The Monster Frankenstein from Various Films that Portray the Character in Different Shades of Human Nature - Term Paper Example

? Monster I. Introduction The utterance ‘Monster’ can be specified as an nuance exhibiting or revealing the hidden sides of things. In closeproximity to the human needs it can be stated that a monster is an explanation of a strange and frightening being whose existence is highly doubted by majority or all of the currently accepted scientific authorities (Greer, 8-9). In the literature and films several characters are seen in the form of monsters and they can be mainly classified as slasher or non slasher monster with the slasher monster being usually acknowledged and recognized for their killing prowess and on the other hand the non slasher monsters are the objects of empathy, pity or compassion. The monsters used in the literature as well as the films are generally reflectors of the dark side of human nature. Basically the portray of the monsters in the literature, drama and most essentially in films points towards the establishment of a social angle in front of a target audience (Fischoff et al, 2). The paper will be discussing about the monster Frankenstein from various films that portray the character in different shades of human nature. Background The target audience of this piece is for all, especially towards the bureaucratic psychology bearers of the modern world who are generally hardcore supporters of the oppression, dominance and torture and seeks to establish a social point of view with the urge towards the attainment of a solution. The Curse of Frankenstein was one of the movies on Frankenstein by Terence Fisher made in the year 1957. In the movie it was shown how the son of a wealthy family, Dr. Victor Frankenstein got himself entangled between his penchant for science and societal boundaries. The protagonist i.e. Dr. Victor Frankenstein was shown to developed an interest in the origins of life and he had recreated a dead dog. His next ambition was to recreate a dead human being. He thought of fusing the body parts of people with different intellect and knowledge. The doctor was successful in his mission to create the monster but it lacked the human and intellectual traits he wished to see in it. Instead it had developed to be a scary, psychotic killer. Frankenstein could not carry on with his work for long as he got involved in a murder case as well as faced hostility from the society and his dear ones (The Curse of Frankenstein). In another movie on the same theme Frankenstein Created Woman, it was shown how Frankenstein had tried to cheat death by transferring the soul of a dead person into a new body. In the movie, a female monster was created from a person who had drowned herself. The monster ultimately became a killer instead of a normal human being as was thought by Dr. Frankenstein (Women And Frankenstein). The movie ‘The Modern Promethus’ centers around the life of Victor Frankenstein who was born and brought up in the Geneva in a wealthy family with a safe environment surrounded by beloved ones and pursued education in science for establishing a quite interesting and promising future. The metaphor lies in the fact that the science is a powerful tool in innovation and in making the life of the people happier but as an aftermath of the industrial revolution science can be visualized as a curse in the then societal structure. Victor leaves home for the purpose of study in Germany in the writings of renowned alchemist and scientists but was subjected to criticism by a professor. Nevertheless he carries on with his scientific experiments within the fields of anatomy, natural philosophy with the collection of dead decaying human parts from the graveyard and ultimately developed a monster or creature similar to that of a human being. At this the Victor’s statement can be mentioned as follows: “No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success. Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world” (Shelly, 58). II. Physical attributes The monster in the original novel was green skinned behemoth with the body being crafted by innumerable stitches bounding several body parts. He was tall and he had every features of a monster. It can be described from the words of the creator Victor himself as, “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath: his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriance only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same color as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion and straight black lips” (Shelly, 58). The monster created in the movie The Curse of Frankenstein was created by joining together the body parts of individuals from different professional backgrounds. The monster had the brain of a professor, its eyes and hands were purchased from outside. The monster was supposed to carry the attributes of the professor but evolved to be a violent creature instead. Similarly, in the movie Frankenstein Created Woman, the female monster was shown as a normal human being but lacked in memories. It was believed to have the memories of the deceased person but there was no such memory in the monster. Mental attributes The monster’s physical attributes can be explained as a precursor of the development of his mental attributes. His physical attributes generate hindrances and create mental frustration when the people seeing him get frightened and induce within him a criminal instinct. He fails in his every endeavor in contacting with the people and ultimately learns about language and the habits of the people. It can be said that the underlying mechanism was that he longed for kindness, protection and company. When the family through which he got console left him he gained within himself attributes of hatred and revenge. He makes several killings but it did not let him feel better (Shelly, 58). Both the monsters in the movies The Curse of Frankenstein and Frankenstein Created Woman had characters that were similar to the previous one. They were created for a cause that appeared noble for its creators but took a back seat when they actually came to life. The monsters were created to satisfy the growing urge of the protagonists to succeed in their scientific and “above time” ambitions. III. Victims The monster in his life reaches a point when only hatred is the sole feeling which authorized its supremacy in his mind. Apparently all are victims in the novel but the ultimate victim of the monster was his creator Victor Frankenstein for whom he created a tremendous sense of hatred within himself. Similarly, in the other two movies, the victims were the near and dear ones of the creator, Dr. Frankenstein. IV. Importance The movie modern Prometheus was made during the early phases of the Industrial revolution where the creation of life has been the primary and apex target of Victor Frankenstein which is strictly compared to the development of innovative mechanisms with the advent of industrial revolution. The monster’s utter disregard for the human beings remains can be regarded as the symbolic notion of the laissez-faire capitalism with the basic ignorance towards humanity. The monster also rebels against its creator which can be explained as the concept of socialism where the labor unions rose and protested against the capitalist classes. This can be also seen in this way that development of irresponsible technologies may direct towards adverse cost in the society. Also the endeavor or over emphasis of igniting life into the non living thing is also used in a very robust manner (Dussingher, 38-40). The monster created in the movie The Curse of Frankenstein showed the growing urge of man to explore the hidden and bounded topics beyond the scientific domains. It was made in the time were science was gathering its pace but was confined within the societal obligations. The monster in the film was devoid of human characteristics and this explained the limitations of scientific knowledge and their experiments. In the third movie, the female monster lacked in memories but it was believed to carry the memories of the deceased person in its subconscious mind. It ultimately became a murderer and a killer of its own people. Conclusion The above discussion points at the different attributes of human nature and the society that was projected by creating entities called monsters in the films. The monsters were created to highlight the shortcomings and limitations of the society and human. In the first example, the monster was created to express the bindings and underpinnings of the industrial revolution. Though the revolution sought to improve the society there were negative consequences too. The monster here had become cruel and inhuman by nature. This was partly because of his lack of human behaviors and his disfigured structure because of which he was shunned by the people. This further ignited the rebellious nature in it. In the next two movies discussed in the paper, the monsters were created by Dr. Frankenstein for scientific purpose. One was created to be a super human being and the other was created for a totally scientific innovation. Both had failed in their ends despite of the process by which they were created. These movies tried to reveal that any form of behavior, habit or attitude seen in human beings is created because of his own curiosity and actions. The monsters were feared by the people not only because of their fearsome looks but because of their actions too. They were not created to be fearful but became so because of the flaws that must have been present in the experimentations. Reference Dussingher, John A, Kinship and guilt in Mary Shelly’s Frankestein, Studies in the Novel, (1976) 8.1, September 3 2012, from: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=18&sid=2030d7b9-a772-4e18-98ff-529a7f5204d1%40sessionmgr10&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=7118277 Fischoff , Stuart, Favorite Movie Monsters and Their Psychological Appeal, (2003) 22.4, September 3 2012, from: http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/abloom/tvf454/4Monsterp.pdf Greer, John Michael, Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2001 Shelly, Mary, Frankenstein, Palgrave Macmillan, 2000 The Curse of Frankenstein, 1957, September 7, 2012, from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050280/ Women And Frankenstein, 2009, September 7, 2012, from: http://mermaidheather.blogspot.in/2009/05/women-and-frankenstein.html Read More