Frankenstein

Reading classics are not to be taken lightly. There is a reason that they have stood the test of time. They are to be analyzed and digested. Simple questions, like, "what did you think?" and "did you like it and why?" are not acceptable lead-off questions unless you want to dig further and probe deeper and really understand why it is a classic.

I recently picked up Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, who was married to the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, whose poem "Prometheus Unbound" is considered one of the greatest poems in the English language. I have never read the poem, or if I did at some point in my English classes, I have forgotten, but it is rather curious that Mrs. Shelley subtitled her book, "Modern Prometheus."

As most people have learned over the years, Frankenstein is not the name of creature (monster) that was created, but the name of the scientist, Victor Frankenstein. The only thing the book and the movie have in common is that a monster was created, the monster killed, and the monster wanted a female companion that Victor Frankenstein originally agrees to, but later decides against after weighing the moral implications. I guess one could say that he learned from his mistakes.

In addition to the fact that Mary Shelley was only 19 years old when she wrote the book, the book itself is a masterpiece in multi-layers. It opens with letters from an explorer, Robert Walton, to his sister. Walton tells the story of how he meets/finds Victor Frankenstein and then Victor tells his story to Robert Walton. Within the story of Frankenstein, there is the story of the monster he creates, how he escaped, how he learned to speak, and how he yearned to have something most of us have, another person, like him to spend his days with, someone to love.

There are flaws in the book. How was the monster intelligent enough to learn to speak so eloquently, but he doesn't have the moral compass to stop himself from murdering several people in the story, as well as blackmail his creator. Of course, intelligence and criminal activity are not mutually exclusive, but in his first exposure to humans, he recognizes kindness and love in the family, but this does not stop him from inflicting pain and torment on Victor.

I think this book exemplifies the very concept that I personally live my life by, and that is for every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction. Sound familiar? It is one of Newtown's law of physics, and it does not just apply to the scientific world. You can apply it to love, the economy, life. Everything a human does, can and may have repercussions, consequences, or a positive reaction equal to the force of the original action. Be careful what you wish for, and be careful what you do with close examination.

Victor Frankenstein, like modern scientists, do not always think through their experiments, creations, ideas as throughly as they should. Sometimes, science is not an exact science. Sometimes, they makes mistakes, maybe many mistakes before they get it right. Was Mary Shelley ahead of her time in revealing the negative consequences that scientific experiments could have or was Mary Shelly ahead of her time in revealing that scientists have an inner calling that they must listen to in order to advance society?

Is Frankenstein a love story or a horror story? It depends on your perspective. It is definitely a classic worth enjoying for its rich language, interesting plot structure, and adventure seeking characters. Turn off the television, do not read it on the bus to work, and sit back and savor a book that may only be written once in lifetime.