Kelsey Ainsworth
Words and Images
October 13, 2011
Lynn
Ward’s Illustration
Lynd Ward’s illustration on page 151
really caught my eye which allows for some powerful interpretations to be
introduced in the detail brought out in the image. This image displays tree
limbs overpowering the monster as he struggles to support himself up before
they come crashing down on him. “O! what a miserable night I passed! The cold
stars shone in mockery, and the bare trees waved their branches about me: now
and then the sweet voice of a bird burst forth amidst the universal stillness”
(Shelley, 152). We can interpret this image
to be the limbs acting as society trying to put pressure on him to conform into
the social norms.
In society those
who are in power cause pressure to be brought upon those who don’t conform to
social norms. If we look at this image closely one can see that Ward shading of
the trees start out at lighter shades and begin to fade into darkness on the
collapsing end of the branch that continues to be exposed onto the monster. I
feel it appropriate to say the darkness can symbolize an extreme weight of
society’s pressure crumbling down on the monster. With the monster not only
being right in the middle of the image and being the darkest object we can take
this to be him struggling to pick himself back up from all that has be thrown upon
him to conform to the social norms. This provides a powerful basis through
conformity “which changes how you behave to be more like others. This plays to belonging and esteem needs as we seek the approval and
friendship of others. Conformity can run very deep, as we will even change our beliefs and values to be like those of our peers and
admired superiors” (changingminds). With power comes obedience to your superior
such as that of children to parents. The monster knows he was created by a
human being, Frankenstein, but has been abandoned and left to survive on his
own. Looking back at the image, I take these lighter shades to mean there is
always a light at the end of the tunnel. I am imagining the monster learning
that all of the those who obtain power that have caused him to be trapped by
the pressure to conform have caused him to establish a power of his own due to
not allowing him to be a part of the norm.
In order to
comprehend the degree of pressures being put on the monster, it is necessary to
look at other small details carried out in the image. We can see how the trees
can act has society bearing down on monster but one can also see in this image
the monster becoming one with the tree limbs. With him blending in, I take this
to represent the concept of him forming into what society sees him as,
unnoticed. Also, this image as a whole is a gothic, dark setting with can be described
as the monsters appearance. There is this notion of being the norm and being
abnormal and in the monsters case he is seen as an extreme abnormality or
outsider. He even states, “These amiable people to whom I go have never seen
me, and known little of me. I am full of fears; for if I fail there, I am an
outcast in the world for ever’” (Shelley, 149). What make the differences
between an insider and outsiders is most definitely ideas of social norms. Norms
in the eyes of the villagers being naturally born, beauty, fluently speaking and
abnormalities fall under the categories such
as hideous or atypical features, being created through many artificially parts,
not speaking the language fluently. The monster wants to fit in with the
villager but feels he set up failure. He speaks,
“I had admired the perfect forms of my
cottagers—their grace, beauty, and delicate complexions: but how was I terrified
when I viewed myself in a transparent pool! At
first I started back, unable to believe that it was indeed I who was reflected
in the mirror; and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the
monster that I am, I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and
mortification. Alas! I did not yet entirely know the fatal effects of the
miserable deformity” (Shelley, 124).
As I show the monster being depicted as one
with the tree limbs, we can see how the branches themselves are deformed and
unstable from so much pressure falling down on them. Society disposing of the
monster due to being an outsider and misunderstanding his heartfelt intentions has
led him to become a helpless being.
With
pressures that are bestowed upon individuals can cause as sense of helplessness
and abandonment. With the two main topics discussed above I can argue that both
power and norms cause individuals to be misunderstood which leads to becoming
unstable and helpless. “Some things are
within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you have faced up
to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and
can't control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness become possible...
Trying to control or change what we can't only results in torment"
(Lebell). The monster being an outsider himself shows how he could be misunderstood
for his intentions by the villagers. The image obviously displays this idea
because he flees to the abandoned forest where he will not be judge for who he
is and what he has been created into. The social norms denied his efforts in
trying to conform to their liking and due to their misunderstanding he was
decided to be his own person and rebel against the villagers.
Overall,
the image appears to be easily understood when comparing it to the text. When
looking deeper into the image though we are able to interpret more valuable meanings
that Ward is trying to convey to the readers. The idea of power and norms cause
society to develop rules that allow put pressure on people to conform. For
those they feel are worthy enough to become part of their group are welcomed
with arms wide open and the rest are left out to fight for themselves. “It’s
you against the world.”
Work Cited
Lebell, Sharon. 'The Art of Living: The
Classic Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness' -- A New Interpretation
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. The Lynd
Ward Illustrated Edition. Mineola, New York: Dover
www.changingminds.org.
webbased
Your application of sociology (whether academic or not) seems interesting. "Conformity can run very deep, as we will even change our beliefs and values to be like those of our peers and admired superiors" Since you didn't start with a clear statement of your argument, my tentative assumption is that you're reading the novel (and the image, or the novel *through* the lens of the image) as being concerned with the monster's struggle to establish his own identity in response to, or struggling with, the beliefs and values of the larger culture. For this to work, you'll need to tell both with how those beliefs and values emerge in the text, and how the monster responds to them.
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't actually happen, though. I understand the last couple paragraphs, not so much as extended your argument, but as restating it (albeit with an additional source). What you probably needed was to dive into the text of the novel. Where is the monster pressured to conform? How does he respond? In other words, either do a really detailed reading of how his villagers shape his understanding of himself and the world, or move beyond that, to another incident (how does your reading explain Williams' murder, for instance).
The essential problem here is that, while you have a good idea and a good start, you stop to early. This is a very short revision (barely over three pages double spaced), and you simply didn't do enough with it. The ideas are there, but you stopped far too soon - you needed to move on to a second (or third) image, or into a more complex reading of the novel.