Superficiality as a Cause for Dehumanization

When Frankenstein creates his monster, he is stricken by the creature’s unpalatable features, immediately experiencing ultimate signs of emotional defeat including guilt, shame, and fear.  He quickly becomes disillusioned with himself and leaves the ideals of curiosity and wonder that he valued up until this point, completely behind him. One can see the repulsion evidenced when Frankenstein meditates, “I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelly, par. 3).  Frankenstein’s ambition and passion became replaced with a primal urge to survive and ensure the survival of his friends and family, a fight-or-flight instinct that grows more and more apparent as the novel progresses.  Ironically in light of the story’s plot line, the bond that a creator feels towards a creation is one of the most deeply human connections one can ever experience.  Think of a mother and her child, or an owner towards a pet (this is not a direct example, but it is a similar concept).  One would think that such a bond would be difficult if not impossible to break.  In reality, however, all it took was one look at Frankenstein’s monster to obliterate all of Frankenstein’s pride and joy.  The most superficial principle, that of physical appearance, was enough to fully dehumanize Frankenstein’s creature in the eyes of his creator.  As Frankenstein’s creation proceeds to humanize himself through self awareness, communication, and the pursuit of knowledge, Frankenstein dehumanizes himself in an incredible streak of atavism, even ending up having to be saved from the elements.  This exposes the blatant hypocrisy of Frankenstein, as he ends up with far less humanity than his creation.