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Alexis Sanchez

English 102

Professor Batty

15 November 2017

The Wretch That Lies Within: Analysis of Frankenstein Through a Psychoanalytic Lens

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

they are the ones who 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

meaning for why they scare us. To explore this phenomenon we can use the Psychoanalytic

criticism. Psychoanalytic criticism, builds on Freudian theories of psychology (Brizee). In

essence, this criticism allows us to analyze ones actions by understanding the process of the

unconscious.This mode of examination also offers answers to our most gripping questions about

human nature such as, what ignites horror in someone. One such story that delves into this

phenomena is the famous tale of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Shelley tells a story of a mad

scientist named Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who creates a human life form that he later abandons

due to fright. Through examining Dr. Frankensteins innermost feelings and desires in the story,

we are able to uncover his unconscious fear of his creation. Although many argue that the

creature merely frightens Frankenstein because of his physical 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.

Frankenstein fears the creature because its existence reveals that he is primarily ruled by

his id. According to Freud, the key factors of the unconscious self are based on three elements
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called the id, ego, and superego. Psychoanalyst Daniel K. Lapsley helps explain these three

elements as he writes, 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). From this, it is clear that the id is the driving force for our most basic

primal desires and the ego and superego both work regulate the id. That is to say, the ego and

superego remind us of the actual consequences and damage to our reputation that comes from

following our primal desires. Moreover, the id motivates us to seek such things as power,

violence, and sex. These are known as libidinal desires. With this in mind, we can examine

which element of Frankenstein's unconscious drove him to create his monstrous being. In the

novel, Frankenstein convinces himself that he wishes to create life in order to contribute to the

scientific community. When in reality, Frankenstein's motivation to create life derives from his

desires for fame and recognition. Marklund further supports this notion when he writes, 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). As shown, Victors

motivation to attain awe and fame are clearly attributed to the motivations of his id. In other

words, Frankenstein's ego and superego are not strong enough to regulate his ids desires. For

example, when he tries to invite his friend Henry to his apartment after creating the monster he is

afraid that his friend will see his creation.; I dreaded to behold this monster, but I feared still

more that Henry would see him (Shelly 55). Frankenstein clearly states that he is more afraid of

his friend seeing the creature than the creature itself. In other words, his super egos desire to

maintain a good social standing with his friend conflicts with his initial desire to make the
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creature.The existence of his creature amplifies this imbalance between Victors ego and

superego. Essentially, Victors creation scares him because its existence presents a living

manifestation of the distress that is taking place inside his unconsciousness. At the same time, his

superego is protecting Dr. Frankenstein of having to explain to his friend about his creation. His

superego protects Frankenstein from explaining his creation to Henry because in society people

who are driven by their id are seen as monsters. People who are id driven are associated with

possessing the ability to do horrific things, since they dont have their ego and superego to

regulate their behavior. Overall, they remind us of the darkness that we hold inside of us.

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

oedipus complex. Another concept of the Psychoanalytic theory is called the Oedipal Complex.

Essentially, an Oedipal Complex is a childs unconscious sexual desire for their parent of the

opposite sex and a disdain for the parent of their same sex. Freud believed these desires are

simply an innate part of human nature that most people learn to overcome as they grow older.

However, individuals who do not mature out of their Oedipus Complex develop a mental health

disorder called Neuroses; Normal individuals survive and master their Oedipal feelings;

neurotics continue to be mastered by them (Lapsley 5). Since Neurotics continue to be mastered

by their oedipal feelings, their ids libidinal desires hold the most power in their unconscious

mind. Similarly, Frankenstein is primarily ruled by his ids libidinal desires. This could be due to

an unresolved oedipal complex, since his mother passed away when he was a child. In fact,

Frankenstein's fascination for alchemy and the creation of life started at a young age after his

mothers passing. Unfortunately, his fathers denounced his fascination, My dear Victor, do not

waste your time on this; it is sad trash (Shelly 30). By denouncing this childlike curiously
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Frankenstein to grew ashamed of his desire to create life. Since Frankenstein was never able to

reconcile these repressed feelings of vengeance towards his father, this childlike curiosity grew

into an obsession for pseudoscience and alchemy. Later, when Frankenstein attended college his

desire to actually create human life was inspired by a dream he had about his mother rising from

the dead as and kissing her ,...as I printed my first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the

hue of death (Shelly 52). As Illustrated, Frankenstein is still haunted by his mothers death as an

adult and wishes to fulfil the sexual desires he has towards her. Thus, the creations very

existence scares Frankenstein because it causes him to realize that he has not conquered his

oedipal complex.

Frankensteins fear of the monster also stems from the creatures abject nature. Abjection

is another concept of the Psychoanalytic theory. The abject refers to to elements that were once a

part of ourselves, such as our own bodily fluids or dead bodies. According to Psychoanalyst Julia

Kristeva, the Abject ignites fear in us because they remind us of our own mortality as she writes

in Powers of Horror,It is thus not lack of cleanliness or health that causes abjection but what

disturbs identity, system, order (Kristeva 1). In other words, we are disturbed when our bodily

systems are out of order. Since we are afraid of our own bodies limitations, we also are innately

afraid of death. In like manner, Dr. Frankenstein has such an immense fear of death in the novel

that he chooses to create a human life form out of dead human and animal bodies. Nevertheless,

once his creature gains momentum he becomes a living manifestation of his own mortality.

Therefore, through his fear and disgust of his creation Frankenstein unconsciously separates

himself from his perverse nature of his Oedipus Complex, proving that Frankenstein isnt afraid

of the creature, but of death. Dr. Frankenstein's fear worsens after his nephew is murdered by the
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creature. He is now faced with the possibility that someone else in his family could die.

Ultimately, Frankenstein ends up losing all his loved ones, He loses friend, brother, and wife.

He loses all contact and sympathy with the human community (Griffith). Because the creature

also contributes to the murder of Frankenstein's loved ones it adds to his fear of death. Rather,

than compromising with the creation, Frankenstein is too occupied with his own personal fear of

mortality. The monster typifies the scope to which humans view death.

Some argue that Frankensteins fear of his creation is simply due to the creatures

unattractive physical appearance and not because it reminds Frankenstein of the darkness that

lies within himself. 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 he

encounters in the story It is true that Frankenstein ignites fear in other characters in the novel,

such as the villagers who cast him off from society. It is also true that the monster's physical

appearance does play a role in his horror. Be as it may, the Psychoanalytic concepts extend to all

humans, not only Dr. Frankenstein. Therefore, the other characters are scared of the creature's

physical appearance because he is made of the abject. All humans are afraid of creatures who are

abject because it reminds them of their own mortality. On the other hand, Frankenstein's fear is

rooted in much more than his fear of the abject because he is the creator of the creature. Since

Frankenstein created the creature out of his own libidinal desires, the creature is an extension of

his own Psyche. In that case, it would make sense that the creature ignites a deeper sense of

horror from for Victor.

In brief, through examining the novel Frankenstein through a Psychoanalytic lens we

are able to uncover the true reasons for Dr. Frankensteins fear of his own creation. Through
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evoking the madness of his id, oedipal complex, and abjection, the creature unveils the

imbalance that occurs within Frankenstein's unconscious mind. It is important to note that the

concepts of the psychoanalytic theory applies to 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. Correspondingly, we

should view fears as a helpful sources to reexamine the turmoil that exists inside of us.
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Works Cited

Kristeva, Julia, and Leon S. Roudiez. Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. New York:

Columbia University Press, 1982. Print.

Brizee, Allen, Case Tompkins, Libby Chernouski, and Elizabeth Boyle. "Welcome to the Purdue

OWL." Purdue OWL: Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism. Purdue University, 17

Aug. 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 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.,

uble Nature of Victor in