I chose to analyze the movie “Frankenstein “by James Whale through a Marxist Criticism lens. Marxist criticism focuses on the economic and social implications of literature and art, very often putting an emphasis on the class struggle and the influence that economic systems play on society. In the film, there is a clear distinction between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The bourgeoisie is the wealthy people in society and the proletariat represents the working-class people.

The creator of the monster is Victor Frankenstein, and he represents the bourgeoisie because he has enough money and resources to do multiple experiments, and ultimately end up creating the monster. Victor comes from a wealthy background, meanwhile, the monster he created is an outcast with no defined place in society. Victor is not constantly worrying about his next meal and does not face problems that working-class people would face. The creation of the monster involved very advanced scientific technology, and this was only accessible to the bourgeoisie, which shows the inequality in society. The monster represents the proletariat because the monster is abandoned by his creator, and he must try to survive in a world that is completely new to him. His possibilities of thriving in society are very low due to his lack of knowledge of how humans operate.

In addition, the creature is abandoned and rejected by the people in society. This could be seen as a metaphor for the alienation of the working class, and it represents how the working class feels. The monster becomes a victim of social rejection, and he is marginalized and mistreated due to his appearance. The working class feels disconnected from the wealthy because of the constant discrimination and undermining that they face from the wealthy class. In addition, the film could be interpreted as a warning about the scientific and technological progress in a capitalist society. The power and actions of the bourgeoisie could lead to negative consequences for the working class. A large part of Marxist criticism is the critique of a capitalist society and how the capitalist society negatively affects the working class. Lastly, the monster’s rebellion against his creator symbolizes the revolutionary ideology of the oppressed class (working class). The monster challenges the established structure and societal norms. This would represent the proletariat demanding societal change to the bourgeoisie.

I believe the horror genre has endured in popularity for nearly 100 years because of the thrill and excitement that people feel while watching horror films. People also enjoy the thrill of being jump scared unexpectedly. Horror films also explore concepts that might interest people such as the paranormal and urban legends. In addition, people who like horror films imagine themselves being in the scary situation displayed in the film. Some people also enjoy violence and desensitizing their minds. I do not agree with the idea that horror as a genre is a Western privilege because horror movies are displayed globally and people enjoy them in all parts of the world.