Another aspect of the novel which still intrigues and appeals to the modern reader is how Shelley describes and develops the relationships between the characters. The nature of human relationships has always fascinated us and is one of the many reasons “Frankenstein” has endured. Frankenstein, after creating the monster, cruelly rejects him and completely ignores his responsibilities towards his creation. Victor explains that “no mortal could support the horror of that countenance” and instead of caring for and teaching him, it is for this reason that he drives the creature away. The creature also has very complex relationships with the other characters. He longs to be accepted and loved by his creator but, when he realises that this will never happen and “…he had abandoned me. I was alone”, he turns to hatred and revenge. The creature learns that no-one will ever love him because of his hideousness but still he loves the cottagers and believes that they will accept him whatever he looks like. Ultimately he has to accept that this is not true and he has been rejected by everyone.
One aspect of the story that remains appealing is Shelley’s interesting structure. The tale has a circular narrative and starts with Robert Walton, an Arctic explorer who finds Frankenstein, writing a series of letters to his sister in England. These letters tell of Walton’s journey so far and of finding Frankenstein. Walton’s tale is very disjointed as there are often gaps of a few months between his letters. Robert Walton is the outside narrator and it is to him that Victor Frankenstein relates his tale. There are also several stories within the novel. Frankenstein tells his story to Walton who tells it to his sister. During Frankenstein’s tale he tells of a meeting between him and his creation during which the creature relates his tale and within that story are the stories of the De Laceys and Safie. The novel also begins and ends in epistolary form with Robert Walton writing letters “To Mrs. Saville” his sister. The novel is written in first person narrative mostly from Frankenstein’s perspective except for when the creature asks his creator to “hear my tale” and tells his story. Shelley uses many literary parallels in her novel comparing Frankenstein to God and the creature to Adam and making references to “Prometheus” and “Paradise Lost”. She also refers to “The Ancient Mariner” in one of Walton’s letters where he tells his sister that “I shall kill no albatross; therefore do not be alarmed for my safety.” These different aspects of structure combine to make the novel more interesting.
Appealing aspects of style also contribute to making the novel even more engaging for modern readers. Shelley writes very vivid descriptions of both the creature and the locations making the novel more realistic and believable to the reader. Her description of the creature is designed to terrify. Although Frankenstein at first says that his creation is beautiful he later describes him as “hideous”. The creature is said to have “yellow skin [which] scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black and flowing, his complexion shrivelled and his lips black”. Shelley’s use of beautiful and remote backgrounds to the events taking place provide a contrast to the heinous crimes committed by the creature. Victor, having just married Elizabeth, arrives at Evian, which is described as having “soft air [that] ruffled the water and caused a pleasant motion among the trees [from whence] wafted the most delightful scent of flowers and hay.” This is just prior to the brutal murder of Elizabeth at the hands of Frankenstein’s creation. Suspense and horror are as appealing today as they were when “Frankenstein” was written and it is one of the many reasons it has endured for so long. The way the weather is used to reflect events or the character’s feelings is an example of good use of suspense in the novel. For example, when Victor is climbing Montanvert he describes the scene before him as, “It is a scene terrifically desolate. …the dark sky…added to the melancholy impression I received from the objects around me.” His immediate surroundings affect his mood and feelings, making his emotions as changeable as the weather. Moments after this he notes “…icy and glittering peaks shone in the sunlight….My heart, which was before sorrowful, now swelled with something like joy…” This in turn will change to unbounded rage when he encounters his creature shortly after.
Shelley’s female characters are all very similar. Elizabeth, Agatha, Caroline (Victor’s mother), Justine and Safie are all self-sacrificing as we are shown when Victor’s mother nurses Elizabeth when she has scarlet fever; “The consequences of this imprudent act were fatal…on the third day…she died.” They are innocent and helpless heroines and it is through Elizabeth and Justine that the creature takes revenge on Frankenstein. All the women in the novel are denied a voice, this is perhaps Shelley’s way of reflecting how women were treated in the nineteenth century, and they are all victims. Agatha chooses to go into exile with her family, Justine is killed for a crime the creature committed and Elizabeth is killed by Frankenstein’s creation. Shelley’s mother, Mary Wollenstonecraft was a famous feminist whose views were obviously shared by Shelley herself as throughout the novel it is the men who cause the trouble and the women who suffer for it. Frankenstein creates the creature who later kills Elizabeth. It is Frankenstein who finds Elizabeth “lifeless and inanimate”. She has been killed by Frankenstein’s creature as an act of revenge. Frankenstein’s betrayal of his creation is so harsh that even with the murder of an innocent like Elizabeth we still empathise with the creature’s painful rejection by everyone.
Perhaps the main reason “Frankenstein” has endured and remains appealing is the similarities and many parallels it has with today. Both the beginning of the nineteenth century and the twenty-first century are examples of times of great change. Science was and is developing and advancing. The Industrial Revolution was occurring at the time Shelley was writing; today we have great technological advancements. Shelley’s “Frankenstein” deals with the same moral and ethical considerations about creating life that we have today. Scientists have realised Shelley’s gothic dream of the creation of life through cloning and stem cell growth. The creature, after being abandoned, hates his creator “cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live?” This aspect of the novel raises the issues of human nature, which still fascinate us, and the responsibilities that Frankenstein ignores. Just as the beginning of the nineteenth century saw the second industrial age commence, the start of the twenty-first century heralded vast changes in computer application, the birth of the information age. Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” resonates with the present-day reader because it addresses the fascination and fear that science provokes in people. The twenty-first century echoes the worries of the early nineteenth century regarding spirituality, godliness and social responsibility at all levels.
The novel “Frankenstein” is still relevant to us today because it plays on our emotional concerns regarding present change and future possibilities. Its continuing appeal is reflected in our fascination with the horror genre which can be easily seen in the popularity of recent television series, films and books. Science, as mentioned above, has put some individuals into the role of Victor Frankenstein, playing God, without perhaps, fully considering the moral and ethical issues as raised by Mary Shelley in her novel. The female characters and their apparent weaknesses can still be found in various media, despite changes and awareness created through feminism and the changing roles of women in society. The creature’s dual roles in the novel perhaps reflect the present-day anxieties of many people, regarding their role and purpose in society and the deep human need to be accepted and loved. Its enduring appeal to the modern reader originates in the emotions the characters exhibit and their reactions to the various situations they find themselves in. The reader cannot help but empathise with the very realistic characters, especially the creature and his obviously human traits, which remain at the heart of the novel’s appeal.
