Amanda Alty
Ms. Gillhespy
ENC 1102
25 February 2013
Frankenstein’s Monster: A Victim, Not a
Killer
The 1994 film Frankenstein is
a visual representation of Mary Shelley’s 18thcentury novel
Frankenstein. This classic story tells of an ambitious doctor who
stitches together human remains and uses an elixir to create life. However the
doctor, Victor Frankenstein, is horrified by his creation’s ugliness and
abandons him. After being “rejected” from society numerous times, the monster
proceeds to kill two people and is responsible for the deaths of two others. But
was it really his fault? After all, the monster did not ask to be brought into
this world and when he was, he was never taught a code of conduct. Therefore, he
cannot be held responsible for any of his actions. According to Nolo’s
Plain-English Law dictionary, criminal homicide occurs when a person purposely, knowingly, recklessly, or with extreme negligence
causes the death of another. The law dictionary also explains that not all
homicide is murder, as seen in cases involving insanity. Because Frankenstein’s
monster was not in a sane state of mind, he cannot possibly be blamed for the
killings that occurred. It needs to be proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, that
Frankenstein’s monster is not guilty of criminal
homicide.
Alone and abandoned immediately after his creation, the monster was
forced to figure out life on his own. He was capable of feeling emotions, as
seen by his deep concern for the family he observes from the hovel. However, he
was never taught which behaviors were acceptable and unacceptable for conveying
negative emotions. He was abandoned; he had no possible way to know that murder
was wrong. The monster even asks Frankenstein, “Who am I?” because he honestly
doesn’t know. All the monster
knew were his emotions. He knew the extreme pain he felt from being rejected by
society because of his looks, and he believed that murder was an appropriate
form of revenge. After searching far and wide for his creator, the monster
specifically asked Frankenstein if he had a soul or if the doctor had left it
out of his creation. The monster then stated, “You gave me these emotions, but
you didn’t tell me how to use them”. Frankenstein had no response to either the
monster’s question or his accusation. The monster was never taught, and
therefore didn’t know the differences between right and wrong. He is not even
responsible for his emotions, as his brain (and every other part of him) had
previously belonged to another being.
Victor Frankenstein, however, was not ignorant. He was a known scholar
and therefore had the resources to gather enough information to make a
responsible decision. Frankenstein even engaged in a documented conversation
with his most respected mentor, Professor Krempe, regarding the idea of creating
life from death. According to Krempe, the subject became quite heated due to
Frankenstein’s ambitious and stubborn nature. Krempe clearly and strongly
advised him against fulfilling his project as he shared his own experience with
the same project. His exact words to Frankenstein were, “It is not only illegal,
but downright immoral”.There is no disputing the fact that Frankenstein was
warned by a reputable source, as he was warned by his own teacher. Frankenstein
had full knowledge of his project’s dangerous nature, but chose to follow
through with it.
On the other hand, the monster eventually learned that murder is not
acceptable, and should made amends for his actions. However, Frankenstein’s
monster also lived his life in a state of extreme grief, a pain so intense that
it consumed his being and made him hate himself and society. Frankenstein’s
reaction to the monster is seen in minutes 48 to 52 of the film, as the doctor
screams with horror and calls him an abomination. He then proceeds to run out of
the building, irresponsibly abandoning his live creation. Society convinced him
that he was unlovable because he was so ugly. The monster had no control over
his appearance, and therefore felt completely powerless over his rejection. One
can see that this pain was the driving force of his actions as he begins to use
murder as a means of punishing Frankenstein and blackmailing him for love. The
monster requests that Frankenstein create another creature like him so that he
can find love, and when Frankenstein declines, the monster says, “If you deny me
my wedding night, I shall be with you on yours!” This exemplifies the exact
motivation the monster has for killing the people closest to Frankenstein. He
eventually commits suicide after Frankenstein dies because the pain he feels
becomes unbearable. The monster’s grief made him insane, and according to the
law, he cannot be blamed for the consequences of his
insanity.
As we have seen, Frankenstein’s monster was not capable of making
responsible decisions given his state of mind. He was forced to learn the ways
of society through means of observation, and because society rejected him, he
only observed the evil in the world. The monster was made to feel like a
horrible beast before he had a chance to prove his capacity for love. In his
mind, murder was the only way to reconcile the pain he felt within. We can see
that the monster is truly a victim of both Frankenstein’s selfish ambition and
society’s obsession with beauty. He killed because he was insane and because he
wasn’t taught morals, not because he was purely
evil.
Works Cited
“Criminal Homicide.” Def. 1. Nolo’s
Plain-English Law Dictionary.
http://www.nolo.com/dictionary/homicide-term.html . Web. 24 November
2009
Frankenstein. 1994. Tristar. 2013.
DVD
Ms. Gillhespy
ENC 1102
25 February 2013
Frankenstein’s Monster: A Victim, Not a
Killer
The 1994 film Frankenstein is
a visual representation of Mary Shelley’s 18thcentury novel
Frankenstein. This classic story tells of an ambitious doctor who
stitches together human remains and uses an elixir to create life. However the
doctor, Victor Frankenstein, is horrified by his creation’s ugliness and
abandons him. After being “rejected” from society numerous times, the monster
proceeds to kill two people and is responsible for the deaths of two others. But
was it really his fault? After all, the monster did not ask to be brought into
this world and when he was, he was never taught a code of conduct. Therefore, he
cannot be held responsible for any of his actions. According to Nolo’s
Plain-English Law dictionary, criminal homicide occurs when a person purposely, knowingly, recklessly, or with extreme negligence
causes the death of another. The law dictionary also explains that not all
homicide is murder, as seen in cases involving insanity. Because Frankenstein’s
monster was not in a sane state of mind, he cannot possibly be blamed for the
killings that occurred. It needs to be proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, that
Frankenstein’s monster is not guilty of criminal
homicide.
Alone and abandoned immediately after his creation, the monster was
forced to figure out life on his own. He was capable of feeling emotions, as
seen by his deep concern for the family he observes from the hovel. However, he
was never taught which behaviors were acceptable and unacceptable for conveying
negative emotions. He was abandoned; he had no possible way to know that murder
was wrong. The monster even asks Frankenstein, “Who am I?” because he honestly
doesn’t know. All the monster
knew were his emotions. He knew the extreme pain he felt from being rejected by
society because of his looks, and he believed that murder was an appropriate
form of revenge. After searching far and wide for his creator, the monster
specifically asked Frankenstein if he had a soul or if the doctor had left it
out of his creation. The monster then stated, “You gave me these emotions, but
you didn’t tell me how to use them”. Frankenstein had no response to either the
monster’s question or his accusation. The monster was never taught, and
therefore didn’t know the differences between right and wrong. He is not even
responsible for his emotions, as his brain (and every other part of him) had
previously belonged to another being.
Victor Frankenstein, however, was not ignorant. He was a known scholar
and therefore had the resources to gather enough information to make a
responsible decision. Frankenstein even engaged in a documented conversation
with his most respected mentor, Professor Krempe, regarding the idea of creating
life from death. According to Krempe, the subject became quite heated due to
Frankenstein’s ambitious and stubborn nature. Krempe clearly and strongly
advised him against fulfilling his project as he shared his own experience with
the same project. His exact words to Frankenstein were, “It is not only illegal,
but downright immoral”.There is no disputing the fact that Frankenstein was
warned by a reputable source, as he was warned by his own teacher. Frankenstein
had full knowledge of his project’s dangerous nature, but chose to follow
through with it.
On the other hand, the monster eventually learned that murder is not
acceptable, and should made amends for his actions. However, Frankenstein’s
monster also lived his life in a state of extreme grief, a pain so intense that
it consumed his being and made him hate himself and society. Frankenstein’s
reaction to the monster is seen in minutes 48 to 52 of the film, as the doctor
screams with horror and calls him an abomination. He then proceeds to run out of
the building, irresponsibly abandoning his live creation. Society convinced him
that he was unlovable because he was so ugly. The monster had no control over
his appearance, and therefore felt completely powerless over his rejection. One
can see that this pain was the driving force of his actions as he begins to use
murder as a means of punishing Frankenstein and blackmailing him for love. The
monster requests that Frankenstein create another creature like him so that he
can find love, and when Frankenstein declines, the monster says, “If you deny me
my wedding night, I shall be with you on yours!” This exemplifies the exact
motivation the monster has for killing the people closest to Frankenstein. He
eventually commits suicide after Frankenstein dies because the pain he feels
becomes unbearable. The monster’s grief made him insane, and according to the
law, he cannot be blamed for the consequences of his
insanity.
As we have seen, Frankenstein’s monster was not capable of making
responsible decisions given his state of mind. He was forced to learn the ways
of society through means of observation, and because society rejected him, he
only observed the evil in the world. The monster was made to feel like a
horrible beast before he had a chance to prove his capacity for love. In his
mind, murder was the only way to reconcile the pain he felt within. We can see
that the monster is truly a victim of both Frankenstein’s selfish ambition and
society’s obsession with beauty. He killed because he was insane and because he
wasn’t taught morals, not because he was purely
evil.
Works Cited
“Criminal Homicide.” Def. 1. Nolo’s
Plain-English Law Dictionary.
http://www.nolo.com/dictionary/homicide-term.html . Web. 24 November
2009
Frankenstein. 1994. Tristar. 2013.
DVD