One reading that has stood at the back of my mind during the various texts and monsters we have dissected in class is Arthur Miller's play The Crucible. Set in a Puritan Town in New England during the time when Witch Trials ruled society through fear and hatred of the different, the play is meant to be a not to subtle comment on McCarthyism's Red Scare. McCarthyism and the female antagonists of the play, utilize cultural fears during the time for their own good through fear mongering and unjust accusations of the innocent. Like Frankenstein's monster, the monsters created during the Crucible and the Red Scare are representations of societies' fears of otherness or deviancy from the norm. In the case of the Red Scare, the deviant other being Communism and it's threat to the very essence of Americana and Capitalism. In the case of The Crucible, the fear of deviancy from puritan religious and the succumbing to the devil and magic through witchcraft.
Race also plays an important role in Frankenstein and The Crucible in terms of otherness. Once Frankenstein's Monster has been assimilated through European centralized education and history while observing the Delacey family, the only thing that separates him from society and the acceptance he yearns for is his physical appearance. This is made blatant after which Frankenstein is able to maintain and healthy conversation with blind Delacey and is not cast away from the house until the rest of the family returns and reacts to his physical appearance, causing them to flee their home in fear. This idea of otherness being so centrally observed around one's physical appearance continues in the Crucible. Tituba, who arguably, unbeknownst to her the ramifications, was an acting catalyst to the Witch Trial scare. She and a couple of girls from the village, went to the forest, a physical representation of established order, the town, versus the unknown and different the forest, where she and the girls sang and danced in the night. These customs are not considered dangerous or acts of treason with the devil in her home of Barbados, where magic, dance, and song helps one connect to the roots of their ancestors in Africa. However, according to the puritans, who themselves sought religious freedom in colonizing the United States persecute Tituba for seeking the same right. This is arguably due to her race and "otherness" according to strict puritan norms. Therefore, Tituba and Frankenstein are cast out from society, and at the end of both pieces their whereabouts and fate are left unknown to the audience.
The example of The Crucible has popped into my head as well as we have been going through these examples of monsters in society. The Crucible and Frankenstein are very closely tied as you said, and I think they act as a not so subtle clash against society. I also think that its interesting that on some level both novels are influenced by their authors’ displeasure with the current political system in place at their times (with Shelley’s father’s political beliefs and Arthur Miller have to appear in front of the HUAC for being involved in Communist activities). Another tie between the two novels that I find interesting is the lack of influence that the Monster and Tituba had for both of their situations. Frankenstein’s monster didn’t ask to be created and then cast out by his creator, just as Tituba didn’t expect to be cast out and persecuted by those who had been cast out and persecuted themselves.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, as we were watching Dracula in class this week, I couldn't stop remembering The Crucible movie and how much I hate the actress that plays the main antagonist. She also plays the main female lead in the Dracula movie, and I can't help feeling such hatred... but that's not relevant. I can agree with that The Crucible and Frankenstein are very similar in nature. They both have relevance in the times they were written, and is a satire of sorts of the political situations at that time. Frankenstein was written as a criticism to people who feared new ideas and science during the Enlightenment, and The Crucible is about that red scare you mentioned. I am not quite sure if race is quite as relevant in the texts however. Sure, the two characters you mentioned are cast out by society for being different from others. But I thought that The Crucible's message was more so that nobody was safe from the dangers of being branded as a witch, since just about any type of people were executed (wasn't the main character's wife called a witch?). And Frankenstein's monster is stated to be made of several various body parts so that his race wasn't recognizable anymore. Race might be a part of the messages of the books, but I don't think they were the overall point that the authors tried to convey in their writing.
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