Frank and I

 

I've been rereading this classic text. 

It's been more than twenty years (college lit) and what strikes me this time around is the precise language Shelley uses to express her characters' inner thoughts and feelings. In particular I was surprised by her monster's self reflection. I had forgotten the chapters dedicated solely to the creature and his story. The creature's articulate expressions seem in contrast to his actions. 

Having experienced more of life since I read Frankenstein when I was nineteen, and after living through the pandemic, I can relate to the creature's feelings of isolation and frustration to a much greater degree. I think many of us can, after spending two or so years cut off from many activities and people to which we grew accustomed. 

Now, it feels like life has returned to near normalcy. Today, we see few people wearing masks. Concert halls, theaters, and sports arenas fill with crowds again. Late summer flowers bloom and barbecues are lit for weekend gatherings without restriction.

It would be easy to forget that time ever happened. I could put it behind me as well, but for this recognition of the creature's nature within me. Perhaps I was surprised by his humanness, because I was caught off guard by the dark and untamed parts of myself that this isolating time revealed. I wasn't expecting to find kindred emotions in a monster, just as I didn't expect to find the chaos in my own heart and mind. 

However, they seem to be two sides of the same coin, and I must come to terms with both natures in me.