Frankenstein's monster might be one of the most popular roles people play when celebrating Halloween. But do you know where this impressive image originally comes from?
The creation of Frankenstein dates back to the summer of 1816, when some young people were spending their holiday in Switzerland. Usually, the weather in summer was pleasant, but that summer it rained quite a lot, so for most of the time, the group were trapped in their cottage. They started thinking about entertaining activities to have fun. Finally, they decided to join in the writing competition suggested by Lord Byron: Everyone should write a scary ghost story and share it with others, and the writer of the scariest one would win. During the competition, 18-year-old Mary Shelley came up with the idea of an ugly monster created from human body parts. Two years later, she published her first novel, Frankenstein,
Yet Frankenstein isn't similar to other honor books. In the book, the monster can explain the story from his perspective. Although he is scary, ugly, and violent, he has understandable human emotions, and the book indicates that his violent actions are reasonable. He explains that he becomes cruel and violent because he has been treated cruelly and violently by the scientist who creates him and also the people he meets. The book raises awareness of our responsibilities to other people and also inspires us to put ourselves in others' shoes.
It also talks about an imaginary scientific experiment and its effects, and because of this, it is considered as the first science fiction novel, or the beginning of science fiction as a genre. This means that the novel has probably influenced a lot of science fiction created later. Perhaps without Frankenstein, we wouldn't have the chance to enjoy Edward Scissorhands, Captain America, or Star Wars.
However, I enjoy Frankenstein mostly because it can be interpreted differently. The problems it covers are simple and universal. It can be interpreted as a metaphor (隐喻) for family relationships, human emotions, or individualism, or as a criticism of misuse of science.
