TBTL sTens Book Club discussion

What did you all think about Frankenstein? Love it, hate it? Would you recommend it to others?

Why did Frankenstein not give the monster a partner and how would things have changed if he did give him one? Does current society still place too much emphasis on looks?

You all have anything else to discuss?

I loved the book and found myself highlighting and taking notes endlessly. It wasn't a hard read but I found it a book I really needed to pay attention to, loud noises and movements were too distracting for me with this book. I needed a quiet place to read. That being said, I loved it very much and want to have kids and become Atticus and read this to them from a young age. I feel like I could write an entire dissertation on this book, but I'll try to keep it a little shorter...

Notice how happy and excited Frankenstein was when he was creating the monster, he even called it beautiful, and the minute it came to life Frankenstein's reality hit? He was a modern Prometheus and had created a being stronger than any human, and uglier. Frankenstein had such compassion and love for Elizabeth and his family and friends yet was so unwilling to see it in the monster. All the monster wanted was love, compassion, respect, and to be part of society. We all have the power in our lives to help someone less fortunate and sometimes by choosing not to help them we end-up hurting ourselves.

Of course society still puts too much emphasis on one's looks. And yet, we're also seeing more and more body-positivity and norms for models. Not to mention the curvier standard of beauty. However, anyone that is different or weird is still looked down upon and studies show that less attractive/shorter/chubbier people make less. But does a person with scars, or even an 8 foot monster, not deserve happiness? If everyone had health and happiness what would the world look like? What a coincidence that while Frankenstein was hell-bend on denying happiness to the monster he was therefore guaranteeing that he himself would be denied happiness. And the same is true for the monster.

Is the monster really the monster or is Frankenstein actually the monster in this novel? The monster is called so many names and even relates himself to satin but is he not acting out like any child would, only wanting attention and love in the world? But just because he is not given what he wants, does that give him permission to kill other innocent people?

One other thing I wanted to point out, Frankenstein early on says that, "no human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself." Reading that made me so happy and also sad. How many people now a days would say they had a "happy" childhood? I'd reckon none (yeah, y'all, I just said reckon). And yet Frankenstein had a happy childhood growing-up in the 1700's.