What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say Frankenstein? Is it a giant and green clumsy ogre with a flattop, scars, bolts in the neck, and arms in front of him as he walks. If so, then I hate to break to you, but pop culture has you completely brainwashed.
First off, the name Frankenstein doesn’t even refer to the monster in the first place. Victor Frankenstein is the name of the obsessed scientist who created the monster. The monster himself never has a name, because after Victor creates it and regrets the deed, he views it as an abomination that deserves no name.
Maybe you already know all of this as one of the more informed people on the subject. I bet, however, that if you’re like me, you still slip up even though you know better. Around Halloween time, when you see a decoration of everybody’s favorite green man stuck to some window, the name that comes to mind is Frankenstein proving how deep the brainwashing goes.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the worst part. We are all victims to Hollywood in a far more nefarious way. I came to appreciate this after recently reading the original novel from the original imagination, Mary Shelly, who first conceived of the creature. I can, therefore, attest to the fact that the blubbering green ogre so familiar in pop culture has no accuracy by any stretch of the imagination to the monster that Mary Shelley imagined.
The book is vague on the details of how Frankenstein constructed his monster. It, however, seems clear from the available description that he built the monster from scratch, not from corpses sown together like in how the story is traditionally depicted. The reason Frankenstein made his creation large was to make construction easier of the smaller organs. The end result of Victor Frankenstein’s work was something large with transparent yellow skin that possessed super human strength and speed. He was an intelligent creature who became literate over time and used smart stratagem in inflicting his vengeance on Victor.
Wouldn’t you agree that this notion of the monster is far more compelling than the dorky Halloween decorations? I believe it all started with the 1931 Frankenstein movie followed by the sequel Bride of Frankenstein who is actually the bride of the monster not the creator. This just might be the most brutal butchering in which Hollywood is guilty.
Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, there are no accurate depictions of the story. No, not even the 1994 movie entitled, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. It’s closer than most, but sorry, no cigar.
