How Does the Understanding of the Origins and Spread of Nationalism Inform Our Reading of Frankenstein - Assignment Example

Order 299558 Topic: How does the understanding of the origins and spread of nationalism inform our reading of Frankenstein? Introduction: An interesting observation can be read in Elizabeth A Fay’s book, “A feminist introduction to romanticism.” She writes, “When Mary Shelly writes her first novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus….she plots her story around the experiences of childhood. But her real theme is maternal nationalism and the Promethean spark her own mother, Mary Wollstonecraft….” (Fay, 1998, p. 97 ). When perfect discipline is not available, they say, carry on with the available discipline! Mary Shelly was born in a period when her ideal of nationalism reflected in her private family life only. Frankenstein saw the light of the day when the modern western World was beginning to evolve. The people desperately needed a change and were fed up of the royal harassments. Most of the monarchies did not care for the welfare of the people and had no concrete plans to improve the living conditions of the people. The French Revolution evolved within the minds of the people, waiting for an opportune time to strike. This book was written during the Romantic movement of the early 19th century. The issues raised then are relevant even today. Mary Shelly is more or less prophetic in her observations as for the causes that led to the evolving of the spirit of Nationalism. If one turns the pages of blood-soaked history of humanity, the conclusion is obvious. An individual’s aspirations should be fulfilled peacefully by the rulers and those occupying the seats of power. If that does not happen, what would be the results when those aspirations are attained by violent processes by adopting most irresponsible procedures! The concepts of individual freedom and respect for one’s dignity—these are time-tested concepts for the healthy growth of the society. Any political philosophy that tries to suppress these ideals by force will not last for long. We have seen the rise and abrupt fall of Nationalism evolved by adopting Communist ideology in Russia and some other western countries. The procedures and developmental strategies being officially encouraged by the Communist regime of China would put the Capitalist countries in the backseat. When Mary Shelley (then Mary Godwin) wrote Frankenstein in 1816, political conditions were such that the human spirit was tested to the brink. The prominent authors of the time took to serious writing on the concepts of uniqueness and self-realization. The individual’s emotions amidst their daily struggles became good story topics. These topics had the back up of direct experiences and hence they turned out to be unique stories and loved by the people. They mirrored the life and living of the people of that era. What is Nationalism from the point of view of people? They have something to look forward to which provides assurance, essential human dignity, physical and mental security, and availability of their day to day necessities. When tomorrow’s bread is not assured from today’s labor, the ideal conditions for nationhood are lacking in that geographical area. Fear and uncertainties can not contribute to the feeling of nationalism, let alone strengthening it. Mary Shelley expresses about similar sentiments in Frankenstein. The shadows of the impending French Revolution are lurking through the various incidents and characters of the story. Total disillusionment with the establishment of the time is clearly explained. The seeds of liberalism and nationalism were sown, they began to sprout, and the sapling had begun to grow steadily. Romantic ideals at that time were suppressed by the monarchies. The thinkers, writers and the common people doubted whether it is possible for them to transform the society by challenging the ruthless rulers by peaceful methods and through an intellectual platform. Any work of literature explains many things about the plot and characters of the story, and also something about the author’s personal life. Even when the author makes intentional efforts to hide it from the reader, such revelations can not be helped and they add reality and poignancy to the development and ending of the story. The vitality of experience is always more than the imagined plot. The same is true of Frankenstein. From the point of view of creativity in literature, the fulfillment of the dream makes a good book; the disillusionment with the dream when it is not fulfilled, out of that frustration, a better book emerges! George Levine discusses the dream of Godwin, that led her to create Frankenstein, thus: “The dreams emerge from the complex experiences that placed young Mary Shelley, both personally and intellectually, at a point of crisis in our modern culture, where idealism, faith in human perfectibility, and revolutionary energy were counterbalanced by the moral egotism of her radical father, the potential infidelity of her husband, the cynical diabolism of Byron, the felt reality of her own pregnancy, and a great deal more" (Levine,1974, p. 4).Her life was like the mirror that reflected the desperate realities that were happening as for Europe’s political events. Nationalism and revolution were the much admired and sought after concepts; the rulers of the time hated them, and would go to any extent to suppress them. But the ones who were set to achieve those ideals did not inspire Mary Shelley either! She grew up in wrong surroundings. She was in the company of men who saw the dreams of reaching the ivory tower of power through their genius. Lord Byron was one of them. "Surrounded by illegitimate births and infant deaths, they subsisted on high ideals to remake the world through liberation and revolution" (Shattuck, 1996, p. 84).Mary Godwin was disappointed by both. Those who occupied the seats of power and those who wised to dislodge them to take control with the promise of delivering the moon to the people! The remedy was worst than the disease! When she fails to come to terms with the world of reality, she surrenders before the world of fantasy. She creates a character like Victor Frankenstein, the doctor, who is thoroughly disillusioned with the ways of the secular world, and therefore reaches out to the supernatural realm. His creation, the monster soon goes unchallenged, and his intellectual ambition is extraordinary. He is trying to overdo things, without anticipating the disastrous consequences. His mind-set can be compared to the modern-day nuclear scientists, working for their political masters, pushing humanity to perilous precipices. The Monster is directionless and destination less. Frankenstein states, "Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how happier the man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow" (Shelley, 1971,p. 53).What happens when the unfulfilled ambitions lead to devastating and frustrating consequences? Ask Frankenstein! The Political geography of Horror, created by Mary Shelley is very interesting, and is an issue for profound political thinkers. Think of the churning/suffering processes through which some of the African and Asian countries like Burma, Tibet etc. are going through. Even though one can not say for certain that people who are not vigilant to protect their rights well in time are responsible for creating the present conditions there, a section of the people has to share the blame. In the ultimate analysis, people can build a country or the people can break it! The uncontrolled power in the hands of the rulers of such countries can be compared to the power and action of the monster. With the mindless power unleashed by the monster, over which it seems to have lost control, murders are selling like peanuts. The test of Frankenstein and its expectations hold well in 21st century also. Notwithstanding the technological and scientific advances, the black holes in the minds of men have remained the same. Negativities lurk in every area like race, gender, class etc. Those who have usurped the power do not know how far they can carry on with the killing spree and what sort of Nation they are going to build. Shelley’s implied concern for Nationalism in the true sense is seen through the subtleties as well as uncertainties of the behavior of the monster and the deep regret of the man who created it, Dr. Frankenstein. The Doctor seems to have lost his mental balance for the disservice he has done to his Nation, and for the humanity as a whole. The theme of Nationalism was clearly born during the romantic era, and it acted like the booster to the French Revolution. Subsequent to the revolution, the intellectuals who supported revolution and the people in general had high expectations from the post-revolution managers of the affairs of the countries. An individual saw himself in the new role of controller and the governor of the destinies of Nation. (Position comparable to a voter in a democracy) But the realities that followed were harsh, and nothing tangible for the welfare of the Nation as such happened immediately. Peaceful conditions were nowhere near the corner. The new imbalances continued to torment the creators, and the eagerly awaited new orientation was nowhere insight. Soon the Powerful Chairs (the ruling clique) and the Chair less Powers (the common man) were at loggerheads again. The period from 1800 to 1871, was important in the social/political history of Europe. The strong winds of change began to sweep across the continent and all except the Kings and the ruling class wanted the change. Power remained concentrated in the hands of Kings, and the people were denied the basic amenities of living. Intellectuals and the right thinking people began to air their independent views and sometime paid the price. In Frankenstein Mary Shelley examines the conditions obtaining then and also the future possibilities. She was not satisfied about the conditions present but at the same time, she was also apprehensive about the future possibilities. Her creation of the character Monster through Dr. Frankenstein is the outcome of the grim future she visualized for the humanity, when politics tackles the subject of Nationalism from the wrong end. Nowhere in the book has she said that Nationalism is good or bad. What is important is the right implementation of the various components of Nationalism for the welfare of the people. When the state or the individual, craves for powers in excess of the natural requirement of the situation, the results are bound to be disastrous. The situation will get out of control. One should not mount a tiger, unless one knows the perfect procedure to dismount it, before the tiger turns against and pounces on the rider. What is Nationalism? “Nationalism is a sense of identity with the nation. It is similar to tribalism, and like the family, is held together by a sense of kinship. Liah Greenfeld, Professor of Sociology at Boston University has defined nationalism as "an image of a social order, which involves the people as a sovereign elite and a community of equals". (Nationalism….) The relationship of the members of a nation is, theoretically, an equal relationship between citizens. It evolves differently in different national communities under different historical circumstances. At Mary Shelley’s time the relationship between the people and the King were never cordial, in the sense that the ruling class did not care for the welfare of the people. The totalitarian countries also swear by nationalism; such nationalism, by law is authoritarian. A democratic nationalism tends to be liberal. What was expected by the author in the book Frankenstein soon became the reality. The people dislodged the despotic kings. Political revolution took place in France to begin with, and that led to unprecedented violence. Nationalism was the primary element that motivated the people. The cause of Nationalism was presented which provided them with inspiration to fight and they fought without questioning. They were not aware about the aftermath, nor were the ones who led the revolution sure about the emerging picture. But the change was inevitable. The change had to take place, not matter what the consequences were! The pages of human history daubed in bloodshed on account of conflicts related to religion, race, color, gender violence, territorial aggrandizement in the name of nationalism ask the crying question. How to make this Planet Earth, heaven-like and achieve permanent peace? The answer is simple and straight forward. Eyes full of understanding, hearts full of love and the life that refuses conflicts-enough these alone are enough! Frankenstein rightly recognizes the role of the individual, free from the clutches of political philosophies and advocates the importance of thinkers and the writings that emerged from their pen on social/political philosophy. Their writings initiated fundamental changes in the thinking process of the people. When the thought process of an individual changes, the action process will also change! When the thoughts are changed, the mind is changed; when the mind is changed, the man is changed; when the man is changed, the society is changed; when the society is changed, the Nation is changed. Revolutions happen in such Nations with changed perspectives of the people and French Revolution is one such example. It goes to the credit of Mary Shelley that she was able to visualize the post-revolution scenario, though she had no solutions. By crating a character like Victor Frankenstein, Mary Shelley takes a big leap from the pre-French Revolution Era to the 21st century complexities and fears about the nuclear holocaust. The monster created then was on the killing spree by ones and twos. These nuclear monsters, till today kept in lock and key under guard and with the protection of coded commands, must be waiting for the fateful day of fulfillment of their objectives. Nobody knows about the ultimate outcome, the level of final destruction, and there will not be any politicians to be accounted for nor the statisticians to keep an account, everybody would have reached to the land from no one ever returns. Nothing but ash dust and cinders will remain and there will not be a soul to retrieve it! Conclusion: With the creation of the character, monster, Mary Shelley left many unanswered questions. The creator of the monster did not have answers for many of the issues that surfaced through monster. He deeply regretted his action, but he was in a hopeless position and had no remedial measures. The monster was pressing him to make a female monster so that he can have a company, as life was absolutely boring for him. When monster challenged him, he had to beat the retreat. Why create at all, when one can not exercise control over it? ….Similarly, Nations are created, fresh boundaries are demarcated either with love or through force, the slogans of Nationalism are repeated often from various platforms, but no one is able to gauge what is the ultimate purpose of all such activities! What is the final achievement? What is the final goal? Victor Frankenstein was killed by his own creation. This killer committed suicide! Who served whose purpose? The confusion was just confounded with damning end-results. Reference List: Fay, Elizabeth A. (1998) A feminist introduction to romanticism, Wiley-Blackwell. Levine, George, and U.C. Knoepflmacher, eds. (1974). The Endurance of Frankenstein: Essays on Mary Shelleys Novel. Berkeley: University of California Press. Nationalism While French nationalism motivated France to be a self-appointed protector of the ... Bismarck had a reputation, established during the Revolution of 1848... – Date accessed 17/5/2009 Shattuck, Roger. (1996) Forbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to Pornography. NY: St. Martins Press. Shelley, Mary. (1971). Frankenstein. 1816. London: Oxford University Press Read More