Monsters can be an ornate argument to a culture, as seen in the battle between Polyphemus and Odysseus<\/a>. The typical protagonist that Homer crafts tends to be, summarily, a man at war with the hostile world. In the Odyssey, Odysseus begins as a roaming pirate king; by the end, he is an impossible force of nature to overcome. But before that can happen, Odysseus must meet the cyclops Polyphemus. When Odysseus encounters the Cyclops in his time of need, the Cyclops grabs one of Odysseus\u2019s men, bashes his body against the stone ground, and eats him. Upon seeing this, Odysseus and his remaining men cry out in terror. The contemporary reader may not flinch, as this behavior of Polyphemus is expected; however, it bears more importance to the ancient Greeks. One of the most significant virtues held by the Greeks is Xenia<\/em>, which can be translated as \u201chospitality.\u201d In ancient Greek culture, hospitality is a vital element of religious practice, and to refuse hospitality to another is to incur Zeus\u2019s wrath. Cyclopes are the children of Poseidon and are referenced as cultivators with more awareness than regular beasts. Greek listeners would be mortified by Polyphemus\u2019s violation of Xenia<\/em>. Homer effectively uses his monster to showcase the perversion of Greek virtue. Odysseus can become an impossible force by facing nightmares throughout his journey. Odysseus then needs to become more powerful to subvert the perversion of hospitality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When utilizing this approach, a writer may deconstruct a value of society, analyze its blind spots (the excluded, hypocrisy, or similar elements), and pair their monster with the value of society in a way that perverts the understanding of the value. The monster will be seen as a horrific antithesis to that value that a protagonist must overcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Freudian examination of monsters within literature lets us connect the paradoxical complexity of human living and conflict through surrealist aestheticism. Humanity has always feared monsters, for monsters manifest themselves in different ways. Sigmund Freud\u2019s psychoanalytic theory is an excellent tool for deciphering the darkness is found in gothic literature. For example, one need only look at Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein, The Modern Prometheus<\/a><\/em>. Mary Shelley tells the narrative through the young Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who, in his fervent study of forbidden magic arts and sciences, becomes nearly mad in his pursuit to defy science and craft a man. Readers are privileged to know his inner thoughts due to the first-person narrative structure that Shelley employs. Victor is successful but is terrified by his creation, which he deems an abomination. The abandoned Creature is left to his own devices in a most cruel manner. Shelley explores a series of parallels made possible through Victor Frankenstein\u2019s dialogues with The Creature. The parallels rest upon relationship: Frankenstein and God, Frankenstein to The Creature. Many arguments are introduced throughout this extraordinary novel. However, my focus resides on the inextricable relationship between \u201cthe creator\u201d and \u201cthe created.\u201d Shelley asks, \u201cWhat does the creator owe the created?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One cannot separate Christianity from this novel, for it is woven throughout. We have a character, Victor Frankenstein, who feels that the punishment of death delivered by God is too great a burden to bear and seeks to unshackle humanity from it. In the pursuit of power over death, Frankenstein births the Creature. Frankenstein abandons the infantile Creature, mortified by its external appearance, condemns it to a cruel life of rejection and solitude. The Creature becomes enraged, deciding to take vengeance on Frankenstein, bringing more death into the world\u2014upending the goals of Frankenstein. What does Frankenstein owe the Creature? Ought Frankenstein to feel a paternal instinct as The Creature suggests? Is there a kindred spirit that ought to be shared between these two created beings? The story is ironic yet communicates inner truths contained in the consciences of Frankenstein and The Monster. A Freudian understanding of the text permits the reader to examine the near-perfect reflection between Frankenstein and the Creature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this technique, a writer must examine the societal structures superimposed upon the individual. For example, there are recurring themes of Christianity throughout the novel utilized between Victor Frankenstein and the Monster. Additionally, the Monster is said to have read Paradise Lost<\/em>, which is his superimposed structure within his mind (even admitting that he does not know if he is Adam or Satan in the story). In this type of story, your protagonist is pitted against a monster of his own making. The two ought to be of a similar nature, interlocking in an arduous and volatile fight that will seek to determine what it truly means to be human. The answer does not come quickly, nor is it altogether clear, for humanity has been trying to answer that question for quite some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGothic Literature: Using Monsters as an Obscure Reflection of the Self<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Contemporary Literature: A Monster of the Contemporary Mind<\/h3>\n\n\n
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