Real Life Monsters Between stories and real life, both worlds are the same, Evil seems to be a big factor on stories, but they usually have a happy ending. Well the only difference about our world itself, not everyone is so lucky. Grendel, a monster who is as cold as ice who terrorized the town by killing and destroying everything in his path . Gary Ridgway a serial killer would lure his victims in by getting there trust and making it seem like he cared in which he didn’t.
This essay will be analyzing the impact of the ‘monstrous’ that Mittman refers to in his essay “The Impact of Monsters and Monster Studies”. This essay will look at the impact of the monstrous in Shelley’s Frankenstein. The monstrous in Frankenstein refers to the creature that was created and brought to life by the main character Victor. The creature had a negative impact on the characters of Frankenstein, in fact the creature made the life of Victor’s family a living hell. This will be further examined later on.
Michael Alig is the unique and flamboyant antagonist of the 2003 drama, Party Monster. During the film, watchers given a look inside Alig’s lifestyle and introduction to the New York City club scene. However, the glitz and glamour that is usually shown of the bustling city barely made an appearance during the movie. Instead, rather darker characteristics of The Big Apple were addressed, such as avid drug abuse, unhealthy friendships, the shady world of nightlife, and even murder committed by Alig.
Many times throughout western literature, monsters are portrayed as a threat to the existence of humanity. In Grendel by John Gardner and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, this idea is skewed by the actions of their respective monsters. Both of these novels captivate the reader by having a monster narrate the story, which is uncommon in many works of literature. Although in Frankenstein the reader only witnesses the monster as a narrator once, it has a profound impact on the overall storyline of the book. In Grendel, the book is entirely narrated by Grendel, so the reader adapts to the idea of the main character being a monster.
Comparing society in Beowulf and society in Frankenstein is like comparing a simple farm to the processing plant; futuristic and totally dissimilar. Although, the core ‘monsters’ are unchanged; grotesque, horrifyingly pagan-esque beings of the dark that strike terror in to the hearts of even the stoutest of fighters and the sanest of men. In the Christian and Medieval world, monsters were human beings with an unnatural birth or a birth deformity (Stitt, 2003). The term ‘monster’ derives from the Latin term ‘monere’ which means ‘To warn’ or ‘to advise’ and ‘monstrum’ which is ‘a sign or portent that disrupts the natural order as evidence of divine displeasure’. The aspect of ‘Divine Displeasure’ is attributed almost perfectly to Grendel, the monster of Beowulf and the terror of Hrothgar.
A Portrayal on Accidental Monsters In many folklore and legends, there are tellings of monsters. These monsters serve important roles to show what the culture, and its society is made of. When looking at monster it can be said that there are two different types : accidental and intentional. Different examples, such as, the Golem of Prague, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Beowulf, by Seamus Heaney, and the Tempest, by William Shakespeare, are examples of being an accidental monsters.
In Chapter 15 of Frankenstein, the author compares the monster to Adam (the first man) as well as comparing Victor to God. I believe that Frankenstein is not as much a commentary on the bible, but rather on the nature of man. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley compares the monster and Victor to biblical figures in order to relate that everyone is capable of moral good and evil. As we see in the novel, the monster is much like Adam in that he desires companionship, he is made in the likeness of his creator (a man), and he eventually turns to evil.
“The Beasts” The beast in the novel Grendel does not stray to far away from the monster in the book Frankenstein. These two creatures are both misunderstood which makes them do what they do, while they are just trying to fit in. The two monsters both handle rejecting and defeat very differently.
In world history, human beings have been committing vain acts since the classical era. Our whole life is based on decisions, and these decisions are either driven by true motivations or by the influence of our ever-changing society. How to decipher between the two is complicated and sometimes impossible. Ultimately, I believe vanity rules over honesty as vanity is the push factor of our developing society and often these vain acts are done unintentionally. In order to be true to oneself, one must realize they hold a decent amount of vanity.
Monsters will NEVER ever die: all cultures around the world have them and have had them since people first thought of them. Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Columbia College Chicago, Stephen T. Asma, in his essay, Monsters and the Moral Imagination, describes how we look at and are drawn to monsters. But not just monsters, murderers and psychopaths also. Monsters never age, ranging from the first civilization to now. In Asma's essay he asks, "Why do monsters exist?
The presence of biblical ideas can be seen throughout the Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. Whether it be Victor Frankenstein acting as god as he creates life or the comparison of the creature to the fallen angel or devil, the bible has a strong partnership in the novel. In chapter nine of volume two, there is once again an allusion to The Bible as the creature embodies Adam, from the creation of man in genesis two. The creature can be seen asking Frankenstein for “a creature of another sex”(170) to “free [him] from the misery”(170) he feels from being so lonely. This request the creature is asking for from Frankenstein mirrors the same desire Adam had in the second story of creation in Genesis two.
In Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s Monster Culture (Seven Thesis), Cohen analyzes the psychology behind monsters and how, rather than being a monstrous beast for the protagonist of the story to play against, “the monster signifies something other than itself”. Cohen makes the claim that by analyzing monsters in mythology and stories, you can learn much about the culture that gave rise to them. In Thesis 1 of Monster Culture, Cohen proposes that “the monster’s body literally incorporates fear, desire, anxiety, and fantasy”, specifically the fear, desire and anxiety of the cultures that gave rise to it;; fFor example, vVampires, undead, represent a fear of death. Monsters are born of an intense fear, desire, or internal conflict, “at this metaphorical
The fear felt for monsters and ultimately connected to desire. Jeffery Cohen has a clear opinion of this. “We distrust and loathe the monster at the same time we envy its freedom, and perhaps its sublime despair.” They are both terrifying and the heart of fantasies. This accounts for the monster’s popularity.
“For traditional Christians, the novel belongs typologically with tales of human presumption, in which the protagonist is duly punished for overstepping human boundaries laid down by God.” (Hetherington, 1997) Whether this statement is true is up for a never-ending debate. It is absurd to know without a doubt that the development of the monster is unrealistic and that the story was based upon greed. The first thought that comes to mind is our space program and hearing statements about whether a planet discovered can sustain life.
The monster archetype has been one of the most riveting archetypes that surrounds the concept of ‘evil’. It has been portrayed as a supernatural creature with grotesque features that normally brings disruption to the city and needs to be tamed or controlled to bring once again peace to the story. Due to this, it is most commonly depicted with a negative connotation, and with the idea of horror and fear. The monster has been present since the bible, which was written approximately 3,400 years ago, with the anecdote of Goliath. It has remained with its primary role of converting the protagonist into a hero and providing fear to the storyline.