Frankenstein - 11/13/19

Hello, everyone!

I meant to post much sooner than this, but we just got back from vacation a couple days ago and I am just now getting around to writing a post I planned to write quite a while ago!

I have a notebook full (haha, when I say full, it's literally one page) of blog post ideas that I hope to make in the future, and this one has gotten a little foggy in my brain, so, we'll see how this goes!

I recently read the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and wanted to write a semi book review/ just my thoughts on the book.

*Note: There are three different versions of this book that Mary Shelley wrote, all of them being very similar. I am not certain which edition I read since my copy didn't say which to my knowledge, but I read The World View Library edition.

*Note 2: I tried my best to give no spoilers in this review, so if it seems a little incomplete, that would be why.

Likes

This book makes you realize the consequences of your actions. It makes you take in the fact that each action can lead to another, and what happens when someone disregards God's authority of creator.This book makes one see the loneliness of rejection, and how it can lead to devastating destruction.

Dislikes

This was a very violent book and was often displeasing to read. It had very gruesome details and got a little frightening at times. Besides its violence, it was extremely sad, and left you feeling almost sorry for ever reading it in the first place, though I am very glad I read this book. It sparked a lot of interesting ideas, but it had such a dreadful story line that so rarely had happy moments.

Overall plot

This book is narrated by Robert Walton who is writing to his sister about the life of Victor Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein moves to a school in his late teen years, and starts to make many scientific discoveries which lead to the creation of his monster. When Frankenstein's monster comes to life, Frankenstein is in utter horror of this creature. The creature escapes, and Frankenstein falls ill from the trauma.

Frankenstein's monster then lives alone. He stumbles upon a family who he watches and learns from, teaching himself to read and talk. After a year or two of watching and caring about this family, he goes to meet them for the first time and is cast out in disgust and horror. He runs away from them, and seeks revenge to his creator, who he wished had never created him. He then goes to Frankenstein's home and commits crimes that put Frankenstein in complete misery. He finds Frankenstein and tells him that he must make another monster, a partner for him. Frankenstein is completely against this idea, but agrees to it with the horrid thought that his monsters would have monster children that would create mass destruction on the world. After much reluctancy, he decides to destroy his work on his second creature, which makes Frankenstein's monster more angry than ever. Frankenstein's monster commits horrible crimes again which destroy any reason Frankenstein has for living and puts him into complete misery. The monster and Frankenstein then go on a chase to murder each other, and though the book is left with an incompleteness, I will say no more on its ending.

Thoughts

Though I took away many messages from this book, the one that I distinctly saw come up in the novel was the role of creator. "Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed." (Pg. 115) These words are said by Frankenstein's monster to Frankenstein himself, and show what it feels like to be detested by your creator.

God, the Creator, is certainly not frightened or disgusted by his creations. He feels the exact opposite about His creations. Frankenstein as creator of an un-humanlike being, is in utter horror at his creation, which shows you the need we have for a loving and caring creator. Without God as creator, we feel miserable and rejected, knowing that even our maker has shunned us.

When a human steps out of their place, and creates a creature that is stronger than himself, it results in destruction. Frankenstein's monster was able to control Frankenstein and became his ruler," 'You are my creator, but I am your master;" (Pg. 200)

This book shows us that only God is the true creator of anything, and that is the way it should be. When man decides that he wants to be the creator of monsters, the monsters become stronger than himself. Because of our weakness and sin, only God can truly create a being, and only God can give that being His love and forgiveness.

Thanks for reading! I haven't quite figured out how I want to do book reviews yet, so it may change in the future since I am still very new to them.
I should be writing soon!

- Amelia :)