Jung’s Theories through the Ellul's Technological Society and Ionesco's Rhinoceros
The monster in the novel Frankenstein awakens in the world as a towering figure to any other man but with the sophistication of an infant. His inability to speak or comprehend human interactions provides a cruel first impression of mankind. His journey afoot tormented him with isolation until he crosses path with cottagers and their simple life. Upon his stationary observation of these cottagers, he begins to decrypt language itself bringing a more enlightened monster. With this new profound enlightenment, readers view the monster as a heartful, sympathetic creature. This heightened awareness of the monster’s motivations allows readers to sympathize with his existence. Mary Shelley shows how speech and comprehension provide a more powerful puzzle piece to insights into human nature than to actions of evil.
Before the monster has the ability to express feelings, Shelly reveals him as a fearsome, powerful creature. Readers meet him as he awakens in a ballistic rampage; readers visualize his evil, combative capacity. Then the monster embarks on a journey to find his Creator, Victor Frankenstein. However, on this journey, the monster shows his capacity for beastly murder when he kills William with his bare hands. In addition, the monster performs an immoral sleight of hand trick to frame an innocent woman Justine. Mary Shelley alludes to provide the monster with no sympathy. His shockingly immoral actions compel readers to assume that his outward behaviors and horrendous appearance reflect his internal soul.
When speech is introduced to the monster, he begins to explain and justify his immoral actions. He elaborates on the toll of Victor’s abandonment and its mental effects on him. He begins to see what Victor saw at birth, “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of lustrous black, and flowing” which condemns him to any definitive negative encounter with him, solely based on his appearance. then narrates the story of judgment. Mr. De Lacey a blind man begins to sympathize with the monster on his unhappiness but is distrubed by the brutal stick of Felix shaming the monster for his appearance. The monster continues to explain his righteousness by saving a young girl from drowning to be met with the gratitude of a bullet. He eventually shares that his rage of Victor led to his unpredictable murder of William provding a shabby justification, “ when I heard details of vice and bloodshed, my wonder ceased, and I turned away with disgust and loathing.” Justifying and explaining his feelings throughout his encounters shifts the reader's views to a more sympathetic standpoint.
Mary Shelley used Victors anger and faults as a way to have Victor seems to possess a more destructive manner than the monster. With Victor seemingly more an archangel than the monster when compared, the readers are triggered to give more sympathy to the monster. Upon the comparison, the audience outweighs the evil and immoral actions of the monster to the benevolent and overlooks all else. This is where the reader illuminates the sympathy that is questionable to the monster.
