Frankenstein Rejection Essay

Most people have experienced rejection at some point in their lives. Certainly, some cases are worse than others, but generally rejection is an unfortunate life experience that leaves people feeling isolated, bitter, and sometimes resentful. This rejection, which is a product of our external environment, can lead to an internal rejection where we choose to accept the external decision as valid and we reject ourselves. The rejection of self is dangerous because it can lead to self harm or the harm of others. Both Dante and the Monster struggle with these consequences in their own way and some end up being fatal. Is it inevitable that the rejected would act out destructively some later point in life, or are has their character been altered by

a judgmental society forcing them to seek acceptance and recognition in extreme ways?
First, we have to understand that these extreme cases in which people are physically harmed happen far less often than the more subtle, introverted consequences of rejection, such as being told “no” which may only generate a sting lasting a moment.

Sadly, these severe occurrences are what generate the most discussion about the subject. I think that Mary Shelley felt alone and rejected by the majority of people around her. In the Author’s Introduction to Frankenstein, Shelley says that she liked “indulging in waking dreams,” that were “fantastic and agreeable,” and “all [her] own.” She goes on to say that her dreams “were [her] refuge when annoyed — [her] dearest pleasure when free.” (Frankenstein pg. V) This type of language suggests that Shelley was enticed by escaping reality. She seemed to feel distanced from society and therefore took to her writing to create an accepting environment. According to Paula R.

Feldman:
These dreams often took the form of introspective brooding and deep depression, causing her to shut out of her life those very people whose affection she most needed. Frankenstein's declaration, "I shunned the face of man; all sound of joy or complacency was torture to me; solitude was my only consolation-deep, dark, deathlike solitude" (86), is of a piece with statements Mary Shelley confides in her letters and journals.

I agree with Feldman. I think that Shelley’s dreams were often more nightmarish than fantastical. Shelley may have felt dissimilar to others because she was a unique person. What was normal to Shelley may have been categorized as different by most people. As a result of this, Shelley sometimes rejected herself and spiraled into depression. Fortunately for her and the people around her she was rational enough to confront these feelings through writing.
Victor’s monster, however, represents how the irrational person deals with these emotions. The monster feels abandoned and rejected by every person he encounters with the exception of the man who cannot see. Even the monster’s creator, Victor, has deserted him. The monster commits terrible acts, murdering the people close to Victor, because he wants Victor to feel what it is like to be alone.
We see this irrational response in reality as well. For example, in the Columbine shootings, two boys, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who were different than most of their peers felt outcasted and rejected. They took matters into their own hands when they murdered seventeen people out of frustration derived from feeling dismissed by the rest of the students. There are three paths to take when this kind of isolation is felt. Eric Harris chose to reject everyone around him. One of his counselors:

Diagnosed Eric's behavioral patterns as consistent with pathological narcissism, anti-social tendencies, paranoid traits, and unconstrained aggression. In one of his website postings, he wrote: “God I can't wait till [sic] I kill you people. Ill [sic] just go to some downtown area in some big ass [sic] city and blow up and shoot everything I can. Feel no remorse, no sense of shame….” (Immelman, 1999).

Dylan on the other hand chose to reject himself. According to his counselor he:
Expressed a sense of loneliness and isolation, as indicated by one of his journal entries: “I want to die really bad right now…no girls (friends or girlfriends), no other friends except a few, nobody accepting me…I feel so lonely without a friend”

These two boys shared a connection of loneliness, both dealing with it in a different way.

It is a shame that Eric’s personality took advantage of Dylan’s deep need for someone to connect with. This parallels the monster as if he had these two conflicting within him. He desperately wanted to be loved and acknowledged like Dylan, but was taken over by anger and violence when he had no other way to cope with is loneliness. Can we blame the external environment for their actions? Were the students at that school who ridiculed and avoided these boys responsible for massacre that took place? Not necessarily, which brings me to the third

option.
The third path to take on the road of alienation is to virtuously seek personal revival. Dante is rejected when he first attempts to climb the hill to salvation. This leads to him doubting and rejecting himself when he assumes God’s judgement, reiterating the strife of pity theme. Megan Clement suggests that there is a duality in Dante’s character. There is the way he views himself and the way he thinks the outside world (God) judges him. Clement states that:
An individual relies on something outside of himself-his reflection-as the basis for the identity that is supposedly within himself, that is himself. In this way, the self is revealed to be a flawed construction that is split both literally and logically, between the inner world and the outer world, between myself and yourself.

Everyone experiences this duality. In the monster’s case, he believes that he is worthless and less than everyone around him because of how the rest of society perceives him. Unfortunately, the monster accepts this view and reflects it onto his own psyche which drives him towards anger and violence. At first, Dante chooses to reject and pity himself because of his own presumptions about God, but with the help of Virgil, Dante chooses the third and only noble path because “he has recognized that he is split, and now he must embark on a journey to become whole.” (Clement, 13)
I myself have encountered a negative external environment which has led me to question my internal character. Plenty of times I’ve been made to feel different, isolated, or unwanted. I’d like to say that I have never reacted negatively to the aforementioned environment, but human emotions are deep and dwell within you. These feelings can be so strong that they trick you into believing the horrible things our environments say about you. However, I think that having alternative positive external environment plays a huge role in how a character’s path will unravel. For example, at the worst points in my life I have had my family to support me and help me reverse the awful reality that negative environment had convinced me of. Dante had a rational Virgil to guide him along the path of salvation. I would argue that if the children hadn't come home before the monster had revealed his story to the blind man, he might have become accepted by the family and lived happily. I believe that Dylan Klebold desperately needed someone to guide him and be there for him. Sadly Eric Harris filled that role. Without help, the paths of self rejection and societal rejection can deter us from bettering ourselves because they require less effort. Sometimes, people want to blame society for the consequences of this rejection, but we cannot blame society for an irrational mind. Hopefully, we take it upon ourselves to seek out help in hopes of a better future.