Perhaps one of the most bizarre stories written is Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein's Monster" This is a gothic horror story that weirdly underlines what it means to be human. It underscores the attributes of humanity and how people become integrated into the society. The interaction between the various characters and the society in the book underline the essential question as to whether people are born with some values or the environment changes them to conform to the cultural beliefs and environment. This is a question that seeks to explain our actions about the environment in which we live. The story highlights especially the adventures of Victor Frankenstein and his creation, the Monster. The Monster's life underscores a common social issue of rejection about the environment and the social expectations that the society places on individuals.
The most prominent issue in Mary Shelley’s story that is also mirrored in the modern society is the abandonment of children. According to Cloitre and Stolbach (32), the effects of abandonment in childhood may be felt in adulthood. The effects often display themselves in self-regulated disturbances. These are impacts that are often associated with issues about one's self-leading to cases of self-esteem problems. In "Frankenstein's Monster," it is quite obvious that the monster was abandoned right after its creation. The implications of this abandonment were seen in his personality. He tried to seek validation from the rest of the society as he could not seem to get it from his ‘parent.’ Nevertheless, it is rather apparent that the society did not seem quite receptive to him despite the fact that he tried to be friendly.
The monster faced bullying from the society. Abandonment and self-esteem issues are aspects that are often related to bullying in the modern society. Rose (426) posits that the most important factor to consider when analyzing bullying is the socialization process of the individual and the environment in which they not only grew up but also live in at the moment. The social categorization of the person plays an important factor in regards to bullying among peers. Statistics show that children who are often bullied portray weak personalities and personality formation processes. The monster itself showed aspects of a weak personality occasioned by abandonment from Victor himself and the society in which he tried to fit in. The implication is that he was readily picked on and vulnerable to being bullied. It is also quite definite that the fact that his socialization process and personality development that was caused by abandonment and rejection led to a poor socialization process thus making him delinquent.
Studies have shown that most people who are affected by bullying and portray signs of delinquency often come from dysfunctional families. As such they portray bouts of anger that they let out on the people around them. In what Flynt and Morton (332) refer to as the conduct disordered patterns of behavior, they state that the individual with the problem is likely to show instances of extreme violence due to inconsistency in the development process and lack of parental guidance. It is rather obvious that the individual in this case not only failed to gain the right guidance from Victor but did not experience appreciation from the expected people. Besides, his socialization process was rather challenged. In this light, he showed tendencies of bad temper and bouts of anger which he meted on people around him. It is also prudent to note that the anger and rage were directed towards Victor Frankenstein. Eng et al. (365) state that children often exhibit signs of rage as adults especially after facing abandonment from their parents. While in most cases the rage may be directed to the people around, there is often some sense of bitterness towards the respective parents. This is a character that is seen in Frankenstein's monster.
In conclusion, Mary Shelley’s book is not only a gothic horror book that was written to conform to the needs of romantic literature; it also highlighted several important factors that would be applied in the society, both ancient and contemporary. The most outstanding social issue that the book highlights is that of abandonment and the effects that it has on the individual in relating to the society around.
Works Cited
Cloitre, Marylene, et al. "A developmental approach to complex PTSD: Childhood and adult cumulative trauma as predictors of symptom complexity." Journal of traumatic stress 22. 5 (2009): 399-408.
Eng, Winnie, et al. "Attachment in individuals with social anxiety disorder: The relationship among adult attachment styles, social anxiety, and depression." Emotion 1.4 (2001): 365.
Flynt, Samuel W., and Rhonda Collins Morton. "Bullying and children with disabilities." Journal of Instructional Psychology31.4 (2004): 330-334.
Rose, Chad A., et al. "Bullying and students with disabilities: examination of disability status and educational placement." School Psychology Review 44.4 (2015): 425-444.
