Frankenstein The Invisible Man The Wolfman And Vlad The Impaler

Throughout time, and even in today’s society, we see references to the traditional monsters from literature: The Invisible Man, the Wolfman, and Vlad the Impaler -- more commonly known as Dracula. One of the most common references is to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Within the timeless tale of Frankenstein, a young scientist, named Victor Frankenstein, finds his passion for organic chemistry in Genova, Switzerland. As a child, Victor lost his mother. This tragic event led him to become obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. Victor’s drive to create life from has died compelled him to create an unnamed creature. The creature was eventually Victor’s demise, destroying almost every piece of joy Victor had once held close. Although the creature commits horrible acts against Victor and many innocent civilians, multiple signs point to the idea the creature is not the true monster of this novel. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explores what makes one monstrous through the ideas desire for knowledge, neglect, and irresponsibility.

This concept is shown through Victor’s uncanny fixation with bringing the dead back to life. Frankenstein realizes the ethical issues with stealing body parts to create a terrifying new life form, yet he does it anyway to satisfy his desire. His thirst for knowledge drove him mad, Victor had reached the point of pure mania, but he continued his work. In the text, Victor shares his thought that Justine and William were “hapless victims to [his] unhallowed arts.” (60) After realizing what his creation had done, Victor feels accountable for the tragedy and deaths of those he loves, knowing he is the monster for losing sense of