Frankenstein Reaction

      Of the two movements, Victor Frankenstein truly embodies the Enlightment whereas his creation, the monster, belongs to Romanticism. Victor Frankenstein completely immerses himself in science, reason, and knowledge once he leaves for college. After discovering the “secret to life” Victor locks himself in his room for months at a time where he conducts his own experiments. After his experiment was rendered a success and created life out of nothing, Victor was extremely pleased with his work. However, once Victor realized how ugly his creation was, he could not face reality. In turn, Victor cast the monster to the side and left it to survive on its own. Although Victor was given the chance to help the monster, he deemed his creation too much for himself along with the rest of society to deal with.

      The monster however, is much more a romanticist as he concerns himself with integrating into society. Being extremely ugly and abnormal stopped the monster from actually joining society, but he still placed himself in human affairs. The monster tries to learn the language we speak and even learns how to read with hopes he could be accepted. Although the monster desires human experiences more than anything else, he is constantly pushed away due to his features. The monster is less concerned with science and logic but instead tries to understand socialization between ordinary people.

      In the end, it is clear that Frankenstein still resonates in today’s society because the story of the monster is symbolic to the lives of many people. Although it is not to the same extent, people in schools and the workplace are many times left out or purposefully shunned due to differences in appearances or characteristics. As a result, some people are able to sympathize with the monster’s difficult life. Not only that, but the novel serves as a cautionary tale. Therefore, its warning of the pursuit knowledge can lead down dangerous paths still plays a role in modern day society.