Examples Of Prejudice In Frankenstein

William Hazlitt, a philosopher of the 1700s stated, “Prejudice is a child of ignorance.” In other words, owing to absence of knowledge, individuals discriminate against others who are of a different race, sex, age or are physically or mentally ill. For instance, society alienates the blind because they believe he/she is insignificant and inadequate but they are unaware of how intelligent, kind or generous the sightless might be. Many individuals judge others who are different. Therefore, anyone who does not fit the norm (healthy physical and mental wellbeing) is considered undesirable in society. This concept is portrayed in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and Kenneth Branagh’s 1994 film inspired by the book. Justine fell victim to this injustice.

She is blamed for the death of William, the protagonist’s brother, on account of circumstantial evidence, is hanged and stoned. Her Catholic religion rendered her as a target for the congregation since Catholics were regarded as “others” in the biased society of the nineteenth century. In this case, the crowd is uncertain of the murderer and as a result, they condemned Justine with weak evidence.

They found Caroline’s locket with her, but this is not enough to convict someone. The creature also experiences prejudice. Frankenstein created the monster however he did not think of the consequences as he was obsessed with his ambition to create life. This lead to unfairness against the distorted being. The creature is accepted by neither the public nor his creator, Victor Frankenstein. His maker neglects him and the being has to face the world without physical or mental sustenance. The man-made organism’s gruesome appearance causes individuals to be afraid of him and treat him as an outcast forcing him into hiding. Analogous to the literary work and motion pictures, the being seems to possess a sensitive side and sincerely wants to help and be accepted by society but its deformed figure is its disadvantage. In the book, the creature rescues a female from drowning but is repaid by a wound. If society had known the reason for his unappealing exterior, his sincere motives and tolerated his appearance, the monster might not have channeled his anger into revenge. The being also displays an attitude of intolerance for his maker. This can be seen when the creature blames his “father” for the cruelty he has

experienced. However, his “pater” is not fully responsible for the brutality he received from the public. The monster is also to blame because the creature could have accepted his fate and migrated to the North Pole but he became consumed by vengeance. In both the novel and the movie, Frankenstein, intolerance of others results in malevolence as a result of lack of knowledge of the mindset or circumstances of an individual.