The Consequences Of Dehumanization In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

On its face, Frankenstein is the creation story of a man-made human, turned monster. In reality, this tale is not about the creation of human, but rather the monstrous quality of devaluing a human. In short, Victor makes a human by hand, labels it a monster. He spends the rest of the story becoming a monster himself because he refuses to acknowledge the humanity of his creation. Here, to dehumanize a person is a monstrous act. Dehumanization is a broad term for things like: marginalization, murder, malevolence, grandiosity, classism, a preoccupation with appearance, manipulative, and viewing others one-dimensionally. Mary Shelley manifests all these traits and behaviors through the novel’s protagonist, Victor Frankenstein. The story is broken down into three distinct sections: Walton’s one-dimensional view, Victor’s self-centered outlook, and the Creature’s perspective. Throughout the three portions, Mary Shelley presents a cautionary tale of the consequences of dehumanization. Shelley accomplishes this by means of the creature’s perception, Victor’s lack of empathy, and a predominant theme of seeing beyond the superficial.
The Creature takes the reader on an intimate journey from his birth, unfortunate abandonment, learning the basics of life from the DeLacey’s, and the eventual spurn (and familiarity) of rejection. This thought process is essential to …show more content…
Shelley instructs how to avoid dehumanization when she reminds the audience to consider each and every person’s larger life journey. Shelley is corroborating the age-old adage that one must not judge another until they have walked a mile in their shoes. Frankenstein is a story of a person who is “monster” in appearance, and another who is monster in his thoughts and actions. As members of society, it is our responsibility to decide which “monster” is the real