Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is one of the defining titles of the Gothic Horror genre. Possessing many elements of a classic horror novel, it was one of the pioneering works that opened the gates for more iconic characters to come, and rightfully so. Shelley explores dark, brooding themes such as lost love, the insatiable thirst for power and the destruction of life.
Starting off as letters from an explorer journeying to the North Pole to his sister back home, the story takes a turn when Walton (the explorer) pick up a mysterious man they find in the vast emptiness. After a number of days, during which the stranger and the explorer develop a bond, the stranger identifies himself as Victor Frankenstein and begins to tell his tragic tale.
He was once a young student, born of high-class, loving parents in Geneva and sent abroad to study science at the age of 17. Once there, under the tutorage of his inspiring professors Victor begins to uncover what he believes to be the key to reanimating corpses. He works at his project, locked away in secrecy for weeks until one night he is successful in his creation of an eight-foot giant. He flees and is remorseful, but the ‘monster’ follows him everywhere, even when he returns home at the beckoning of his lover Elizabeth. He finds at home that his youngest brother has been murdered, and when he sees the monster around the grave, he assumes he is to blame. His guilt and thoughts of being called insane prevents him from telling anyone, and everything breaks loose from there. Through a spiraling course of events, Victor loses everyone near to him, even Elizabeth. He winds up in the North Pole, having chased the monster there to seek revenge for his lost way of life. After telling the story to Walton, Victor dies a few days later. Walton finds the monster in the room with Victor’s body, weeping.
Shelley delves deep into the nature of creation and pride in her tale, and how one can drive the other to unspeakable lengths. Through creating life, Frankenstein in turn destroys his own completely and shatters any hope for redemption. Even a new life is out of the question, as he cannot shake his hatred for what he thinks to be the cause of his misery.
