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Alexis Sanchez

English 102

Professor Batty

15 November 2017

The wretch that lies within: Analysis of the novel Frankenstein through a Psychoanalytic lens

The scariest monsters are not the ones who have the sharpest teeth or the deadliest glare,

its the ones that reveal the true darkness that lies within ourselves. Often we attribute our innate

fear of monstrous beings to their physical appearance, when in fact, there lies deeper

explanations for why these beings scare us. Unconscious fears can be further examined through

psychoanalytic criticism which builds on Freudian theories of psychology(Brizee, Tompkins,

Chernouski, and Boyle). Moreover, this lens allows us to analyze characters through the various

theories that psychoanalysis offers about the human psyche and unconsciousness. In order to

explain what a character's actions might reveal about their unconsciousness, such as what ignites

horror in someone. One such story that can help us sink further into the phenomena is the famous

tale of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The story of a mad scientist named Dr. Victor

Frankenstein who creates a human life form, that he abandons due to fright. From the detailed

story we experience the doings of Dr. Frankensteins innermost feelings and desires which helps

us take a closer look into his unconscious fear. Although many argue that the creature merely

frightens Frankenstein due to his unattractive appearance, through a psychoanalytic lens it is

clear that Frankenstein fears the creature because he reflects the darkness that lies within himself

by forcing him to face his id, oedipal feelings, and abjection.

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Frankenstein fears the monster because it reveals that Frankenstein is primarily ruled by

his Id. The key factors of the unconscious self are based on the three elements of a humans

personality; the Id, ego, and the superego; ...the id operates in pursuit of pleasure, and whereas

the ego is governed by the reality principle, the superego bids the psychic apparatus to pursue

idealistic goals and perfection (Lapsley 1). Taking this into account we can further examine the

role of the id. This element is the source of ones primal desires such as power, violence, and

often sexual pleasures, which are known as libidinal desires. Fortunately, the presence of the ego

and superego regulate the id from taking over ones actions. It does so, by reminding people of

the social and emotional consequences that are caused when untamed libidinal run free. With this

in mind, Frankenstein's motive for creating the monster was directly fueled by his id. Even

Though he tries to mask his motive to create life to being for the good of science, it is really

fueled by his ids thirst for fame and power; Victor's actions are sometimes quite egotistical and

appear to be a part of his motivation. His real and somewhat unconscious reason for creating the

monster seems to be a desire to obtain awe and fame, and to make sure that his name makes a

mark in history" (Marklund 4). With this in mind, we can see how there is a direct correlation

with the horror that the monster ensues in Victor and a lack of communication between his id

and superego. His superego fuels his desire for perfection and social standing and the superego

cannot coexist when Frankenstein is a direct result of the Dr.s id. As seen when he tries to invite

his Friend Clerval to his apartment after creating the monster; I dreaded to behold this monster,

but I feared still more that Henry would see him (Shelly 55) The example of the disruption and

inability for his superego and id to make common ground conveys that there is an imbalance

within Victor. His inability to juggle between these two causes a miserable existence that the
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monster now amplifies. In other words, Victors creation scares him because its existence

presents a living manifestation of the imbalance that is taking place in his unconscious.

Frankenstein fears the creature because it's existence forces him to face his unconscious

repressed libidinal desires that exist due to his disturbing oedipus complex. Underneath

Frankenstein's facade lies deep routed libidinal desires that according to psychoanalytic theory,

stem from repressed incestual feelings towards a parent of the opposite sex. Consequently, this

causes contention between the child and the parent of the same sex. Despite the disturbing nature

of this theory, Freud believed it was simply an innate part of human nature that most people learn

to overcome. On the other hand, those who do not overcome their Oedipus complex let their

libidinal rule every aspect of their lives and have a disorder called neuroses; Normal individuals

survive and master their Oedipal feelings; neurotics continue to be mastered by them (Lapsley

5). From close examination we can detect how this plays an important role in the monsters

ability to frighten Dr. Frankenstein. His case of neuroses also lies within his repressed sexual

feelings and vengeance towards his father. These repressed desires are first prominent when his

father debunks young Frankenstein's fascination for pseudoscience at an early age of

development; My dear Victor, do not waste your time on this; it is sad trash (Shelly 30). By

denouncing this childlike curiously it causes Frankenstein to sink even deeper into his

fascination. Rather than outgrowing this neurosis, Frankenstein is unable to because of his

mother's death, causing these desires to grow into an obsession in order become more powerful

than his father and fueling his obsession to unconsciously bring her life back into the world.

Moreover, the idea to make his invention first comes to him in a dream where he kisses his

mother and she decays into death.; ...as I imprinted my first kiss on her lips, they became livid
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with the hue of death(Shelly 52). Going full circle, we can see how to this becomes the driving

force in creating something that would later become so powerful; and out of his control. Thus,

the creations very existence scares Frankenstein because it causes him to realize that he has not

conquered his oedipal complex.

The last reason why Frankenstein is afraid of the monster is because of the abject nature

that he provokes. Another component of the psychoanalytic theory is the idea of abjection which

means to cast off. Abjects are the parts of ourselves that disgust us, such as our own bodily

fluids or decaying bodies. Equally important, abjection is our separation from these parts of our

ourselves; The abject body, repeatedly violates its own borders, and disrupts the wish for

self-control and social propriety. We disavow our excretory bodies because they are signs of

disorder, reminders of the bodies ambitious limits (Abjection 1). This passage further

elaborates that abjection is why we are disgusted and afraid of abject. By that token, the

creature's appearance is made of the things which we categorize as abject because he is made

from parts of dead bodies. For this reason, it is no surprise that Dr. Frankenstein calls him names

such as Hideous and wretch, because this separation ignites fear in him. Nevertheless, this

creature remains the closest thing he has to offspring and thus is an extension and manifestation

of the creators mind and motives. Additionally, the creature is blatantly cast off from society

because of his abject appearance, while Frankenstein maintains approval from society because he

is a human being. In reality, the true abject in the end of the story is Victor as he loses everything

in society because of his libidinal desires and his creation and engages in behaviors such as

creating life which end up bringing sorrow upon him and the ones he loves. He loses friend,

brother, and wife. He loses all contact and sympathy with the human community. At both the
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beginning and end of the novel, he is the most alienated figure, alone, in mad pursuit in a

desolate spot on the earth (Griffith). Even after all this Frankenstein continues to fear and hate

the monster because he sees him as the source of his misery rather than accepting this extension

of himself. Therefore, through his fear and disgust of his creation Frankenstein unconsciously

separates himself from his perverse nature such as his id, liberal desires, his Oedipus complex.

Proving that Frankenstein isnt afraid of the creature, but of himself.

Despite the previous thoughts, some argue that Frankensteins fear of his creation is

simply due to the creatures unattractive physical appearance not because he reflects something

deeper about Frankensteins psyche. Many students say If the creature is scary because he

reveals deeper unconscious truths about Frankenstein than he wouldnt be scary to the other

characters in the story, such as the villagers he encounters." It is true that Frankensteins physical

appearance plays a role in the horror that he ensues. This horror is illustrated by the horror

displayed in characters other than Frankenstein. Be as it may, the villagers horror towards the

monster is caused by abjection since the monster is made up of dead body parts. This is because

the psychoanalytic theories extend to all humans, not only Frankenstein. Even so, Frankenstein

was completely aware of what the creature looked like as he was created it. Therefore,

Frankenstein would not have carried on with the experiment if his horror was merely based on

the physical appearance monster. Thus, Frankensteins horror must be deeper and more complex

since he is the creator the monster. By this token, the monster is an extension of his creator and

therefore it is a product of his creators psyche. Furthermore, the monster doesnt scare

Frankenstein until he sees him come to life because then the monster becomes a living exhibition

of Victors disturbing unconscious mind. Additionally, and as stated previously, part of the
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monster's horror for Frankenstein stems from his motivations that lead him to create it. With all

that said, it makes sense that the creator would have a deeper sense of horror from his creation

rather than others who do view it as an external and unfamiliar entity.

In brief, through the psychoanalytic criticism we are able to understand the

underlying reason for why Dr. Victor Frankenstein is afraid of his own creation. Because this

monster unfolds the painful truths of his id, oedipal complex, and abjection it demonstrates what

an unstable creature Victor is himself. It is important to note that the psychoanalytic lens is true

for all of us.The creature is not only a display of Victors inner darkness, but the collective

unconsciousness that we all disregard.The novel connotes that our fears are the best fortress into

our unconscious mind, and rather than running away from it we should take time to examine it.

This examination is important because, as shown, when these unconscious desires are ignored,

they grow into a force beyond our control. Rather than letting ourselves get to this point of

imbalance and misery that Frankenstein experiences, this novel can motivate us to grow aware of

these underlying feelings we have inside and remove the shame associated we with them.
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Works Cited

"Abjection." (2004): 17-33. Print.

Brizee Allen, J. Case Tompkins, Libby Chernouski, and Elizabeth Boyle.

"Psychoanalytic Criticism (1930s-present)." Purdue OWL: Literary Theory and

Schools of Criticism. Purdue University, 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2017.

Griffith, George V. "An overview of Frankenstein." 2017.

Lapsley, Daniel K., and Paul C. Stey. "Id, Ego, and Superego." Encyclopedia of Human

Behavior

2 (2011): 1-9. Print.

Marklund, Sara. Good and Evil in Man: The Double Nature of Victor in Frankenstein.

June 2010, p. 4.,

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Marklund, Sara. Good and Evil in Man: The Double

Nature of Victor in Marklund, Sara. Good and Evil in
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Frankenstein. June 2010, p. 4.,

Marklun