Most Americans have some idea of who Frankenstein is, as a result of many Frankenstein movies and popularity of monster. However, most people’s ideas are incorrect about Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein is the name of the scientist, not monster, and the monster himself is not the inarticulate, rage-driven criminal that Robert de niro shows in the 1994 film version of the novel. Shelley’s original Frankenstein was misrepresented by this Kenneth branagh film, most likely to send a different message to the movie audience than Shelley’s novel shows to its readers.
The conflicting messages of technologies deserve being dependent on its creator address by Shelley and poetic justice, or triumph over evil showed by the movie is best represented by the scene immediately preceding Frankenstein’s monster’s death. In Shelley’s novel, the final picture of Frankenstein’s monster reveals important qualities of his inner nature; he is shown in the last moments of his life to be felling, fully conscious of his guilt, and firm in his decision to end his life.
This is the conclusion of a long series of events providing insight into how the monster changed as a result of his creator’s actions and the actions of the people with whom he came in contact. Up until this final point, he has changed from being good and hopeful to being caught up in the desire for a companion, to being evil and only focused on revenge. All these changes are recounted by the monster himself in this scene. Blackwood”s Edinburgh Magazine He was at one point motivated by many good things like as virtue and honor, so much so that he wanted a companion to share in his happy life.
When I first sought it [sympathy], it was the love of virtue, the feelings of happiness and affection with which my whole being overflowed, that I wished to be participated. . . . Once my fancy was soothed with dreams of virtue, of fame, and of enjoyment. . . . I was nourished with high thoughts of honor and devotion. ” 154 He did not start out as an evil being, but rather was good by nature and exposed early in his life to good things. Allen, g. s Frankenstein’s and society’s rejection of the monster, however, drove him to an uneven passionate pursuit for a companion.
He forced Frankenstein to create a female monster, and he provided motivation by killing Frankenstein’s loved ones and threatening to kill more of them. The monster recalls in this final scene of Shelley’s novel how his desire drove him to evil. “. . . do you think that I was then dead to agony and remorse? –He . . . suffered not more in the consummation of the deed;–oh! Not the ten-thousandth portion of the anguish that was mine during the lingering detail of its execution. A frightful selfishness hurried me on. . . ”
At that point in the novel, the monster has changed from good in nature to evil in nature. His own desires are more important to him than the well-being of others and he is willing to commit murder in order ensure the fulfillment of his desire. The second change the monster makes is becoming totally motivated by revenge. He becomes completely evil, not looking for a companion but only the unhappiness and suffering of Frankenstein, his creator. “… I was the slave, not the master of an impulse, which I detested, yet could not disobey. ..
The contemplation of my demoniacal design became an insatiable passion. ” 153-4 although the monster may have wanted to behave in an honorable way, he give up to his anger and decided to live for the purpose of ruining the life of Frankenstein. All of these changes, though, after Frankenstein die. Upon seeing Frankenstein’s corpse, the monster is overcome by sorrow and remorse. He exclaims, “Oh, Frankenstein! Generous and self-devoted being! What does it avail that I now ask thee to pardon me?
At this point, Shelley’s message about technology is most clear: Technology’s benefits and dangers dependent on its makers. Throughout the book, various passages have hinted about this idea: The early philosophers’ work is disapproved because of the ideas that the scientists believed in, such as the philosopher’s stone. Though their technology laid some foundations for other scientists, their work was considered “trash” because of the creators themselves. The monster’s changes and his ultimate fate mainly dependence on Frankenstein’s actions.
Vlasopolos As we have seen, when Frankenstein rejects his monster, the monster seeks companionship of another form as a result of Frankenstein’s actions. When Frankenstein destroys the second monster he was working on, the monster changes his entire reason for living. This also is purely because of the creator’s actions. On a more appreciate level; the monster’s predisposition for evil most likely was the result of the inventor’s state while he was working on his invention.
Frankenstein was strike by an intense frenzy while he was working on his monster; as a result, he created an ugly creature that ultimately would be rejected by society and turn evil. The emotional state of the creator affected the technology he was responsible for. Shelley’s message is a powerful one; however, it is messed up by the Kenneth branagh film version of her novel. In this version, the monster does not seem to undergo any changes at all, besides becoming angrier and seek for revenge.
There is no clearer lesson to be learned about technology; in fact, one of the only messages showed by the movie is that of poetic justice, the “bad guy” getting what he deserves. The message about technology is ambiguous, but most likely has something to do with the mix-up of brain. Aldiss, brain w By the end of the movie, the monster has become bad evil, as he became in the book. The reason for this is unclear–perhaps he has become more evil because he was scared by the people who had just chased him to the end of the world, or perhaps this is just the natural result of his criminal brain influencing his behavior.
The message is that evil creates evil, which doesn’t provide any new insights about technology; it can be applied to nearly any situation, especially one with a monster involved. The monster is not used as a demonstration of how the creator affects his technology. Instead he is used to scare the movie audience and portray a horrific evil resulting not from the creator’s actions, but various mistakes and torturing. Robert de niro portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster has created a false myth of an evil, unintelligent monster that is not at all similar to the one Shelley displays in her novel.
Not only does the movie spread a false interpretation of Shelley’s work, it provides the public with no lasting message about technology or about the effects of misplaced human love. Shall we then seek revenge’shall we destroy that what is evil? Of course not–Shelley gave us all to learn a lesson of tolerance and of correcting our mistakes. Perhaps if a more accurate film version of Frankenstein were available to the public, more people would be motivated to read the book and learn Shelley’s powerful message.
