In Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein
The characters Victor and his creature are initially presented as opposites, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the two are competing to outdo each other in evilness.
Victor's Astonishment at the Creature's Appearance
Victor is astonished by how ugly the creature looks after assembling the bodily components. It is one method Shelley uses binary opposition to convince the reader that the creature is big, ugly, and hideous, whereas Victor is human. Shelley also draws out a difference between the monster and Victor in their characters by making the creature appear to be vengeful and destructive while Victor remains as the real and constructive person. Before moving on to look at more examples of binary opposition as presented by Shelley in her novel, it is important to understand what binary opposition means. The term describes the use of expressions and imagery to create thematic contrasts in literary work ("Lecture notes, Binary Opposition"). This paper, therefore, explores the construction and deconstruction of binary oppositions such as the human and non-human, victim and villain, and inclusion and rejection in Shelley's story.
The Creature's Physical Traits
As the story begins, Shelley makes her readers aware that Victor has created a being using human parts. The difference between Victor and the creature are the creature's physical traits that are unattractive and scary. Even Victor who made the being does not like the end product because he looks different from humans. Shelley makes Victor describe the creature in words that distinguish it as a monster. When Victor describes the monster's beautiful features as presenting a ghastly contrast with its watery eyes, it comes out that the features of the monster though made from human parts are not human at all. The terms "yellow skin," "lustrous black hair," and "straight black lips" serve the purpose of creating the difference between the two (par 2; ch.5).
The Creature's Difference from Humans
Moreover, Victor refers to the being as "lifeless" (par 1; ch.5), thus making it clear that the being is not human and cannot relate to humans. Not only is the overall description of the creature dehumanizing, but the fact that there is no other creature in existence that is similar to Victor's being is a sure way of proving to the reader that the creature is not human. That means, the creature cannot relate to another of its kind and that is why it asks Victor to create another being to offer the present one company. While preparing to create the second being, Victor ponders over the destructiveness of the existing being. In his thoughts, Victor becomes cautious of what the second being will be able to do. That fear indicates that the creature is not human and even had promised to move away from human neighborhoods (par 1; ch.20). It also comes out of Shelley's narration that the creature had no control of its bodily movements and his own as would humans, that is why he kills people. Moreover, the monster cannot speak the language of people.
Victor and the Creature as Both Victim and Villain
As events unfold in the story of Frankenstein, the non-human nature of the creature and the human nature of Victor cross the division line and are made to exist on the same scale. Victor, who is supposed to exhibit human characters, tends to show some inhumane behaviors, and the monster appears to be humanizing as the story progresses. The two characters show love to the people around them and have the intention of helping them, as seen in Victor's efforts to help and console his family as they experience losses and the monster undertakes tasks to help the people in the cottage. But even as Victor and the being go about showing love and helping people, they also show hate for each other. Victor expresses displeasure the moment he finishes creating the monster and also hates Victor. Shelley probably intended to show a replica of Victor in the monster in building the theme of false living. The monster and Victor both live false and frustrated lives. The monster strives hard to be accepted by humans, and when he is not accepted, he turns his anger on the humans. Similarly, Victor is angry at his life and his lack of emotional contact with other people, including Elizabeth his love. The human and monster opposition is turned into a two monsters affair as Victor pursues the monster with the aim of killing him. They engage in hateful references for each other. For instance, the monster leaves an inscription for Victor that reads, "Come on my enemy; we have yet to wrestle for our lives, but many hard and miserable hours must you endure until that period shall arrive." (Par 10; ch.24). In the last chapter, Shelley successfully deconstructs the binary opposition of human and non-human by presenting two monsters preparing for war.
The Shift of Victimhood between the Creature and Victor
Shelley shifts the concept of victim between the creature and Victor. The initial impression of the monster in Frankenstein is that of a victim who is hated by his creator. The creature seeks to be loved by Victor on the first day of his creation but does not get the love and neither does he feel the sense of belonging. The words Shelley uses to describe the creature's move towards Victor present the picture of a baby who, in pursuit of attention and the love of an adult. The monster is described as frightened to be alone on the first night as Victor narrates that the creature held up the curtain of the bed, opened his eyes, and tried to communicate (par3; ch.5). Instead of Victor offering the creature love and companionship, he runs out to the courtyard. The creature is left lonely and despised by the only parent figure he has. In revenge for Victor's rejection, the monster sets out to destroy the people Victor loves. The creature kills innocent people and causes pain and loss for Victor's family. At this point, Shelley turns the creature into the villain and Victor becomes the victim. Victor is also shown as a victim when he is asked to create a companion for the creature. It appears as though the monster has taken control over Victor to direct him to create a companion to keep the monster out of human lives. But when Victor makes the decision not to create the female mate for the creature, the monster again turns into a victim. He suffers loneliness because his creator has refused to make a companion for him.
Victor and the Creature as Both Victim and Villain
As the story progresses, it emerges that Victor and the creature are both victim and villain because they are one and the same character. The initial pursuer of scientific experimentation becomes pursued by the results of his experimentation. And later on, Victor the scientist has to pursue his creation with the aim of destroying it. Shelley, in an interesting way, makes the victim and villain aspects exist on a balanced level, and she must have done so to show the reader that the monster is a reflection of Victor.
Inclusion and Rejection in the Story
In the same way, Shelley develops the inclusion and rejection oppositions to exist on a sliding scale. When Victor goes to college, separates himself from family, and concentrates on his scientific analyses, he appears to have rejected his people and included science in his life. At one point Victor says that he thought of returning to his native town to be with his friends but could not because the idea of creating something similar to humans came into his mind (par2; ch.4). However, immediately after completing his creation, Victor rejects the creature because it is ugly and monstrous. Victor also goes into isolation because he does not want to tell people about the creature. The monster faces similar rejection from people, especially with the De Lacey family, where he does lots of good things to enhance a good relationship but eventually gets rejected. The creature's desire to belong to a family brings him to the thought that he could reverse his mistakes by asking old De Lacey for another chance (par 5; ch.16).
Isolation and Lack of Inclusion
By the time Victor goes after the creature, both appear to be isolated from other people. They are left alone to solve their problem of failing to get included in society. Victor cannot settle down comfortably because of the losses the monster has caused him, and neither can the monster settle because there are no creatures like him that can offer the sense of belonging.
Works Cited
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. http://literature.org/authors/shelley-mary/frankenstein/chapter- 04.html.
