The Repetition of History, and Why it Shouldn’t
In Stephen Crane’s The Monster a doctor successfully prevents the death of Henry, the black man who serves the doctor’s family, from a house fire. In attempt to rescue Doctor Trescott’s son from the top floor, the house engulfed in flame burns and severely maims the Henry. Although Henry was not the one who ultimately pulled the boy from the fire, Doctor Trescott believes Henry was actually the man who saved his son. Overlooking the guidance given by the judge of the town Doctor Trescott keeps Henry alive, albeit under the impression he is justifiably saving Henry. Doctor Trescott unwittingly creates what is therefore called the monster by the townspeople to exception of the Trescott family that …show more content…
The phenomenon that Stephen Crane created back in the late 19th century is referred to today as The Uncanny Valley. This valley is a graph that represents the spectrum as to which a person perceives an object as human and how it inversely grows less genuine the more realistic the object is supposed to be. By placing Henry in the Uncanny Valley he duplicates the tale of Frankenstein and his Monster but without giving the Monster a voice to express itself. Crane wants to be judge, jury and executioner but without the harshness that surrounds that idea. He uses Henry’s story as a vessel to propose a solution to the ethical dilemma of euthanizing human …show more content…
“She shielded her eyes with her arms and tried to crawl past it, but the genial monster blocked the way” (Crane XVII). Ms. Farragut, Henry’s betrothed, tries to escape the monster when she sees him while showing great disgust for the sight it brings. Ms. Farragut having known the monster before it was created serves a similar role as the unbiased blind DeLacey father from Frankenstein does as they both have insight of the person that resides inside the creature. When creature narrates his story to Victor, he describes a story with a similar outcome as to what Henry
In Stephen Crane’s The Monster a doctor successfully prevents the death of Henry, the black man who serves the doctor’s family, from a house fire. In attempt to rescue Doctor Trescott’s son from the top floor, the house engulfed in flame burns and severely maims the Henry. Although Henry was not the one who ultimately pulled the boy from the fire, Doctor Trescott believes Henry was actually the man who saved his son. Overlooking the guidance given by the judge of the town Doctor Trescott keeps Henry alive, albeit under the impression he is justifiably saving Henry. Doctor Trescott unwittingly creates what is therefore called the monster by the townspeople to exception of the Trescott family that …show more content…
The phenomenon that Stephen Crane created back in the late 19th century is referred to today as The Uncanny Valley. This valley is a graph that represents the spectrum as to which a person perceives an object as human and how it inversely grows less genuine the more realistic the object is supposed to be. By placing Henry in the Uncanny Valley he duplicates the tale of Frankenstein and his Monster but without giving the Monster a voice to express itself. Crane wants to be judge, jury and executioner but without the harshness that surrounds that idea. He uses Henry’s story as a vessel to propose a solution to the ethical dilemma of euthanizing human …show more content…
“She shielded her eyes with her arms and tried to crawl past it, but the genial monster blocked the way” (Crane XVII). Ms. Farragut, Henry’s betrothed, tries to escape the monster when she sees him while showing great disgust for the sight it brings. Ms. Farragut having known the monster before it was created serves a similar role as the unbiased blind DeLacey father from Frankenstein does as they both have insight of the person that resides inside the creature. When creature narrates his story to Victor, he describes a story with a similar outcome as to what Henry