Frankenstein.

Like most my knowledge of Frankenstein didn't extend much past seeing short clips of the 1931 film with Boris Karloff, and while I knew ahead of time that Frankenstein was not the actual monster we see all over it had often slipped my mind while reading this. I think this is partially due to the title of the book. You read Frankenstein and since the monster is the most interesting part of the book you automatically associate the two.

The book also had a small connection with myself and I found it easy to paint a picture in my head for parts of it. I have actually been to both Lake Lucern in Switzerland (staying in the city of Lucern) as well as staying in small village on Lake Como in northern Italy.

It was also kind of surprising to see there is no Igor or any of the other themes often found in movies based off the book. The whole science of it is hardly even touched upon. All we're told is that he had to collect body parts and make the monster much larger than planned. This is due to smaller parts of the body being harder to replicate. Ending up with the monster being eight feet tall and having nearly translucent skin.

After life is given to the monster we start to feel sorry for it. It was never asked to be created and didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Yet here it is stuck with a creator appalled and disappointed by its appearance. Soon after Frankenstein abandons his creation hoping to go back and lead a normal life. It is at this time the monster angered and confused by its creators abandonment goes on a quest of sorts to understand humans and eventually take revenge on Frankenstein. Really all the monster wants to do is understand its own existence, find a way to co-habitat with humans. But we as humans are so guarded towards things we don't understand or find appealing we automatically go into a hostile state without questioning it. The monster can be compared to a social outcast simply trying to make friends. Eventually the constant rejection by what you seek to be apart of is going to create hatred.

Really I feel this book is about the human condition and loneliness and the basic human desire to belong to something. The monster is simply lonely, and like all humans wants a companion.