In class, Professor Schwartz
brought up the idea of evil that is hidden and insidious, rather than
overbearing and consuming as it is portrayed in modern-day pop culture. The
scary stories of the past were frightening because the unnamed terrors in them
were often reflections of us. Why are we so terrified of murderers, serial
killers, or cannibals? Because they make us afraid of ourselves – if they could
commit such crimes, what are our tipping points? The monster is a reflection on
the darker nature of Victor, and on the murderous potential of humans. I
believe Shelley purposely chose to make the monster nameless as a statement on
the parts of ourselves that we do not know – the little devil on our shoulder.
Readers sympathize with the monster, finding some of our own insecurities in
his narrative. However, he shrouds his petty murders by using our empathy.
The
monster likens himself to Lucifer in their shared loneliness and isolation.
They are also similar in that they question authority, but they act on their
defiance in questionable ways. The monster uses human lives as bargaining chips
in his bitter war against his creator. The monster is also constantly shown as
some sort of child, confused about the world and its ways. In this sense, he is
innocent and does not have any prejudices. However, he is also like a child
because his decisions are brash and morally ambiguous - perhaps the monster is a physical representation of Sigmund Freud's idea of the id.
Since, you compared the role of the monster as Victor's dark side -- evil twin, how would you reflects when the monster has his moment to cry to Walton about the lost of his creator. I don't think the monster is Victor's dark side, but rather Victor's doppelgänger. As his doppelgänger, the monster shows the things Victor lacks, feeling of isolation rather than acceptance and yearning for acceptance. It is easier to compare the monster as Victor's doppelgänger instead, because traditionally seeing your doppelgänger is a forewarning of one's impending doom. And as the tale unfold, every time Victor sees the monster, someone dies. This include Williams, Clerval, and Elizabeth, in every instance Victor saw the monster before the deaths. Linking this to the author, Percy Shelley is widely known by his doppelgänger's work and probably influence his wife, Mary Shelley.
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