Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, examines the irrational behavior of the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein. It looks at how Victor Frankenstein’s irrational behavior begins with his ambition, and what begins as a healthy curiosity about nature and science turns into an obsession that he cannot control. It analyzes the effect of this irrationality on the other characters in the story and shows how Frankenstein’s irrational behavior leads to the death of four innocent people and, eventually, his own demise. The 1995 movie version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein directed by David Wicks effectively conveys the book, but there are notable differences and similarities. The differences dealing with the education of the monster, the ending of the story, the handling of the death of Justine, and similarly dealing with the turning point of the story help create a better understanding of this complex story.

A notable difference between the book and the movie was the education of the Monster. They both focus around the Monster’s time spent watching the De Laceys. In the movie his time was devoted mostly to just watching the family and how they acted towards each other. He learned quite quickly how to speak and read and learned to understand the different emotions people possessed. The only justification of the Monster’s rapid learning process is that in a movie not a great deal of time can be spent on this or else the movie would drag on. Although not a lot of time was spent on showing the development of the Monster’s education in the movie, the book went into great detail in describing its education. During his stay in the shack near the De Lacey’s cottage the Monster came across four books that would enlighten him and show the reader the learning of the Monster step by step. The first book was Volney’s Ruins of Empires. This book “…gave [the monster] an insight into the manners, government, and religions of the different nations of the earth.”(Shelley 147) It also gave insight of the origins of humanity. The second book that the Monster came across was a volume of Plutarch’s Lives. This book “taught [the Monster] high thoughts; [Plutarch] elevated [the Monster] above the wretched sphere of [his] own reflection, to admire and love the heroes of past ages.”(Shelley 156) The book also expanded the Monster’s horizons to the political. The third book the Monster read was the Sorrows of Werter by Goethe. This enlightened him on the domestic world. The last book that the Monster read was Paradise Lost by Milton. This book introduced him to the cosmic world. Through this book he learned the most about himself and his creator. He was able to compare himself to the characters of Adam, Eve and Satan. With all of this newly acquired knowledge, the Monster was able to understand his surroundings and the interactions that took place in them. The development of the Monster’s education is reflected better in the book because the reader grasps the progress of the learning. In the movie, this process occurs quickly and it is hard to get a good understanding of what the Monster is truly feeling.

A similarity that exists between the novel and movie is the Monster’s actions after the De Lacey family shuns him. The Monster finally decides to show himself to the eldest De Lacey first. He believes that since the old man is blind, he will not be judged by his physical appearance. The Monster waited until everyone was out of the cabin except for the blind man. When he entered the cabin he asked the blind man if he could rest for a bit. They began talking and the Monster was especially happy because it was the first time in which the Monster was not being chased away. Things took a turn for the worse when the rest of the De Lacey family returned home and saw the Monster with the blind man. They immediately feared for his safety. “ At the instant the cottage door was opened, and Felix, Safie, and Agatha entered. Who can describe their horror and consternation on beholding me? Agatha fainted; and Safie unable to attend to her friend, rushed out of the cottage. Felix darted forward and with supernatural force tore me from his father, to whose knees I clung: in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick.” (Shelley 135) Just like that, the Monster was shunned again. He never saw the De Lacey family again because they moved out in fear of him. The Monster now realized that he would never be accepted and this was his creator’s fault. In his rage the Monster set fire to the De Lacey’s cabin. This important detail was not altered in the movie because it is really the turning point in which the Monster vows revenge on Frankenstein and his family.

Another Difference in the adaptation of the movie from the book is after the creature strangles William, the maid Justine is accused of the crime due to circumstantial