Frankenstein as Gothic

When dealing with horror and gothic stories there are always at least two things that instantly pop into people's head, those are usually Dracula and Frankenstein, more specifically Frankenstein's monster. Frankenstein, the book written by Mary Shelley, is one of the most recognized gothic book to date. Yet, what exactly defines this book as gothic. The genre of gothic stories usually have to deal with the supernatural or the realm of science fiction. It often has to deal with death, horror, and even sometimes romance. So how does Frankenstein fit into this genre? To start, the entire premiss of the story is science fiction and horror; the act of playing God and resurrecting the dead and at the same time creating a monster that was never meant to exist. Death is one of the core elements in the tale since it is about how Dr. Frankenstein tries to reverse it and create life. But he creates a monster in the end and death follows the monster and the doctor alike as throughout the book either the monster has killed someone or prevented the death of someone (as we see when he saves the young girl from drowning), or when the doctor attempts his experiment again to get the monster to leave. Oddly enough, the monster is the only member of the book to really focus on love. The only thing the monster had really craved was acceptance and love from another (much like a child) yet because of the way he looks, he is shunned and hated. This causes the monster to hate the world and more importantly the doctor who created him threatening to kill those he loves if he does not make him a bride; someone as ugly as he is so he will know love at last.

Comments

  1. Claire CapassoSeptember 17, 2018 at 8:08 AM

    I think that the monster wasn't the only one who focused on love - Frankenstein loved his friends, family, and fiancee - but I agree he was the only one who truly appreciated it and didn't take advantage of it.

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