In this essay I want to take a closer look at the social communities in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein while especially considering the creature’s strangeness as a deciding factor in his confrontation with human society. When engaging in the social interactions of the Creature, I will also employ the idea of hospitality, which was shaped primarily by the French philosopher Jaques Derrida.
At first, I will look at how the creature is perceived by the other characters in the novel, focusing on the question what his monstrosity is based on. Then I will examine the creature’s attempts to join social communities, taking the DeLacey family as an example. Afterwards I will deal with the novel in relation to the idea of hospitality, which can be applied in Victor’s laboratory and in the DeLacey’s cottage.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. “What was I?”: The Creature and Monstrosity
3. Affiliation and Community
4. My Monstrous Guest
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This essay explores the intersection of social community, the perception of otherness, and the philosophy of hospitality within Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, examining how the Creature’s exclusion by humanity and his creator drives his tragic development and ultimate identity as a monstrous outsider.
- Analysis of the Creature's physical and social monstrosity.
- Examination of the Creature's failed attempts to integrate into human society, particularly the DeLacey family.
- Application of Jacques Derrida’s theory of hospitality to the relationships between creator and creation.
- Assessment of the Creature’s moral status compared to his creator, Victor Frankenstein.
Excerpt from the Book
2. “What was I?”: The Creature and Monstrosity
What is made clear from the outset of the novel is that Frankenstein’s creation is of a monstrous and fearsome optical appearance. As the Creature takes his first breath after the animation, Victor describes him as follows:
His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.
In addition, Victor designed the Creature to be “about eight feet in height, and proportionably large”, as that facilitated the work on his body. The days before he brings his creation to life, Victor looks forward to the completion of the experiment, believing that “exercise and amusement” would replace the anxiety that gradually overcame him. However, when the Creature awakes, Victor calls the result a “catastrophe” and his creation a ”wretch”. Even though the Creature’s ”limbs were in proportion” and he gathered only the finest body parts for him, Victor reacts to the living outcome in ”breathless horror and disgust”. This indicates that the moment of animation, when the Creature transforms from an inanimate composition of limbs into a living being, is when his monstrosity is generated. Victor mentions that ”he [the Creature] was ugly then“, but this didn’t bother him until his creation came to life.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of the novel's origins, the primary plot points, and the analytical framework focusing on strangeness, community, and hospitality.
2. “What was I?”: The Creature and Monstrosity: This section investigates the biological and cultural foundations of the Creature's monstrosity, analyzing his physical appearance and the psychological reactions he evokes in others.
3. Affiliation and Community: This chapter examines the Creature's failed quest for belonging and social integration, emphasizing his efforts to learn from the DeLacey family and his longing for human connection.
4. My Monstrous Guest: This part applies Jacques Derrida’s hospitality theory to the interactions between Victor and the Creature, highlighting the creator's failure to welcome his own creation.
5. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes how the Creature’s trajectory reflects Shelley’s broader critique of social exclusion and the responsibility of the creator toward the created.
Keywords
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, Monstrosity, Hospitality, Otherness, Community, Jacques Derrida, Victor Frankenstein, Social Integration, Foreignness, Ethics, Romanticism, Alienation, Human Condition, Literature
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the social and philosophical dimensions of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, specifically analyzing how the Creature is defined by his strangeness and his failed attempts to join human communities.
What are the primary themes explored in the work?
The work centers on themes of monstrosity, the struggle for community and citizenship, the ethics of hospitality, and the parental responsibility of the creator toward the creation.
What is the central research question?
The research explores how the Creature’s inherent strangeness and his exclusion by society function as deciding factors in his confrontation with human civilization and his eventual transformation into a monster.
Which scientific or theoretical methods are utilized?
The analysis employs literary theory, specifically incorporating the philosophical concepts of hospitality by Jacques Derrida and pedagogical approaches to parent-child relationships as defined by scholars like Anne K. Mellor.
What topics are covered in the main section of the essay?
The main section covers the genesis of the Creature's monstrosity, his detailed attempts to integrate into the DeLacey household, and an analysis of the guest-host dynamic between Victor and his creation.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Frankenstein, Otherness, Monstrosity, Hospitality, Community, and Alienation.
How does the author interpret the Creature's violence?
The author argues that the Creature's violence is not an innate trait but a result of failed social interactions and rejection, marking a turning point where he abandons the desire for kindness in favor of vengeance.
In what way does the essay contrast the Creature with Victor Frankenstein?
The essay concludes that while Victor refuses to take responsibility for his creation and acts egocentrically, the Creature exhibits more commendable social behavior and a genuine desire to contribute to a community, making him, in a sense, a "better citizen."
- Citar trabajo
- Sebastian Just (Autor), 2020, Strangeness, Community and Hospitality in "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1132856
