Frankenstein

I recently read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with my big kids for their literature and worldview class.  I can't get over how much there is in this classic!  We have talked this book to pieces and I still can't stop thinking about it.  We've discussed several obvious themes such as the pursuit of knowledge, elevation of nature, the role played by fire and light, monsters and even abortion.  We've really delved in to the skewed perception of Frankenstein as a distant, unjust, limited representation of the Creator.

We've studied Shelley's view of the nature of man as represented by the creature.  It's fascinating to consider her view of man as basically good and kind if only treated with love and acceptance.  This view explains a lot about our world today as people claim the "victim mentality" and blame the way they were raised as an excuse for their behavior rather than taking responsibility for the choices they have made.  I have always found the "nature versus nurture" argument intriguing and this representation of man's nature brings the consideration up yet again.  Ultimately, we have to consider that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" regardless of our environment.  We can't be good enough on our own, nor can we raise our children to be good enough to not need a savior.  Man cannot save himself; man is not good; God alone is good which is why we need Jesus.  (Consider Romans 7:14-25)  It's obvious when we read the Bible that our natural man stubbornly wrestles against the spirit, but much of our modern psychology and behaviorism and secular humanism tend to skew our perception and tempt us to view humanity as good unless affected by some bad outside source.  It has been good for us to examine this classic piece of literature to discern the author's worldview.

But something I've enjoyed even more has been the additional insights my teens have shared from our reading.  Destry, for example, pointed out how the creature started out loving man with a truer sense of love which sought man's best but deteriorated to a selfish shadow of love which sought to use.  He saved the life of a drowning girl and helped the Delacey family by cutting wood and scooping their snow.  He longed for the companionship of man and wanted their love.  After being rejected and persecuted, however, he despaired of being loved and demanded a female counterpart to his monster.  Destry observed that at this point he was no longer seeking to give and receive love, but rather was selfishly seeking an equally miserable creature to satisfy his own desires.

Briana, on the other hand, was especially struck by how frequently the characters allowed their emotions to dictate their actions.  She noted the negative consequences that resulted from this lack of self-control such as the creature killing people in fits of anger and Frankenstein "giving in to his despair" and becoming despondent and sick.  Considering how many times over the years I have counseled her to take captive every thought and bring it under obedience to Christ and to practice self-control rather than giving in to her emotions, I found it very interesting that she noticed this theme in the book.

Briana also contrasted the sanctity of life with Frankenstein's lack of respect for life as he carelessly created without any forethought or sense of responsibility for that life.  His prideful attitude made him think he was somehow above the laws of nature which God himself set in motion.  Life is sacred; it is not common and should not be treated as such.  Creating new life should only be undertaken with serious contemplation and that life cannot then be cast aside simply because it is not convenient or what was expected.

I've said it before and I'll say it again--I'm having a blast learning with my teens!  I got much more out of this book this time than I did the first time I read it.