Frankenstein is a tale of horrific proportions. Set in the misty mountains of Geneva, Switzerland, the novel is enacted amongst green pastures and rushing rivers, magnificent glaciers and thick forests. But behind all the glory and grandeur, there lurks an ominous presence that threatens to spoil it all; and we would do well to note the nature and cause of this presence.

Victor Frankenstein, the hero of the story, lived a vibrant childhood with his father and adopted sister, Elizabeth. Growing up, he was filled with a natural fascination with the world and its beauty, and yearned to comprehend the deep things of nature: “I confess that neither the structure of languages, nor the code of governments, nor the politics of various states, possessed attractions for me. It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn.”

In his passion for knowledge, Frankenstein embarked on an exhausting study of natural philosophy, chemistry, and related sciences until he laid hold on the most coveted mystery of all: the secret of life. Through much quiet machination in his laboratory, Frankenstein attained the ability to transform inanimate matter into a living, breathing creature, capable of rational thought and emotion. Thrilled with his discovery, he determined to make a being of his own, eight feet tall, with pale yellow eyes and skin, and flowing black hair. But in so doing, Frankenstein fell into three great traps, and his life was never the same again.

His first fault was that he allowed his thirst for knowledge to consume him, and as a result, he lost his wonder at the beauty of the world that he had in his youth. Summer passed, and “it was a most beautiful season; never did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest, or the vines yield a more luxuriant vintage: but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature.” Forgetting the standard of beauty by which any creation should be made, Frankenstein created a horrifying beast, and henceforth, his life was filled with ugliness and misery instead of the joy he once had. “Thus not the tenderness of friendship, nor the beauty of earth, nor of heaven, could redeem my soul from woe: the very accents of love were ineffectual. I was encompassed by a cloud which no beneficial influence could penetrate. The wounded deer dragging its fainting limbs to some untrodden brake, there to gaze upon the arrow which had pierced it, and to die – was but a type of me.”

Second, Frankenstein forgot about his own sinfulness, and failed to take into account the influence his depravity would have on his creature. Only after he had breathed life into the beast’s lungs, and the beast had killed Frankenstein’s own brother, did he realize the danger of what he had just done: “I considered the being whom I had cast among mankind, and endowed with the will and power to effect purposes of horror, such as the deed which he had now done [his murder of Frankenstein’s brother], nearly in the light of my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave, and forced to destroy all that was dear to me.” The yellowish daemon Frankenstein created was, in actuality, merely an incarnation of his own spirit. The destruction of family, friends, and in the end, Frankenstein himself, was simply a graphic manifestation of the corrupting power of his own sin.

Frankenstein’s final problem was that he didn’t accept responsibility for the beast he had brought to life, and didn’t care for it as he should have. He gave it existence, and then left it to wander as it would, without any companionship, guidance, or provision. Consequently, any good that could have been worked in the creature was lost, leaving a miserable, vengeful brute. Says the daemon, “I am thy creature, and I will be even mild and docile to my natural lord and king if thou wilt also perform thy part, the which thou owest me. Oh, Frankenstein, be not equitable to every other and trample upon me alone, to whom thy justice, and even thy clemency and affection, is most due. Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.”

Although Victor Frankenstein began with a proper foundation of a loving family and a joyful life, his corrupt nature ruined his life, and led to these three basic faults. We would do well in reading this book to note the awfulness of these problems, because they are largely rampant in our culture as well. Many people have slipped into a blasé state of tiring work with no real purpose or enjoyment of life. All of the technology we have developed, while having many proper uses, is still largely affected by man’s depravity – just look at the spread of pornography on the internet. Our generation also has a vast number of Frankenstein parents, who conceive their children, and then let them run around without any guidance or care. The faults manifested in Frankenstein are equally evident in modern culture.

But the depravity we see around us should always lead us to hope. Frankenstein may scare us – yes, even horrify us – but this only sets it apart from the glory of Christianity. In Christ, we have a reason to enjoy life and the beauty of His creation, and we have assurance that our work will not be inescapably tainted by our depravity; instead, our redemption will even redeem the work of our hands. We don’t have to fear a daemon of our making will haunt us to our demise, because our Frankenstein loves us; His creation is not left untended, but is constantly governed by His watchful eye.

“‘Hateful day when I received life!’ I exclaimed in agony. ‘Accursed Creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? My form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance; but God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image.’” – The Daemon

Bio:

Joshua Clark lives in Western WA, edits Chasing Hats Magazine, and can be found online at http://joshuaclark.blogspot.com. He always thought Frankenstein was a green creature with nails sticking out of his head. Little did he know.