The human-like creature created by Victor Frankenstein in “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley has a strong resemblance to the creature described in the poem, “The Tyger” by William Blake. As we continue to hear his story in the book, we discover that the creation of the creature in “Frankenstein” and the several monstrous acts he committed can be seen within the lines of “The Tyger.” For example, in the poem, Blake continually questions the creator of the tiger; in the first and last stanza, he writes, “What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” He describes the creator as “immortal” and even daring, since he had the ability to create this beautiful yet deadly animal, which is described as “burning bright in the forests of the night,“ having a twisted heart, and being a “deadly terror”. Blake continues questioning and asks whether its creator was smiling once his work was done. We can assume that he asks this question because he wants to know the reaction of creating something that is both so dangerous and aesthetically appealing to the eye.
Like the tiger, Frankenstein’s creature also has fearsome features, yet was seen as beautiful at its birth; Frankenstein describes, “Beautiful – Great God!….his hair was a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes…” (Shelley, 49). Frankenstein first sees the creature as a beautiful one but slowly develops feelings of hatred and disgust, especially after he concludes of its destructive actions towards the human species, as we learn later on in his involvement of the deaths of William and Justine. Much like the description of the tiger, the creature has a twisted heart in the way that he now despises the human species; he is also dangerous because of his bigger body frame. Therefore, I believe he is more like the tiger than the lamb since the lamb is described as more of an innocent creature, unlike the “deadly terror” that Frankenstein has created.
I must say I really enjoyed this piece, it explored such a fundamental topic that relates directly with human existence and psyche.
Although it is not my intention to summarize this piece, I do want to take some time to accredit the author of his ability to maneuver seamlessly through his critical thinking process. I found the writing style ironic, considering the context of what he is attempting to analytically dissect can hardly be understood in such a way, which he goes later on to admit. I believe that I find myself so fond of his maneuverings through the piece because I, myself, often attempt to analyze exstisentially ideologies in a similarly formulaic way. I do personally believe that even the most exsitentially complex concepts can be broken down and understood in individualized compartments. In my opinion, it can be argued that those who are able to deconstruct and answer some of life’s most puzzling inquires in a way that the solutions are ingestible by a larger audience and comprehended by a broader scope of individuals are even more talented then those who pose the question in the first place.
I found it interesting how the author continuously referred to the “creative thinker” as his own abstract entity, apart from “the rest of us.” Its as if being a creative thinker is not an aspect of man, but man is an aspect of the creative thinker. It makes me wonder what in fact, constitutes the identification of such a title. To me, and as the author also later acknowledges, the creative thought process is one of many thought processes that combined create a great thinker.
My favorite part of the piece as a whole was the question it presented in the very beginning regarding the whereabouts thats creative writers gain their inspiration. It was a perfect opening idea to generate the reader to think in such a way that questions creation, and humanism. Authenticity is such an important concept that can be related to almost anything, in any given situation in our world. There is never any full and complete understanding without awareness of origin.