Week 01: Goth - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (6 pts)

    The book I read this week was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley which is known to be a classic in not only gothic literature but in pop culture. Little did I know the different themes and points of view I would be exploring from what seems to be a simple narrative that is everything but simple. The world of Frankenstein is not only mysterious but haunting as we get into the perspective of not only Viktor but the monster. A surprising twist that makes you question what is right or wrong. What is the difference between nurture and nature? Would the monster have stood a chance to live in society if he was not abandoned? Or is the nature of the world to judge all that is deemed unnatural?

As a reader, you are impacted by many elements known in gothic literature such as the feeling of fear and mystery that emanates from the gloomy setting and specific descriptions. These elements force the reader to feel the dread that Frankenstein feels as well as the monster. It’s because of this type of writing that I was able to feel not only haunted by the monster but by Frankenstein himself. This is what makes this story so interesting to me. It’s basically a tragedy that falls two victims who will continue to haunt each other until death due them part. There is not hero in this story and neither there is a villain. Both characters seem to share the same fates and actions. Both basically commit murder in order to hurt each other which makes their ties stronger. You can see this when the monster murders William Frankenstein due to his rage against Viktor and how Viktor destroys his female creation in order to make a stand against the monster. It is a vicious cycle that continues for years. These events take any possibility for both characters to move on and have a life. Their disgust and hatred towards each other become their life purpose, so when the monster is faced with the death of Viktor he decides he has nothing to live for anymore. Truly a haunting tale that can be used as a word of caution when it comes to relationships as well as taking responsibility for your actions. We may not live in a world where the creation of a monster like in Frankenstein exists but we can learn how to avoid being tied in a fate such as theirs.

I honestly think that it is such a missed opportunity for pop culture to not create more content inspired by the original tale rather than the Frankenstein monster we know of today. As I mentioned before the story goes through dark storylines of abandonment and feelings of dreads that consumers can sympathize with and relate with. There is so much to discuss yet the world only knows one abridged version of the story. I would love to see someone explore these characters again as they are in some form of chosen media in other to bring to light how amazingly haunting this story is.