Why Mary Shelley Wants You to Read Her Book

 "The rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs” states Victor Frankenstein in a moment when his two-year long experiment of insanity ends with success, and he unknowingly takes his first step into a world of abject misery, from which he will never be able to run away (Shelley 58). Written by Mary Shelley in 1818, Frankenstein paints the life of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who conducts a self-driven, unorthodox experiment with one sole goal: bringing an inanimate creature into life. Through the footsteps of Frankenstein and his abhorred creature (ironically referred to as Frankenstein in the modern days), Shelley brings to our mind the inescapable weight and responsibility trailing behind the Creator, and the impact following a lack of parental care and social support on a young mind. 

The author of Frankenstein weaves through the enigmatic subject of creation by pulling perspectives of multiple characters together using flashbacks. One aspect I liked about this book was how the author, by retelling the story in multiple perspectives, provides equal representation for the main characters, as opposed to the common one-dimensional-villain-and-one-sided-protagonist story line. Therefore, Shelley sets an ambiguous line between the good and evil, adding complexity to her novel, and calls the readers to consider several ethical questions: 

Were there any creatures with the same emotion and thought processes as humans, should human rights be applied to them? In a broader sense, what really defines a human being? 

Should subconscious discrimination be justified as human instincts, or are they mere immorality?

Are we, humans, really entitled to the action of bringing new lives into the world? 

A myriad of responses could provide answers to the preceding questions, and I believe this is what makes the novel so powerful: it leads the readers to step out of their innately prejudiced mindsets and consider socially controversial topics--such as child abortion, racism (or even judging based on one’s appearance), and childcare--with a new perspective, and helps us build our own opinions about the world around us. Aside from letting the readers reexamine influential topics in the present, the book also reveals multiple aspects of the early 19th century, such as poor medical technology, religious oppression, strict social hierarchy, sexism, undue court judgement, and etc. This allowed me to compare today’s society to the ones in the past and perceive a broader picture of how the world has altered over history. 

Despite being a classical novel--a genre believed by many as dull or difficult to comprehend--Frankenstein welcomes a broad range of readers with its precise language and complexity with regards to genre. With mildly unfamiliar vocabulary and organization of speech, the book at first may seem challenging: however, a bit of struggle at the beginning brings a rewarding time for the rest of the reading, as multiple characteristics, including thriller, drama, romance, science fiction, and tragedy, accompanied by vivid descriptions, are incorporated into the unpredictable plot that adds to the artistic value of the book. 

(Spoiler alert!)

Of all characteristics of Frankenstein I have listed so far, the feature that I thought was the most special about this novel is that it reveals the development of a criminal’s mind in detail. The monster, although innocuous and benevolent in the beginning, slowly alters his behavior as the humans consistently inflict hatred and violence onto him, and ultimately declares “There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? No; from that moment I declared everlasting war against the species…” (Shelley 163). Through a sequence of events surrounding the monster, the book not only shares the importance of social support to an individual, but also to the society itself, as anyone could take a revenge on a society after being rejected by it. In such a way, Shelley warns the readers that a neglected child next door, without our support and care, may become the next monster of Frankenstein, until it is too late to turn anything back.