Was I then a Monster?
"I am fearless and therefore powerful."
What a delicious line... Who wouldn't wish that they had written it? It's succinct, provocative, thoughtful, debatable, and so simple. To put it plainly, it's genius. Given that it comes from Mary Shelley's masterpiece, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, the genius makes perfect sense.
So, let's talk goth genius.
Who hasn't read Frankenstein? You, there in the back? Go read it! You won't regret it (maybe you will... To each their own and all).
Alright, now that we've all read this absolutely wild piece of literature, let's scream!
This book, this book, THIS BOOK! Is good, well written, and completely crazy! Super basic premise; a scientist (Frankenstein) decides to reanimate the dead and, oops, succeeds. Now, there is this new being (Frankenstein's monster) running about and Frankenstein, horrified by what he has made, nopes right out of there, abandoning his creature to the cruelties of a world with no place for such a thing as it.
What follows is not only a wild ride of destruction and devastation, but also a tale of tragedy and profound loneliness. While Frankenstein is held up as a Halloween classic, a cornerstone of gothic horror, and a founding document of the science fiction genre it is also a deeply philosophical novel asking the reader to explore within themselves the questions raised by Shelley. These questions (should nature be subverted, does one bare responsibility for one's creations, can one walk away from consequences?) apply not only to this novel but to human existence as a whole and this exploration of the universal is what makes Frankenstein a classic novel and not merely a work of genre fiction. What is even more remarkable is the fact that you can understand both Frankenstein and his creature - which gives the reader the incredible opportunity to examine him or herself through the lens of these characters.
So we'll leave you with Mary's own words:
"When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me.
Was I, then, a monster? "
Go for a re-read, take notes (mental or otherwise), and most importantly - think!