When choosing a book for summer reading, several things tend to come to mind during the crucial moment when I am finally forced into hunkering down and reading my selection. I always begin my selection process by weeding out any books I have read in the past, shortly followed by scanning the page for any books that catch my attention. Having a great desire to understand the many cultural references used in both entertainment and in academics, I tend to zone in on books that have gained the title of being a classic. When I looked at the list of books from which I had to pick my summer reading, I immediately noticed the classic tale of Frankenstein. I had heard in the past, from many of my friends who had already read this book, that the representation of this novel in film and common perception was warped in shockingly extreme ways, and the curiosity to learn how true these statements were drove me into choosing this book. In addition to this curiosity, I was eager to be able to know that I had read yet another story that most anyone is able to at least recognize when mentioned.
As I began to read this story, the reasons behind its esteemed status became quickly apparent. The brilliant use of word choice allowed the dark and morbid theme of the novel to easily be projected into the sentences, allowing the reader to connect with the characters’ feelings of terror and dismay. “When I reflected on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation. I would have made a pilgrimage to the highest peak of the Andes, could I when there have precipitated him to their base. I wished to see him again, that I might wreak the utmost extent of abhorrence on his …” The use of vocabulary and the references to famous landmarks allows the author to connect with the reader’s emotions on a subconscious level, which allows the theme of revenge to seep into the mind of the reader, creating a more relatable and connectable story. By manipulating the English language with the skill that Mary Shelly does, she is able to coax the reader into a state of mind that magnifies the emotions of anger and desire for revenge, creating a relatable character in Dr. Frankenstein which makes the story more powerful.
While Mary Shelly does an amazing job in inciting emotions of hate and anger through the telling of the strife of Dr. Frankenstein, what truly makes the novel memorable is the way the voice and story create a sense of remorse and sympathy for the monster despite its malevolent and horrific deeds. “"Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery.” After gaining a strong sense of hatred for the creature, the reader is forced to reevaluate their decision because of how well the language and voice portray the monster’s pity and horrid life. This internal conflict of whether or not to sympathize with the monster of Dr. Frankenstein is what truly makes this novel a powerful one. The conflict within the reader mirrors that of the characters in the story, and creates a subconscious bond between the reader and the characters.
What made this novel a strong one was not the story itself, but how it uses literary elements in such a way that the storytelling makes up for any flaws in the tale. The storytelling is what makes the characters relatable and yet at the same time, easy to hate. The use of language, voice, and sentence structure amplifies emotion, which is exactly what creates a good story. By attaching to the emotion of the reader, Shelly is able to create a novel that is truly deserving of its status as a classic piece of literature.
