there really is a relevant xkcd for everything
Adam Frankenstein is the name of the creation. Victor Frankenstein however is the monster. Fun fact: he’s not even a Doctor, he was a College Student with too much time on his hands.
I wanted to believe this.
This 1000 times. It wasn’t even ambiguous in the novel.
Knowledge is understanding that Frankenstein isn’t the monster.
Wisdom is understanding that Frankenstein is the monster.
"Instead, Kevorkian leaned in very close — about six inches from my face. ‘Have you read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,’ he asked?
"I nodded that I had.
"He said ‘then you know that Frankenstein wasn’t the monster; society was the monster.’
Right, the peeping Tom was a monster. The Doctor trying to advance Science was not
Dr. Frankenstein gave the monster life. Therefore, it should get his last name.
Part of Frankenstein’s rejection of his creation is the fact that he does not give him a name. Instead, Frankenstein’s creation is referred to by words such as “wretch”, “monster”, “creature”, “demon”, “devil”, “fiend”, and “it”. When Frankenstein converses with the creature, he addresses him as “vile insect”, “abhorred monster”, “fiend”, “wretched devil”, and “abhorred devil”.
Nah, my mom called me half of these things but I still get the last name
Typical parent.
That sounds like putting the cart before the horse. I would say that Frankenstein Abhors his creation, and does not name it because of it. I don’t think if he’d named it Greg or something, that he’d actually treat his monster any better.
Accurate to real life parenting.
An abusive parent is still a parent. Unfortunately. The Creature doesn’t have to keep the name, but should be the heir to whatever is left of the family fortune and fortress.
And Victor should keep the interpretational sovereignty?
Why would monster want to take on that name?
Maybe if it’s entailed to the inheritance.
Asking the real question
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Typical Frankenstein
Definitely, didn’t the monster refer to him as “father” at one point?
It’s pronounced “Fronkensteen”
The “monster” is just the victim in this scene. Dr. Frankenstein was the real monster when he created it.
i think the real argument is that what makes Frankenstein the monster is that he brings a life into this world but doesn’t provide it any guidance. he refuses to be a good father. the sea captain even finds himself quite charmed by how thoughtful, gentle, and caring the unnamed creature is despite his upbringing and decides the northwest passage isn’t worth him dooming his crew based on his philosophical discussion with the creature
Sounds like a pro choice reading of the novel? Or we shouldn’t overestimate the meaning of biological parents
nothing to do with abortion i don’t think. just that if you intentionally bring life into the world, you have responsibilities to that life and to the future world that life will exist within. dr frankenstein does not think in these terms but the unnamed creature does because the unnamed creature is fascinated by the humanities whereas the dr is not.
ultimately i think Mary Shelly introducing the world to science fiction sets an extremely, almost radical, humanist/feminist tone for the genre that still resonates in science fiction today. if we find pro-choice themes in the story, i think those are themes we find on account of the humanist/feminist nature of being pro-choice, not any intentional technique on the author’s part. but the fact that we find progressivism from 1818 so resonant still today i find deeply meaningful. these are conversations we’ve been having throughout human history. i even think it’s significant she co-titled the book “The Modern Prometheus.” it ties her modern contemporary story to an ancient one and asks the reader to ponder if that old tale was also one dreamt up by a liberation seeker
To be clear: I didn’t talk about the intended meaning, I was talking about a possible reading
#deathoftheauthorah okay cool. i was trying to get at that in the back half of the comment. sorry to overexplain i just deal with a lot of arrogant dismissive conservatives.
The Monster was the half dead creature jerking off in the bushes
Galaxy brain: The monsters name is Abby Normal
The real monster was society…I listen to the smiths and am deep
The real monster is the abominations we made along the way.
The doctor was an alcoholic and the monster is just him on a bender. It’s the same person.
Isn’t that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, not Frankenstein?
A…Adam
Adam von Frankenstein
The monster lives in all of us.
If you could blow up the world with the flick of a switch
Would you do it?
If you could make everybody poor just so you could be rich
Would you do it?
If you could watch everybody work while you just lay on your back
Would you do it?
If you could take all the love without giving any back
Would you do it?
And so we cannot know ourselves or what we’d really do…
With all your power
With all your power
With all your power
What would you do?
Great song - but the title is “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song.”
Derp!
Thank you for the correction!
