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Frankenstein
Several versions of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" show different points of view on how
hard it was for Victor Frankenstein to relate to the monster he made; the story is based on this
bond. Movies like "Frankenstein" (1931) and "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" (1994) explore this
connection in new ways. The main conflict in these versions is about creation, responsibility, and
the search for understanding, even though it is treated differently. "Frankenstein" by Mary
Shelley explores duty, ambition, loneliness, and the complicated relationship between the creator
and their creation. How these problems are dealt with in "Frankenstein" (1931) and "Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein" (1994) is different, which affects how they work. By focusing on other
parts of the original story and adding new characters and points of view, these versions change
the story's main idea.
Victor Frankenstein in the Novel
In Mary Shelley's book, Victor Frankenstein is a driven and obsessed scientist who creates life
from his never-ending desire to learn. His original excitement and ambition quickly turn into
horror and regret when he sees how horrible his creation is. Since Victor does not take
responsibility for making the Monster, it starts a cycle of violence and damage. His character
warns about the dangers of unchecked ambition and the moral duty creators have for the things
they make. Victor's own words make this very clear: "Learn from me, if not by my rules, at least
by my example, how dangerous it is to learn, and how much happier a man is who thinks his
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hometown is the world than he who wants to become greater than his nature will allow" (Shelley,
Chapter 4). This quote sums up Victor's understanding of how bad it would be to keep looking
for forbidden knowledge; it warns readers about the dangers of having too much scientific
ambition.
In Shelley's book, the Monster, sometimes mistakenly called Frankenstein, starts as a
likable figure. He is intelligent and polite, always wanting to be accepted and have friends.
However, people keep rejecting and being mean to him, making him want revenge on Victor,
who made him. The Monster's growth throughout the book shows themes of loneliness, the need
for company, and the terrible effects of being rejected by others. His words reveal what was
going through his mind and why he did it: "I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not
shunned and hated by all mankind?" (Shelley, Chapter 17). This quote shows how much the
Monster suffers and how his evil comes from himself being put through so much pain by a
society that will not accept him.
Victor Frankenstein in "Frankenstein" (1931)
James Whale's 1931 version of the story changes many things about the original, starting with
giving Victor Frankenstein a new name: Henry Frankenstein. The movie makes him seem like
the typical crazy scientist who is more interested in making things than what might happen if he
does them. This image focuses on the horror genre, showing Henry as a figure of arrogance and
madness. "It's alive! It's alive! In the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!"
(Thorne 1). This quote emphasizes how much the movie is about the crazy scientist trope,
showing how crazy Henry's ideas about himself are and how dangerously he wants to be God.
This version focuses less on the moral and intellectual issues that Shelley's book did. Instead, it
tells a more straightforward story about a scientist's dangerous experiment going wrong.
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The 1931 movie changes the Monster's personality from what Shelley initially considered
him. Boris Karloff played the Monster, who is deaf, childlike, and driven more by gut than logic.
The Monster's philosophical and articulate self-reflection is cut out in this version. Instead, the
attention is on his physicality and the fear he causes in other people. With this change, the story
shifts from a complicated examination of humans and monsters to a more straightforward horror
story. Instead of talking, the Monster's personality is shown chiefly through what it does. His
body language and deeds, like reaching out to a little girl by the lake, show how innocent and sad
he is, but they do not go as deep as the character's introspection in the book. This visual
storytelling works well to make a memorable monster movie, but it needs more of the complex
character growth in Shelley's book.
Victor Frankenstein in "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" (1994)
Kenneth Branagh's 1994 version stays true to the original by keeping the name Victor
Frankenstein and going into more detail about his scientific ambitions and later guilt. Branagh's
Victor is more complicated; he shows his early idealism and the pain his creation caused him
later on. Following Shelley's original vision more closely is what the movie is about when it talks
about hubris and the moral duties of a creation. He writes, “You gave me these emotions, but you
didn’t tell me how to use them. Now two people are dead because of us. Why?" (Branagh 1).
This statement indicates how hard it is for Victor to deal with the results of his actions and the
fact that he cannot control or take responsibility for the being he made. It echoes the novel's
theme of the creator's moral duties.
Robert De Niro played the Monster in the 1994 movie, and he is just as smart and stylish
as the character in the book. This version explores his mental angst and the need for revenge,
which fits with the novel's themes of being alone and trying to determine one’s identity. What
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the Monster says and does with Victor adds to their relationship and clarifies how terrible it is
that Victor was left behind. The Monster states, "I do know that for the sympathy of one living
being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely
imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will
indulge the other." (Branagh 1). What the Monster thinks about most deeply exemplifies his
complexity. The Monster can feel both love and hate, which shows that he is bipolar and that
Victor's rejection has a big effect on how he acts.
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Works Cited
Shelley, Mary. “Frankenstein.” Gutenberg.org, 1 Jan. 1818,
www.gutenberg.org/files/84/84-h/84-h.htm.
Thorne, Sam R. “A Study of Film in 1931: Frankenstein!” Film through Time., 15 June 2013,
https://dissectingtheframe.wordpress.com/2013/06/15/a-study-of-film-in-1931-
frankenstein/
Branagh, Kenneth. “Frankenstein (1994) - IMDb.” Www.imdb.com, 1994,
www.imdb.com/title/tt0109836/characters/nm0000110
