Monsters in Our Society: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Night by Elie Wiesel

Monsters in Our Society

Do you ever wonder how monsters are created in our society? The dehumanization of individuals can cause both the perpetrator and the dehumanized to act in monstrous ways. But, why and how are they created in our world? Some monsters are created to “help us cope with what we dread most in life” (Donovan) and in turn bring communities together. Philip Zimbardo, a social psychologist, believes that anonymity and the situation a “good” person is in can cause them to act monstrously. Although the effects of a monster can be devastating, communities come together to combat them through reconciliation as well as the promotion of heroism.

In the novels Night and Frankenstein, both Wiesel and Shelley express that human injustice towards outsiders makes both individuals who act unjustifiably and individuals affected by those actions monsters. In Night, the prisoners that were taken to the camps were stripped of their morales of what is right and wrong because of the intense oppression due to the Nazis. Elie describes that he “dug [his] nails into unknown faces. [He] was biting all around… in order to get air” (Wiesel 89). The dehumanization of others and the keenness for self preservation causes prisoners to act inhumane towards each other. In Frankenstein, the monster describes himself as “benevolent; [his] soul glowed with love and humanity: but [is he not] alone, miserably alone” (Shelley). This thinking quickly changed when he realized no one would ever accept him. When society completely ostracizes an individual, they not only feel alone but they feel the need to express their feelings through revenge. The monster shown in Frankenstein is an example of how feelings of rejection can inspire feelings of hatr...

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...ty. They are created to explain the unknown and promote a sense of community among some cultures. The evil that is created, from a certain situation and anonymity, can be forgiven and also stopped by the promotion of heroism.

Works Cited

Donovan, Patricia. "Why We Create Monsters." Why We Create Monsters. N.p., 27 Oct. 2011.

Web. 22 May 2014.

Hugo, Piet, and Susan Dominus. "Portraits of Reconciliation." The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Apr. 2014. Web. 22 May 2014.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, n.d. Print.

"Think You're above Doing Evil? Think Again." Book Excerpt (n.d.): n. pag.Prisonexp. Web.

Wiesel, Elie, and Marion Wiesel. Night. New York, NY: Hill and Wang, a Division of Farrar,

Straus and Giroux, 2006. Print.

Zimbardo, Philip. "The Psychology of Evil." TED. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2014.

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