoken by: Creature <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Spoken to: himself

"I ardently desired to understand them, and bent every faculty towards that purpose, but found it utterly impossible" pg. 79
 * In this quote the creature speaks of the de Lacy family. The fact that he "found it utterly impossible" to understand them is a monstrous quality. Shelley implies that understanding is the key to acceptance, acceptance being an important quality of humanity. The creature's inability to understand therefore speaks to his inhumanity. (Kendall C)

Spoken by: Creature Spoken to: himself "I looked upon them as superior beings" pg. 77
 * In this quote, the creature clearly sets himself apart from humans. He says this in reflection referring to the de Lacys. This is significant as Mary Shelley shows how at this point, the creature sees himself as not only inhuman, but inferior to humanity. (Kendall C)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** 4.Creature’s formal language; this is different than what we suspect ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Abandoned, the creature was never taught by anyone or received a good education. Therefore, the expectation would be that if the creature ever taught himself to speak, as he does, that his language would be very limited and simple. Ironically, the creature demonstrates high intelligence and speaks very formally. He appears to exemplify similar learning qualities to Victor. Victor did not have a great education and is mostly self-educated. The creature self-teaches himself therefore suggesting that he has a passion for learning and acquiring knowledge. -Sydney DeVoe

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Through his story, we know that the creature learns how to speak and interact with others by watching people do so. Victor has a very similar learning style in the sense that he obtained his knowledge of alchemy through studying the work of well-known alchemists. Both characters seem to learn by observing and adopting others' actions as their own. (SL)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Interestingly, while the creature's unique self-educational method of learning and his utter fascination, if not obsession, with obtaining knowledge seems to parallel the traits of his creator, his application is directed towards an entirely different field. Victor stumbles upon the written works of the famous yet outdated alchemists, and with these means of study he is able to immerse himself in science. He becomes, regardless of his questionable ethical compass, an extremely successful natural philosopher, the first to make a truly godlike breakthrough. He creates life. In a similar way, the creature is able to rapidly advance his speaking skills, and based on the communication exchanged by the cottagers, which he studies everyday, along with the literary works he discovers, such as //Paradise Lost//, he immerses himself in language. He ardently pursues the assimilation of language and becomes exceptionally eloquent. Therefore, while his acquisition of knowledge and his passion for knowledge is aligned with Victor's, his field of pursuit is more similar to that of Victor's dear friend, Henry Clerval. Clerval is a clearly a master of language and a romantic thinker, his imagination "too vivid for the minutae of science" (43). He is a compassionate man who strives to strengthen the connection between human beings. Clerval's dedication to language and his goal to "open a field of self-instruction" (43) illustrate the links between him and the creature. The creature's own language was self-instructed, and his passion for knowledge is more specifically a passion for communication. His underlying desire is ultimately to develop a connection to humanity, to be accepted, and he perhaps believes that the ability to communicate with humans would help him achieve this. Thus, it is apparent that the creature's values are almost a fusion of Victor's and Clerval's. He has the means and drive of Victor, but his intent is less vain, more like Clerval's. His hopes are that his knowledge will gain him acceptance, not glory; he wants to be socially connected, not set apart from the crowd. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(JG)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** 5. Tracking Frankenstein’s descent from a carefree young man to a man with murderous intent ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Even Frankenstein realizes that he is mentally unstable when he says, "This state of mind preyed upon my health, which had perhaps never entirely recovered from the first shock it had sustained." (59) - SL

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Many times I considered Satan as the filter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter ball of envy rose within me." (87) - Sydney DeVoe

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"He had abandoned me, and, in the bitterness of my heart, I cursed him." (88) - Sydney DeVoe

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I saw him on the point of repeating his blow, when, overcome by pain and anguish, I quitted the cottage, and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel." - Sydney DeVoe

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I, like the arch fiend, bore a hell within me; and, finding myself unsympathized with, wished to tear up the trees, spread havoc and destruction around me, and then to have sat down and enjoyed the ruin." (92). -Sydney DeVoe

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"For the first time the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to controul them; but, allowing myself to be borne away by the stream, I bent my mind towards injury and death." (93). - Sydney DeVoe

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** 6.What is the “monstrous”.... **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Through Shelley’s account of the creature, it is evident that she portrays the monstrous as people’s judgments. Society considers Victor’s creation to be a monster. However, he is not born this way, but as a tabula rasa, meaning blank slate. The creature comes into this world, just as a newborn child does, without any sin and ignorant to evil. Yet people only see him for his appearance, an overgrown yellow-eyed man, which is out of the ordinary. As a result they are not accepting of the creature and immediately assume that his purpose is to harm them. This causes the creature to get physically and mentally damaged. For example, when Felix De Lacey sees him talking with his father, he kicks the creature out of his house and violently attacks him outside. The creature spent many months observing the De Lacey’s life, growing attached to them, and their rejection towards the creature turns him bitter. Therefore, the creature was not born a monster, but people’s hostile characters towards him cause him to hate the human race. (Audrey Moukattaf)

Mary Shelley suggests that two main qualities of the monstrous are lack of ability to communicate and lack of empathy. Victor does not communicate and lacks empathy for his creation which is surely monstrous but further, through doing this, Mary Shelley suggests that he turns his creature into a monster. By not communicating with his creature and failing to empathize with him, Victor deprives his creation of nurture. In order for morality (a very human quality) to be established, the creation would have needed some guidance and care. Due to the fact that he is instead abandoned, he is locked into a life of solidarity. Thus, the creature does not know how to communicate properly with others. Additionally, due to the fact that he was never empathized with or understood, he does not know how to empathize with or understand others. Mary Shelley thus implies that through Victor’s embodiment of monstrous qualities and inability to nurture, he creates a monster out of his creation as well. (Kendall Calcano)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** 7. Connections to Ben, Macbeth, Oedipus etc ** ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> There is a great connection between the creature in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Ben in Dorris Lessing's //The Fifth Child.// Both of these creatures come into the world, not by their own request, but by the choices of others. Victor has an unhealthy obsession with creating a human creature; Harriet and David have an obsession with producing children. When the creature becomes filled with life, Victor is immediately mortified with his creation. Although the creature is innocent, Frankenstein is so quick to judge because the sight his creation is frightening. This first experience greatly affects Victor, and solidifies his view of the creature. A similar account occurs in //The Fifth Child.// Ben is not welcomed into the world, but he is immediately rejected by his family. The only person who attempts to make an effort is Harriet, but all the while she is thinking about how much she hates him. It is almost impossible for any creature to become good if overwhelmed by hatred. The creature and Ben are most likely plagued by the thought that if their own creator does not even love them, then who will? Both Shelley and Lessing suggest that an obsession with one's desires will never draw out the anticipated result; Frankenstein and Harriet and David would not stop until they reached perfection, which proves to be the main reason that they cannot view their unexpected creations as good. ** (CO) ** ====

Most of the texts we have read this year have all have reacquiring themes. The main ones include hunger for power, or lack of communication abilities, which all lead to downfall or failure. The theme of communication is a big theme found in both //Oedipus Rex// and //Frankenstein//. The ultimate downfall of the main character in both novels occurs because of their inability to communicate. Oedipus was not able communicate properly with those who warned him about the truth of the prophecy and he chose to ignore them. He acted rashly and was unable to realize his faults until it was too late. Victor and the creature have an extreme disconnection when it comes to communication. They are never able to talk in a civilized manner, which then leads to a cycle of violence that does not end till Victor dies. Only Walton is able to show true communication with the monster when he says, “I called on him to stay” (152). In the text //Macbeth//, we see the main character fall because power consumes him. Macbeth gets too caught up in his seeking of ultimate power that by the time he realizes he has gone too far, it is too late. Victor and the creature also have this hunger for power. Victor strives to defy human nature by creating human life form the dead. Once he does so, the creature and his creature battle for ultimate power over the other. Both of these themes show that all of these characters have tried to go against human nature and it has always lead to their downfall, and in the end their death. (**Mo Leitner)**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** 8. What are the elements of horror? **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An atmosphere of mystery and suspense
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events - the creature
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">High, even overwrought emotion
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Women in distress - Elizabeth
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The metonymy of gloom and horror - takes place in the mountains (SL)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mountains-they create isolation (CJ)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Knowledge- the creature would not have known things about himself if he could not communicate (CJ)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">unfamiliar appearances (the creature in frankenstein) tend to startle or alarm readers - Kendall C
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For further information on the "Elements of Horror", visit the Elements of Horror page. (Marissa)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** 9. Connection to Twilight (APPEARANCES) and Lady Gaga’s Monsters ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Appearances cannot be changed; however humanity is a judgmental species that opposes anything different than what is known and accustomed to. Lady Gaga titles her album //Born This Way// because even though there are some people that do not agree with her choice of style or music, it is important that she stays true to herself. This relates to Mary Shelley’s novel //Frankenstein// because Victor’s creature does not ask to be made, it is just created into the world. Many people are scared of the creature and call him a monster numerous times because of his appearance. Just like Lady Gaga, the creature is only called a monster because of his appearance, something that he cannot change, because he was made that way. Lady Gaga’s monsters show others not to judge people by their appearance, but this is exactly what people do when they see the creature. It is important that people do not judge others by their first appearance because if the creature had been given an opportunity to be loved, his morals might not have been all about revenge. Lady Gaga’s monsters connect to Victor’s creature because they are both judged on something they cannot change; in the words of Lady Gaga, they were "born that way." **(Brooke Peeler)**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> pictures provided by Mo Leitner Through the social interactions of the creature it is evident that Mary Shelley suggests than people’s opinions solidify what they consider “monstrous”. People curse the creature by simply viewing his appearance. They spurn and curse what they do not understand and do not know. At the first sight of the creature, “He turned on hearing noise; and, perceiving me, shrieked loudly, and, quitting from the hut, ran across the fields with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appeared capable,” (70). The old man assumed that because the creature was huge and different he must be dangerous and automatically formed a judgment of him. The creature allows these hateful reactions to cause bitter resentment within him. He discloses, "You hate me; but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself," (155). The views of society impacted the creature's opinion of himself and made him insecure. In contrast, Lady Gaga’s fame stems from her continuous ambiguous appearances. Through her wardrobe, she expresses exotic, boundary-breaking outfits. Despite the mixed reactions and criticism she receives from society, Lady Gaga remains true to how she sees herself. Her confidence makes her a respected figure regardless of whether people agree with her looks or not. Therefore, the creature and Lady Gaga's appearances suggest that society feels a need to critic things that are different, however, if someone believes in themselves, they earn respect for being unique. (Sydney DeVoe)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">pictures provided by D'Nea Galbraith

Mary Shelley shows a new take on the classic "never judge a book by its cover" theme by making the creature's thoughts known to the reader. The creature in //Frankenstein// is hideous to the societal eye, however his intentions are just as moral as any human's, and this theme is similar to that which is conveyed in the book //Beastly// and the movie //Beauty and the Beast//. //Beastly// is a story that is based on //Beauty and the Beast//, but it is grounded by a darker, more realistic mood. //Beastly// is set in present-day New York City, which is automatically more personal than Disney's classic fairy tale, and also brings the story to a new level of opportunities. The beast is now set loose in the world instead of hiding out in a castle in the woods far away from civilization. The dark reality of //Beastly// makes it very similar to Frankenstein because it involves the numerous other factors that come into play when "the other" is released into the world, instead of revolving around a glorified love. These factors consist of the struggle to find balance between emotion and self-control, and the search for hope within oneself when depression approaches. The mind-- whether it is that of a human or creature-- is a complex, unstable aspect, and in these cases, it plays a critical role in the personal journeys of both creatures. //Frankenstein// and //Beastly// are very similar in the sense that the creatures are shown to battle not only the judgments of society, but also complexities of the mind which delay their progress of self-understanding. (Shannon Longworth)



Stephanie Meyer's //Twilight// contributes to the idea that "looks can be deceiving." The Cullens appear to be an average American family. However, there is a special secret about them that no one knows; they are vicious creatures that thirst for the blood of humans. Their appealing countenance and beauty supports the belief that they have nothing but benevolent intent. In other words, they look completely "normal." This emphasizes Shelley's point that a person should not be judged by their outward appearance because this family is actually very harmful. However, they attract a lot of attention and favor because they are good-looking. There is another side to them that no one will truly get to know because they are so appealing. No has has ever taken the time to penetrate their true identity because they are unable to get passed their outward appearance. This compares to the way that the characters in the novel were unable to get passed the Creature's overwhelming appearance and get to know his true personality. (D'Nea Galbraith)