Frankenstein – Man or Monster?

As I was reading Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, one theme in particular stood out to me many times. I would define this theme as generally being “the ambiguity of good and evil,” and a more specific theme would have to be “the ambiguity of man and monster.”
      The lines between “man” and “monster” are crossed and re-crossed throughout the entirety of the novel, so much so that it becomes difficult for the reader to make a final judgment on which characters are man and which are monster. Additionally, and perhaps even more profoundly, the characters themselves experience this moral dilemma as well.  Doctor Frankenstein swaps between seeing himself as a man and seeing himself as a monster for bringing his murderous creation into the world. The Doctor also struggles with the identity of his creation; after hearing the monster’s story, the doctor finds it difficult to wholeheartedly condemn him. Frankenstein’s monster sees himself as a man initially, but at the end of Doctor Frankenstein’s life he professes himself a monster and swears to end his own life.
            Many readers will be quick to label the Doctor the man and the Monster the monster at the beginning of the novel, but then by the end switch to labelling the Doctor as the monster and the Monster as the man. However, neither interpretation really fully encompasses the complex dynamic between the two or their interactions with others.
            Frankenstein’s monster, although desiring human love, feels himself entitled to affection from people he is a stranger to. His emotions lean heavily toward the selfish, as he believes for most of his life that his murderous revenges against Doctor Frankenstein are perfectly justified. On the other hand, it is entirely possible, and perhaps even implied, that had Doctor Frankenstein taken proper ownership of his creation from the beginning and taught the monster right from wrong, none of his loved ones would have been dead. In addition, the question remains whether it was it right for Doctor Frankenstein to deny his creation a female companion. Both sides presented convincing arguments, each believing himself the “man” to the other’s “monster.” Unfortunately for readers, these and many other “what if” questions in the novel have no answers. This ambiguity of “what is” and “what could have been” creates a web of morality within the story in which each character has the potential to be either man or monster. The characters’ decisions at these crucial points in the story lead them down one path or another, thus shaping their own destinies.

Truthfully, neither Frankenstein nor his creation can be strictly labelled man or monster, good or evil; they both exhibit traits of either side, causing the novel to become a poignant commentary on this theme. Right up until the end of the novel, it is impossible to say for certain who is the man and who is the monster.