Frankenstein is a neurotic killer

There are many inconsistencies in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but perhaps none more central than the existence of the “monster” itself. The book purports to say that Dr. Frankenstein literally created a monster from dead bodies that went on a killing spree. It is more much likely, however, that Dr. Frankenstein is a pathological murderer who has killed his entire family while using his “monster” story as an alibi.

Frankenstein’s explanations for the creation of this monster lack any tie to science or reality; life cannot be induced by electrical currents in pieces of corpses sewn together. Frankenstein doesn’t even attempt to describe his animation process and simply says, “I see by your eagerness and the wonder and hope which your eyes express, my friend, that you expect to be informed of the secret with which I am acquainted; that cannot be… (p. 38)” How extremely convenient.

Even ignoring this glaring omission, Frankenstein still cannot even adequately describe the monster he purports to have created. The most disgusting aspect we hear of the monster is that, “his yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath (p. 42).” Frankenstein’s continued description ranges from normal to beautiful: “his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness (p. 42).” He finishes with the banal comment that the monster has “watery eyes,” a “shriveled complexion,” and “straight black lips.” This description not only leaves much to be desired, but also doesn’t appear to warrant the fear that the monster imbues in onlookers.

We now know that Frankenstein has fabricated this “monster.” He did this because he himself is the murderer of his family! How else could Frankenstein recall and recite the monster’s interaction with Justine and William (events which happened while Frankenstein supposedly lived in Austria)? Remember, Frankenstein tells this tale a few years future of these events not to mention that Frankenstein can repeat word-for-word the articulate story telling of the monster (whose bizarre ability to articulate immaculately only strengthens the implausibility of the monster and thus my thesis).

But why would Frankenstein murder his entire family? According to Frankenstein, he spent two years creating this monster, however we know that no monster exists of ever existed. A more plausible explanation for where these two years went would be painful isolation. Frankenstein was rejected by his classmates, scorned by his teachers, and forgotten by his family. His hatred of himself grew and grew until he took his outrage out on his family and decided to murder them one by one, even going to as great a length to marry his cousin before strangling her on their honey money. In conclusion, his twisted imagination is testimony to the negative impacts of the stresses of college.