Friday, September 20, 2013
Frankenstein as Explained by Science
Since I relate more to science (namely biology) than English, I found this research paper written about how childhood neglect and abuse by parents or guardians relates to 1. Higher psychopathic tendencies and 2. Much, much higher rates of violent behavior. Even though I can't directly compare the novel and the scientific study (simply by nature of the type of each work), I think it's safe to say that Victor's abuse (by way of neglect) of the monster contributed to the monster's destructive behavior.
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Makes sense, but I'd question the analogy a little bit more, *especially* if we're trying to think scientifically! Is the monster/creature really like a child? I mean, he's the size of a full-grown man when he's created. Doesn't the lasting effect of childhood abuse and neglect (as opposed to the mistreatment of adults) have to do with the vulnerability and dependency of the child? The monster is able to feed himself and defend himself from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteAnother way to analyze the monster's psyche and connect it to his behavior is to look at Erik Erikson's theory of development. Erikson believed that there are 8 stages that humans encounter throughout their lifetime (from infanthood to late adulthood); their interactions with the outside world in each stage and how they deal with those interactions shapes their personality throughout the lifespan, and thus shapes their behavior. The web page below gives a concise explanation of each stage and its potential outcomes (click on "Theory" at the top of the page).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/erikson.htm#Theory