Frankenstein Colonialism Essay

The True Horror of Frankenstein: A Post-Colonial and Reader Response Study of Frankenstein

Most people perceive Frankenstein as a science fiction horror novel about a wretched monster that terrorizes and murders his creator and family. However, the true horror story Shelley was writing about was the effects of colonialism. Shelley wrote this novel during the romantic era which took place in the 1800’s. During this time period, nature was celebrated, but the ugly unfolding of mass colonization also took place. One main reason for colonization was to exploit nature for raw materials; as a result, indigenous people were stripped of their land and culture. In her cautionary novel, Frankenstein, Shelley warns her audience about the detrimental

Many European colonizers used a method called assimilation when colonizing areas that they deemed uncivil and rebellious. In assimilation, colonizers would ban cultural practices of indigenous people and forcefully convert them to practice one that was European. The relationship between Victor and the creature symbolizes this discriminatory relationship between the two groups. Victor views the creature as unrefined and consistently calls him a"daemon" or "wretch". Victor's choice to never give the creature a name highlights the absence of his identity and unworthiness. The creature eventually develops a hatred towards Victor and retaliates against him by killing off his loved ones. This is similar to how the colonizers took away indigenous people's identity by eradicating their culture. Victor even goes one step further by trying to kill the creature. He states, “Again do I vow vengeance; again do I devote thee, miserable fiend, to torture and death” (Shelley 208). His wish to eliminate the creature’s existence represents how he wants to erase things that are alien from his life. Victor's racist behavior is not only seen against the creature, but it is also seen with people of other races. This is highlighted when Victor first encounters Elizabeth among the other children she was living with. He states, “She appeared of a different stock. The four others

The creature embodies an indigenous person who is under colonial rule. He is discriminated against due to his looks and behavior. One example where this discrimination is highlighted is when the creature reveals himself to the De Laceys. The creature is accepted by the blind father, but the rest of the family immediately rejects him. The creature narrates, “At that instant the cottage door was opened, and Felix, Safie, and Agatha entered. Who can describe their horror ...beholding me? Agatha fainted; and Safie, unable to attend to her friend, rushed out of the cottage. Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force tore me from his father, to whose knees I clung: in transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick” (Shelley 137). The difference between the blind father and the rest of the family’s reactions clearly depicts how the creature is discriminated against due to his outward appearance. The people he once viewed as his protectors had become the reason for his hatred against humankind. Some of the colonized people perceived the colonizers to be their protectors; however, they came to despise and rebel against them as a result of ill and unjust treatment. Another event where the creature experienced prejudice was when he attempted to save a girl from drowning, but her father thought he was trying to harm