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Week 1: Frankenstien by Mary Shelly (#6 points)



     


    I have never read Frankenstein before, and just known Frankenstein as a Halloween character, a monster with bolts on the sides of his neck. So I was quite surprised that Frankenstein is the doctor who creates the monster by sewing together parts of bodies stolen from graveyards. 

Another thing that caught my attention was the part that made me feel like the monster which is usually portrayed as a hideous and ugly creature, was almost like a baby. He admires the warmth of sunlight, a bird chirping, and the beauty of nature. Seeing people getting along with each other well, he thinks he wants to interact with others like that. Because of his appearance, I thought that the monster would be vicious and have no sensibility like humans. However, the monster was a more sensitive and emotional character than humans. He felt torn about seeing people frightened by him. He cannot be beloved by anyone. 

    The relationship between Frankenstein and the monster was harmful to each other. The monster was just born and made by Frankenstein, even if he didn’t want to. He had to live with a hideous appearance, and he didn’t even have a name, because Frankenstein abandoned him. If Frankenstein was responsible for his creature, the ending of this novel could have been different.

    At the same time, I can understand Frankenstein’s disappointment with his experiment and himself. He believed that he had enough ability to succeed in the experiment, so he went all out for it with all his passion. His high expectations for this experiment led to more disappointment about the result. He didn’t want to believe the result that he made, the hideous creature, so he ran away from it. As a result, the monster hurt Frankenstein’s family to make Frankenstein feel the loneliness and pain that the monster felt himself. Frankenstein must have been frustrated because he lost his loved one as a result of his failure. 

    I think when someone has a passion for one thing, this can lead to great success. However, if someone became obsessed and preoccupied with it, then the thing that we've loved could just become a pain. Frankenstein was caught up in his little world and was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice anything wrong. He had a brilliant talent more than anyone else, but his accomplishment did not necessarily lead to his happiness. 

    Reading Frankenstein, I can see myself in him because sometimes I’m too obsessed with making the best work and being well received by other people. Because of that obsession, I forgot the moment that I was really enjoying imagining fun ideas and visually expressing them. I completely burned out and lost every motivation for what I love. Frankenstein might have needed the time to ease his mind and the courage to face the monster, because it is the result of his effort, whether it is success or failure.


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