Most people hear the name 'Frankenstein' and immediately picture a crazed scientist in a mansion on a hill, cackling as lightning cracks in the night while flipping the switch to bring his ghastly monstrous creation to life.
But as we learned in class and from our close reading of Frankenstein, popular culture has changed the way the world sees Frankenstein over the years. However, in more recent years, other films that do not necessarily revolve around this whole idea of an evil creature have been released.
Edward Scissorhands (1990) tells the story of young man created by an inventor who had high hopes for him, but unfortunately died before he could complete the creation, leaving him all alone in a house on a hill with scissors for hands.
One day, an Avon worker named Peg decided to visit the house, in search of a new client. She comes upon Edward and discovers he is all alone in the mansion. She immediately insists that he come and join her family in the town below. The film proceeds with showing how quickly word can travel around a small town and how willing everyone is to be apart of something, whether it's good or bad. The neighborhood people take to Edward immediately and they begin to use his hands for their own gain (i.e. hedge trimming and hair cutting). All the while the film shows undertones of love (Edward and Peg's daughter), family (Edward assimilating into the Boggs' family) and acceptance (or Edward's struggle for it).
SO WHERE DOES ED MIRROR FRANK???
A theme that was important to me is the contrast of how different these creations lives were after they were left alone by their inventors.
In Shelley's Frankenstein, the creature is left alone for several years to figure out his entire life and meaning. In chapter 5, Victor Frankenstein describes the flood of joy that ran over him when he returned to his home, with his monster nowhere to be found (61). This mentality is one Victor holds throughout the novel and the monster is left to travel, growing increasingly more resentful of all humans because of Victor and he therefore causes so much pain to humans that mean anything to his creator.
In stark contrast, Edward is originally taught by his creator the basics of human interaction. Therefore, when Peg brings him into the town, he is able to process things as he was taught by his creator who genuinely seemed to care for him. Whereas Victor's monster explains he is only malicious because every human is terrified of him and that Victor created him but would willing kill him if he had the chance (165). The tie between these similar tales is something that sets them apart. Scissorhands shows how with love and affection, good can from someone everyone sees as different. But without any TLC, a creation who hasn't been taught otherwise will grow resentful towards all humankind.
Where Does This Connect in Contemporary Society???
To conclude, this idea of nature vs. nurture still exists in that if we as humans aren't taught how to act/behave from a young, impressionable age and we are left to make our own decisions and conclusions, will we turn out good and decent or just malicious and evil towards those who are able to understand things that we are not?
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