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How Frankenstein has influenced pop culture
Psychoanalytic interpretation of Mary Shelley's frankenstein
Analysis Shelley's Frankenstein
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Recommended: How Frankenstein has influenced pop culture
In the words of actor Fred Gwynne who played the role of Herman Munster in the hit TV show from the sixties, The Munsters, “The lesson I want you to learn is… it doesn't matter what you look like, you can be tall, short or fat or thin or ugly or handsome like your Father, or you can be black or yellow or white, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is the size of your heart and the strength of your character” (Eddie’s Nickname). For anyone who has ever read Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, this is a vastly different view of life than the one of Victor Frankenstein's Monster. The CBS television show, The Munsters, is just one modern example of media based off of Shelly’s novel. Wikipedia.com lists hundreds of examples of songs, tv shows, radio programs, movies, novels, plays, comic books, and even children's toys that have all been influenced by Shelly’s novel. What is truly fascinating about this is not just the large pop-cultural influence Frankenstein has had, but the many different interpretations of the story that exist. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein has had a great impact on modern pop culture and can be seen as an influence of many works such as the television show, The Munsters. There are endless examples of modern influences, but Shelly’s influences …show more content…
Herman was a lovable creature. He often says how much he loves his family, he is always smiling, and he rarely has a bad thing to say about anyone. Frankenstein's monster can be quoted saying, “If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear, and chiefly towards you my arch-enemy, because my creator, do I swear inextinguishable hatred” (Shelly, 70). This is the polar opposite to Herman Munster. Herman could not hurt a fly. He set out to be a good person, a good father, and a good husband. Shelly’s creature was innately evil. He always went to violence to solve his problems. Herman had a love for his family and life that the creature could never
stupid. He was unable to talk or read. The monster would just rome the world
In Lisa Nocks article appropriately titled “Frankenstein, in a better light,” she takes us through a view of the characters in the eyes of the author Mary Shelly. The name Frankenstein conjures up feeling of monsters and horror however, the monster could be a metaphor for the time period of which the book was written according to Nocks. The article implies that the book was geared more towards science because scientific treatises were popular readings among the educated classes, of which Shelley was a member of. Shelley, whose father was wealthy and had an extensive library, was encouraged to self-educate, which gave her knowledge of contemporary science and philosophy, which also influenced Frankenstein as well as circumstances of her life.
Young Frankenstein's characters have a tendency to be overly stereotypical, adding another layer of camp s...
Rejection is one of the issues associated with social prejudice in Shelly’s novel. The monster in Frankenstein is abandoned because of his hideous features. Victor, who was his creator, cannot look upon what he has brought to life. Victor explains, “I beheld the wretch-- the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs” (Shelly chapter 5 p 43). The monster responds to Victor as a child who looks to his father for reassurance and acceptance. Though the monster was not a child in his physical appearance, his emotional state was that of young child. Since the 1890s, researchers have conducted studies called Parental acceptance-rejections t...
Victor Frankenstein and the others who have encountered the creature all recoiled in horror at the mere sight of him. He is described by Victor: “His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!—Great God! 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 luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion, and straight black lips” (Shelley, 35). Even his creator shuns him based solely on his looks. Another attribute of the creature that makes him monstrous is his thirst for revenge against Victor and the hateful attitude he develops toward humans throughout the book. While he has not developed the emotional intelligence and experience of other human beings, he has learned to differentiate between right and wrong. Therefore, the murders he has committed are taken into consideration when labeling the creature as a monster. If anything, as I will later demonstrate, the creature is an antihero. He is mostly monstrous in appearance but his thoughts, feelings and circumstances create the ingredients of an antihero, who has doubtlessly committed
Many timeless novels have impacts on our everyday culture, not only as a book, but also through music or movies. Many popular novels have multiple adaptations, which shape how we approach their interpretation, in ways we may never even notice. In some films, humans are depicted as monsters, whether through their actions, or through the thoughts of other beings. In these films we find issues with our own society, and in turn see ourselves as monsters, and look for ways we can change, for the better. One particular novel that influences this side of Hollywood is Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein”. The ways Frankenstein influences pop culture can be seen in science fiction films in which humans are depicted as monster, and “monsters” are seen as more humane beings, such as I, Robot, and Ender’s Game.
The creature was created with the intention of goodness and purity but because of this, he wasn’t equipped to deal with the rejection of his creator. After Victor Frankenstein’s death, Robert Walton walks in to see the creature standing over his friend’s lifeless body.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley became widely known as one of the best horror novels of her time and the basis for films that branched out of Shelley’s novel. Frankenstein was heavily inspired by the Industrial Revolution and the Romanticism. Therefore, Frankenstein’s monster appears to be Shelley’s representation of the Industrial Revolution and the society’s fears and anxieties regarding the rapid growth of science and technology.
Frankenstein was and still is one of the greatest horror books written. It is still relevant to incidents happening today. Children dress up as the monster at Halloween and directors still try producing newer versions of the movie. People view the creature as a monster purely based on its aesthetics, “I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then…” Victor comments on the monsters looks a lot throughout the novel and as the story progresses the creature realises how hideous he is too.
In the novel, Frankenstein, a doctor named Victor Frankenstein created a monster. Victor’s monster was created using old human parts, chemicals, and a “spark.” Victor wanted to create this monster in order to benefit mankind, and for the purpose of playing God. Victor thought his creation would turn out great, but in all actuality, his monster ended up terribly wrong (Shelley, 145). The monster was a deformed man, standing eight feet tall, with yellow eyes, black hair, black lips, and skin that did not conceal his internal features (Shelley, 144-145). Even though the monster was very grown, he had the mind of a newborn child, and he was very kind and gentle (Shelley, 327). The monster’s appearance terrified Victor, and he immediately abandoned it. Dr. Victor Frankenstein also never named his creation because he disliked it that much. The monster was longing for love, and since no one loved him, he became very violent. He ended up killing Victor’s brother and best friend out of pure revenge (Shelley, 193). Anytime the monster tried to help people, he was bea...
Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein expresses human nature specifically through the character of the “Creature” and his development. The Creature has an opportunity to explore his surroundings, and in doing so he learns that human nature is to run away from something so catastrophic in looks. The Creature discovers that he must limit himself in what he does due to the response of humans because of his deformities. I feel that Mary Shelley tries to depict human nature to running away from the abnormal, which results in alienation of the “abnormal.” Even today, people have a prejudice against someone or something that is abnormal, and these people will act differently towards this abnormality that is put in front of them. In the novel, Shelley seems to suggest a conception of humanity that is deeply influe...
Throughout the story Victor Frankenstein’s creation is constantly judged and rejected solely for how he looks. In the monsters first couple of days alive he wanders to a village and attracts everyone’s attention. Some people ran away, but “some attacked [him], until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, [he] escaped to the open country”(109). There is no explanation for the villager’s actions, other than the fact that they were unable to look past his inhuman appearance. Even though they had never interacted with the monster, their unnecessary actions impacted his negative view on mankind and physically hurt him. Later on when the monster decides to travel to Geneva he sees a young girl slip and fall into a stream. Immediately after he “rushed from [his] hiding place, and, with extreme labor from the force of the current, saved her and dragged her to shore”(143). Right after the monster saves the girls life a man grabs her from the monster and shoots him. As the monster says, he “saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense [he] now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone”(143). Shelley shows that while this man had only been around the monster for less than a minute, he went to the lengths of shooting him because of his
Mary Shelley’s text, Frankenstein is a text, which is highly regarded in today’s society for its outstanding literary worth. However, the text as it was seen during the time of Shelley and its appearance and appeal today, most certainly differ. The most significant difference is that over a hundred years ago, the text was seen as a popular text, our modern day Simpsons, if you like. Conversely, today it appeals to the cannon of high culture. Its gradual change over time has been based on a number of deciding factors.
At first, The Monster is very kind and sympathetic. He has a good heart, as shown when he collected firewood for the family on the brink of poverty. Like every other human creation, he was not born a murderer. All the Monster wanted was to be accepted and loved by Victor Frankenstein and the other humans but instead he was judged by his appearance and considered to be dangerous. The Monster says, “like Adam, I was created apparently united by no link to any other being in existence…many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me” (page 105). This line is an important part of the novel because the Monster lets it be known how like Adam he was created into this world completely abandoned and like Satan he is angry with those people who have found contentment and satisfaction in their lives. The rejection and unwelcome feeling he is faced with, is the main reason the Monster becomes a killer. Watching another family show love towards each other made the Monster realize how alienated he truly was. He did not know how to deal with his pain and emotions so he murders as
Raised by her father, William Godwin, Mary Shelley is taught the same values that her father preached during his time; some of which are seen in her novel, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, including the role of an individual with and without a community, but she focuses on the importance of family influence. In her novel, Mary Shelley claims that family plays an essential role in the development of what society considers to be the qualities of “being” human. The importance of family influence is seen through the development of several characters throughout the book including Victor Frankenstein and the Creature that he builds. Through the character of Victor Frankenstein, Shelley demonstrates how the rejection of family will only lead to one’s degeneration in society as Victor pursuits dangerous knowledge, outside the boundaries of