Maxwell Meyer

ENGL 23301

False Dichotomy Essay Draft # 1

11/5/2020

Introduction

The novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley in the 1817 explores what happens when a man

takes science too far and attempts to play God by creating life in his own image. It is because of

this that the novel perfectly portrays the dichotomy of man against God, but what people often

neglect to see is that the monster has just as much of an impact on Victor Frankenstein’s

character as Frankenstein has on the character of his monster. I believe that the novel

Frankenstein depicts the idea that a person’s creations can influence them just as much as they

influence their creations. In this essay I will look at how Frankenstein influences the character of

the monster, how the monster influences the character of Frankenstein, and the impact that this

has on the novel. In addition I will also take a brief look at the counter argument that the monster

was a sin against nature and therefore by nature was destined to be evil.

Background/Historic Context

The novel Frankenstein has always been about a man violating the natural order in attempt to

play God. The origins of this dichotomy in the novel can be traced back to before the novel was

even written. The article "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: What Made the Monster Monstrous?"

posits that Mary Shelley (the author of Frankenstein) had lost both her mother shortly after her

own birth and had suffered the loss of her own first born child (Britton 3 & 4). This is important
because it provides an explanation for why the book focuses on an unnatural creation of life, that

being Mary Shelley had experienced death related to the natural creation of life. This also serves

as proof of how a person’s own life experience can inspire what they create.

The portrayal of the issue of Man against God in Frankenstein still advances today. In the article

entitled "Man As God: 'Frankenstein' Turns 200." it talks about how the idea of man attempting

to play God with the use of science might one day become a reality, both through scientifically

manufactured immortality and the concept of the singularity (the moment when intelligent

machines overthrow humanity) (Gleiser). This is important to make note of because it displays

how the dichotomy of Man against God can be seen in the real world. Another reason this is

important is because it shows how Mary Shelley’s novel has impacted the minds of its readers.

Main Points

First, I would like to take a look at how Frankenstein influences the development of the

monster’s character. The article called "Frankenstein, Gender, and Mother Nature ·

Frankenbook." discusses how the monster can be seen as a child who was abandoned by his

“father” and as a result becomes filled with anger and hatred (Mellor). This illustrates how the

creature’s monstrous personality and character is a direct result of Frankenstein abandoning his

creation shortly after giving it life, thus providing evidence that the creator influences the

character of his creation. More evidence of this comes from the article "The Blurred Binary of

Man vs. Beast." in which it further postulates that Frankenstein’s quick judgement of his creation

(which is mostly based on the creatures appearance) causes the monster hatred of his creator

(Manning). This again proves how Frankenstein causes his creation to truly become a monster.
Next, I would like to show that the monster has an important role to play in the development of

Frankenstein’s character throughout the novel. The first piece of evidence comes from "The

Blurred Binary of Man vs. Beast." where it talks about how Frankenstein cuts himself off from

living a healthy, restful, and social life while he goes about making his creation (Manning). This

supports the idea that the creation of the monster has an influence on Frankenstein’s mental and

physical health. This argument is further developed in the article "Frankenstein, Gender, and

Mother Nature · Frankenbook." Where it communicates how Frankenstein is unable to take

responsibility for the monster’s actions as it murder’s those who Frankenstein loves the most,

including both his younger brother and wife, Elizabeth (Mellor). This demonstrates how the

monster’s actions cause Frankenstein to suffer, while he is unable to do anything about it.

Finally, I want to look at the idea that the characters of Frankenstein and the monster change

throughout the novel because of actions committed against one another. The first evidence of this

comes from "The Blurred Binary of Man vs. Beast." in which it mentions how the monster seems

to become more human and calm, and Frankenstein gets progressively less human and more

devoted to destroying his creation as the novel progresses (Manning). This is important because

it shows how once the monster has taken everything from Frankenstein, he becomes obsessed

with destroying the thing that brought him such pain. Furthermore, it shows how the monster is

able to become calm and seemingly more human after he has exacted his revenge on the “father”

who abandoned him. In "Frankenstein, Gender, and Mother Nature · Frankenbook." it talks

about how Frankenstein is unable to feel love or empathy while making his creation and as a

result of this he specifically uses larger body parts when constructing his creation. And as a

result his creation ends up as a hideous giant (Mellor). This illustrates how the creation of the

monster puts a mental strain on Frankenstein, which causes him to make his creation hideous
thus causing it to be shunned by society and hate its creator. This once more displays the

complex relationship which Frankenstein and the monster share.

Counter Argument

A different way to look at the novel is to say that the monster is not just monstrous because of

the actions of Victor Frankenstein, but rather that the monster is by nature evil. The article

"Nature Versus Nurture: The Developmental Psychology of Frankenstein’s Monster." brings up

how the monster may have psychopathy, which is shown by both his lack of remorse when he

kills people and his willingness to use manipulation to get what he wants (Woodburn). Although

this is a fair point it is important to note that the monster only attacks those close to Frankenstein

as a sort of revenge for being created and abandoned, therefore if the monster had not been

abandoned by Frankenstein he may have been able to better learn right from wrong from his

“father”. And it is because of this that I say Frankenstein played a crucial role in the development

of his creation’s character.

Conclusion

In conclusion the novel Frankenstein portrays the dichotomy of Man against God through a

complex relationship in which both Victor Frankenstein and his creation’s actions have

repercussions in the others development, rather than the monster simply being made evil by

design. I believe that what a person creates has just as much influence on them as they do on

their creation. Evidence of this has been found in the novel Frankenstein by analyzing how

Frankenstein affects the development of his creation, how his creation affects the development of
Frankenstein, and the effects this has on the novel. I think that if people learn to care more about

what they create in the world, then they might learn that the world cares more about them.
 Works Cited

Britton, Ronald. "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: What Made the Monster Monstrous?" Journal of

Analytical Psychology 60.1 (2015): 1-11. Web.

Woodburn, Gillian. "Nature Versus Nurture: The Developmental Psychology of Frankenstein’s

Monster." 2018. Web. 06 Nov. 2020.

Gleiser, Marcelo. "Man As God: 'Frankenstein' Turns 200." NPR. NPR, 10 Jan. 2018. Web.

Manning, Claire. "The Blurred Binary of Man vs. Beast." Ghostly Bodies and Dreaming
Machines The Question Concerning Technology and Ontology. 1 Sept. 2015. Web. 26
Sept. 2020.

Mellor, Anne K. "Frankenstein, Gender, and Mother Nature · Frankenbook." Frankenbook.

PubPub, 30 Apr. 2018. Web.