In the book “Frankenstein”, Mary Shelley flawlessly reflects the contemporary racial discourses of nineteenth century England, which involved the revolution of slaves at the time. Throughout her novel, it is evident that the anxieties and fears of the white, European world are of racial premise. Victor fears of being responsible for creating a “race of devils” that inhabit “the New World”. The creature is shunned from society and labeled as a monster, based solely on his appearance, which is considered ugly by European standards.
As a result, the creature grows resentful of the society that he pitifully failed to infiltrate. This mindset of Victor and many others in the book reflect the anxieties that plagued England during the time this book was written. During nineteenth century England, there was a growing xenophobic fear as it became clear that the independence of slaves would affect European society and the lifestyle they’re accustomed to. The abolition of slavery in the New World was a major racial discourse at the time, and this change in society radically altered the way people lived their lives.
For Europeans at the time, the abolition of slavery represented a threat to the society of the modern world. The world at the time was entirely Eurocentric, and the desire by the “others” that wanted to integrate into society destroyed this vision. Europeans at that time had never seen black people in a civilized society. They either experienced them as slaves or heard stories about tribesmen from other countries who were vastly different from “normal” European people. Mungo Park, who was killed by natives in the Niger region, described Africans as “an active, powerful, and warlike race”.
He told stories of the natives that paint a picture of violence and inhuman savagery- “The Negro carried the body [of a deceased boy] by a leg and arm, and threw it into a pit with savage indifference, which is something I had never seen before. ” Horrific stories like these led to the widespread belief among Europeans that Africans and black people weren’t entirely human. Here’s another account of a European explorer who encountered the natives in the West Indies- “They will be considered beasts of prey, than as human beings” and have an “implacable thirst for revenge.
These entries placed a reputation on black people as savage, uncivilized beasts. This is just one of the major reasons why blacks weren’t accepted in society and were seen as inferior. Not allowing black people to become accepted members of society comes with negative consequences. They were constantly being excluded from all aspects of society, and were always seen more as beasts than humans. Constantly being rejected by society and not having a place in the world led to many slaves growing resentful of white people. An account of what a black servant told his master is a perfect embodiment of this resentment, “Am I not branded with scorn?
Am I not now despised? What man … would not turn from the Negro in disgust? … Oh! How it joys me when the white man suffers! ” This lifelong dilemma of feeling rejected and unwanted by society creates an atmosphere for hatred to grow. And this widespread resentment that was brewing in black slaves certainly didn’t help the growing fear among white Europeans who didn’t want their Eurocentric world to change. Black people were subject to the ultimate form of prejudice, being labeled as savage, violent beings who weren’t even considered entirely human.
But the growing resentment of black people after years of slavery only perpetuated the stereotype Europeans had of them. The idea that the race of man that not long before had been considered “less than human” is now being freed to live among society certainly sparked racial discourse. Were black people inherently violent? Were they capable, like any ordinary European person, of being educated and being able to reason? These were questions that many people wondered, which are clear examples of their ignorance of the “others”.
But it is this ignorance that fueled the stereotypes and fear that plagued the Eurocentric world at the time. There’s no doubt that ignorance played a major role in the reputation society had of slaves. It was the ignorance for black people and their culture; which perhaps should be referred to as the “others”, for in this case anyone who doesn’t reflect European ideals of beauty is subject to the same prejudice. Although in the European’s case, it can be argued that it’s in human nature to be more accepting of what’s familiar than of what’s foreign.
But in any case, the Europeans did more than just surround themselves with their own kind. They completely excluded the “others” from their society and considered themselves the superior race, with every aspect of their society perpetuating this ideology. Fear definitely did play a big part in this as well, which, again, can be attributed to their ignorance of other races. For it was out of this ignorance that exaggerated stories of savage beasts in Africa that were immoral and violent could even be considered non-fiction accounts.
This widespread contemporary racial discourse of nineteenth century England is clearly evident in Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”. The xenophobic fear among the Eurocentric world is clearly reflected when Frankenstein refuses to give the creature a female counterpart out of fear of being responsible for creating a “race of devils. ” The monster is shunned from integrating in society because he looks too beastly and different from everyone else. Although he possesses the human qualities necessary to pursue a normal life, he is cursed by his grotesque physical appearance.
Since all of the problems the creature faced resemble the same problems of the “others” at the time, it can be inferred that their struggles influenced the plot of the story. Mary Shelley used gender, race, and social issues to influence how she structured the characters in the story. By analyzing the novel, we can understand how social issues affect literature, and how Mary Shelley incorporated these issues in her novel. Contemporary racial discourse in nineteenth century was revolved around the abolition of slavery and the assimilation of other races in the Eurocentric modern world.
Since this was a major change in European society at the time, naturally it showed (either intentionally or unintentionally) in Shelley’s novel. Each of the racial issues described earlier had a major impact in the creation of the novel Frankenstein. Once you understand the history of the era the book was written in, it becomes apparent that the parallels between the issues described in the book and the ones occurring during that era are no coincidence. Just how Victor was fearful of a “race of devils” inhabiting the New World, so was the entire Eurocentric world.
Black people didn’t live in Europe until they were brought over on slave ships; so black people were susceptible to prejudice from the beginning. Thanks to nothing but pure ignorance, it was a widespread belief that black people were completely primitive and were not capable of becoming civilized. Just how it is impossible to tame a tiger or wolf, Europeans assumed the same was true about indigenous people. Like a wolf in the wild, they believed that savagery and the need for revenge was just in their nature.
It’s almost as if they were a different species of human, so naturally they were seen as inferior to the white man. This notion that the “others” were doomed to a life of primitivism is analogous to the way Victor viewed the creature. He just assumed that the creature was going to torment whoever it encountered, and wasn’t capable of being humane. During the Renaissance, it became widely accepted that humans are innately good and naturally moral, as philosophized by Rousseau. According to him, it is only when humans are exposed to the vices of society that they become corrupted.
We know now that this theory applies to all races of humans, but this wasn’t so apparent during Shelley’s time. This is evident by how she characterizes the monster and how people view it. Without knowing anything about it, anyone who encounters the monster is frightened and assumes it is evil. Despite it being very smart and innocent, it is still shunned from society and forced to wander the streets alone. The monster possesses what is arguably considered the two most important qualities to be capable of joining society: intelligence and innocence. It possessed the intelligence to read, speak, and teach itself.
It’s curiosity led to it contemplating its emotions and dwelling on why it was being shunned from society. If it was dumb, it couldn’t be capable of comprehending empathy and compassion, which it proved it definitely could. It also had the second crucial quality: innocence. All that intelligence would only make things worse if the monster was truly sociopathic and sadistic. But it had innocence, which meant it was innately good, like all humans. This is the most important quality, because it proves that it was born with the same quality that makes all humans humane.
It was only after it was repeatedly mistreated and neglected that it grew resentful of humans, and then the creature became a legitimate fear among humans. The black man’s resentment for the white man after years of enslavement and being cut off from society is also clearly reflected in Frankenstein. After being cut off from society, the creature grows resentful and starts to kill in protest and anger. This is synonymous to how the black man began to revolt and hate the white man after being mistreated and abused for years.
It is obvious that if you mistreat and abuse someone, over time they will become angry and will turn on you. So it is no surprise that both the creature and indigenous people alike grew resentful for the Eurocentric world, which shunned them and belittled them continuously. Europeans at the time were adamant on generating social progress across the entire globe. Instead of helping indigenous people develop, they decided instead to kill all of the primitive people to reach their goal. It is called “extinction discourse”, and it is very real.
Whenever Europeans encountered indigenous people, they would slaughter them in order to rid the world of “savagery”. “Race scientists” even hierarchized the races, with white, European, Germanic, or Anglo-Saxon people at the pinnacle of progress and civilization, and the “dark races” ranged beneath it in various degrees of inferiority. This is clear evidence that Europeans saw indigenous people as inferior. Although the relations between races are way better than they were during Mary Shelley’s time, the wounds have yet to heal completely.
Many minorities are still considered lower class, while the upper class is still predominately white. The “race of devils” Victor was referring to definitely doesn’t exist in today’s society, and it is widely accepted now that black people are just as capable as any other race in terms of civility and competence. But the abolition of slavery was still relatively recent in scheme of things, so more work definitely needs to be done. It is important to never forget the history of the past, in order to ensure we learn from our mistakes.