I Am Frankenstein (But Not a Monster)

This week, I published a “Monster Guide.”

I deliberately left out Frankenstein.

That’s because, quite frankly, I don’t believe he was a monster. The latest movie version was one of my favorites. Not just because Jacob Elordi was in it. But because it captured the story’s essence: men are the true monsters, and poor Franky was just a scary-looking creation thrown into a hostile world.

• We are all a little Frankenstein-like. We are products of our genetics, our experiences, and the demands of the people around us.
• I’m also the Bride…a woman “built” to be a companion, a caretaker, and a glamour girl (though my hair is definitely better groomed). Apparently, in the original novel, Victor (Dr. Frankenstein) tears apart the companion he promised while the creature watches through the window.
• What about Fritz? We all have some of him in us. He was the dutiful assistant who helped make things that ultimately went wrong. Hmmm…sounds vaguely like AI at times. I always thought his name was Igor, but Ygor came later, in a 1939 sequel, played by Dracula himself, Bela Lugosi.
• Dr. Frankenstein (aka Victor) was ultimately at fault…a mad genius who lost total control of his ego and his humanoid invention. Again, sounds a little AI-ish!
• Let’s not forget the townspeople. Carrying anger and torches, they built mobs to “kill the monster,” but poor Franky was just terrified and innocent, until the wrath around him caused him to lose his sh*t and become destructive. (When I watched the film as a little girl, I was always a big fan of the blind man and the little girl, who accepted the “monster” for his soul and were able to get past his terrifying features.)

At 70, I’m realizing I’m responsible for my own “mad scientist lab” and can build myself in a way that works best in an often judgmental, hostile world. 

We take the “body parts” we like from those around us and those we love in ourselves, and we craft a creature that an angry mob occasionally rejects. Yeah, that’s kind of dramatic. I haven’t seen any torch-wielding killers outside my bougie apartment complex. But you get the idea!

If all that is too intense, you can simply read these “fun facts” about how Frankenstein came to be and why he’s still such a fan favorite!