Jarod Taylor

2/8/2016
AP English
Korey Bradley

Psychoanalytical: In what way do Frankenstein and other works of literature define what
it means to be human? Does the monster truly have human desires, or is it simply mimicking
others?

Many works of literature try to define what it means to be human, and Mary Shelleys
Frankenstein is no exception. The monster within her novel may be made of human
components, but the question remains of whether or not its mind if that of a human's. However,
by observing its actions within the novel, it can be observed that the monster is, in fact,
psychologically human.
To start proving that the monster is human, is helps to define what, exactly, it means to
be human. Of course, this is another such question that many works of literature have tried to
define, with a wide array of results. One such work comparable to Frankenstein is Do Androids
Dream of Electric Sheep. In said novel, androids are similar to Frankensteins monster in that
they are almost human, but society considers them not to be. Their method for distinguishing
androids from humans is the empathy test, which, given the connection between the two texts,
leads one to wonder how would the monster fare in such a test. While actually administering the
test is obviously impossible, what is possible is gauge its response to others in-text, and
observe if and how shows actual empathy towards others. The monster, before even fully
understanding who they were, shows concern for the DeLacey, and soon comes to understand
that its due to poverty and borderline starvation. The monster states that I had been
accustomed, during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own consumption, but when I

found that in doing this I inflicted pain on the cottagers, I abstained (Frankenstein, 92). He
showed compassion towards others, despite not quite knowing who they were. He also did what
he could to help them with chores and such, despite their being little to no benefit to his own life.
However, in the end, hes driven from the cottage due to his appearance. He refrains from
retaliating though, showing another form of empathy. Rather than strike back, he fled, refusing
to harm his protectors. Despite their absolute rejection of him, the monster still showed signs
of empathy towards them. The monster even showed that, in the end, he had empathy for his
creator. I pitied Frankenstein, my pity amounted to horror, I abhorred myself (Frankenstein,
195). The monster shows that it would register as human if given an empathy test/
Of course, confirming that the monster shows empathy raises the question of where said
empathy was when murdering William, Clerval and Elizabeth, but another idea of what it means
to be human can explain the monsters actions, and unlike the discussion of empathy, is one
more directly referenced in Frankenstein as well. That concept is Nature vs. Nurture, the debate
on how much of our psyche is determined from birth, and how much of it is molded by
influences from the world around us. The circumstances surrounding the monsters upbringing
are unique though, unlike that of other humans. The monster was abandoned from creation, and
had no explanation of what the world was like. Rather than parental figures to nurture him, his
nurture came from how cruel others were towards him. When Walton confronts the monster at
last, he accuses the monster of how hypocritical it was for it to mourn Frankensteins death, the
monster defends himself and his twisted actions. He claims that My heart was fashioned to be
susceptible of love and sympathy, and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not
endure the violence of the change without torture such as you cannot even imagine...
(Frankenstein 195). He claims that the world made him the way he was, and was not a
malicious creation. If any human were subject to the same treatment that the monster was, he
believes that they would similarly end up bitter and twisted. According to Goodreads.com, Mary
Shelley once claimed that No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for

happiness, the good he seeks, showing that the author shared the idea of evil not being
inherit. Mary Shelley portrays the monster as a human corrupted by nurture, not nature.
This can further be seen by the context of Mary Shelleys life, a clash of ideals was
occurring. The main conflict was between the Enlightenment, the idea that a logical, rational
approach could overcome any problem, with emotions being cast aside, and Romanticism, the
belief that emotions were the true basis of human spirit,and a connection to nature would lead to
peace. Shelley believed in the latter, as Frankenstein serves as a criticism of Enlightenment
ideals, showing what happens when science goes too far. Knowing that Mary Shelley has the
belief that the natural state of things is inherently good, one can see how the monsters nurture
was corrupted by Enlightenment ideals. If one considers emotions to be the centerpiece of a
humans psyche, then a persons emotion cannot be a void. According to the monster, If I have
no ties and no affection, hatred and vice must be my portion (Frankenstein 126). The monsters
nurture influences how its nature manifests, and the monsters emotions show its nature is no
different than a human's.
The emotions the monster feels that are no different than those any human does, only
twisted by the cruelty of the world. The monster shows jealousy, for example, with his murder of
Elizabeth. ...When I discovered that he, the author at once of my existence and of its
unspeakable torments, dared to hope for happiness, that while he accumulated wretchedness
and despair upon me he sought his own enjoyment in feelings and passions from the
indulgence of which I was forever barred, then impotent envy and bitter indignation filled me
with an insatiable thirst for vengeance, (Frankenstein 195), he claims. Frankenstein sought
what he denied his creation, so the creation grew bitter. Despite never having seen jealousy
firsthand, the monster demonstrates it, showing that he has emotions of his own and isnt
merely mimicking those he has observed. Jealousy and envy are basic emotions, common
throughout all literature. For example, Iago, the main antagonist from Shakespeares Othello,
warns Othello of what jealousy may do to a man.

IAGO. Oh, beware my lord, of jealousy!

It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
the meat it feeds on. (3.3.170-172)
Othello acts on jealousy, spurned on by Iago, who is acting out of jealousy himself.
Shakespeare, a writer who wrote over 200 years before Mary Shelley, was able to show what
sort of evil a person may be driven to when fueled by jealousy. Its fitting that Iago refers to
jealousy as a monster, as Frankensteins monster only acts monstrous due to being the
influence of such emotions. Frankensteins monster is a symbol for what Romanticists believed
what a human would become if denied nurture and raised on the principles of the
Enlightenment, which shows that, psychologically, he is a human.

Works Cited:
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: New American Library, 2000. Print.
Shakespeare, William, and John Crowther. Othello. New York: SparkNotes, 2003. Print.
"A Quote by Mary Shelley." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016