When viewed through a Marxist lens, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein displayed how the oppressed lower class will come together to overpower the repressive higher class. Victor Frankenstein symbolized the bourgeoisie. Frankenstein created the monster by assembling different body parts together. The monster represented the factors of production, and Frankenstein represented the bourgeoisie who controlled the factors of production. Furthermore, The creation of the monster symbolized the Marxist philosophy of how the bourgeoisie created the proletariat. Frankenstein’s family was very distinguished in the republic of Geneva, meaning that they were in the upper class and very privileged. Similarly, Mary Shelley’s husband, Percy, who left Shelley after the birth of their child, was also privileged.
The presence of privilege among both Percy and Frankenstein demonstrated how privilege ingrained lack of commitment. Before Frankenstein brought the monster to life, he judged the appearance of it. WHAT DID HE CALL HIM? He thought he was superior to the monster which caused him to not care about the monster’s needs. Frankenstein’s attitude represented how the bourgeoisie did not care for the proletariat, and allowed them to fend for themselves. The monster created by Victor Frankenstein represented the proletariat.
Frankenstein assembled him by combining different body parts. The body parts symbolized how the proletariat composed of many different components of the population. Putting together the body parts foreshadowed how the proletariat will come together to rise above the upper class. Once the monster entered a village, the villagers threw rocks and sticks at him. According to the Marxist theory, the bourgeoisie created society after their own image. Due to the constant rejection of monster because of his appearance, it emphasized the class division between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The monster lived in a hovel that was too small for him.
He had to live in poor living conditions because he could not find any better. His struggle reflected the poor working conditions the proletriats had to work in because not working at all where they labor in poor working conditions because it was better than nothing. Shelley demonstrated how the oppressed will overthrow the repressed. When the monster met with Frankenstein, he called himself Frankenstein’s master. He recognized he was in control now. The monster’s self-recognition symbolized the realization of power the proletariat had, when they unified.
After the conversation the monster, Frankenstein was frightened, and called himself the monster’s slave. His declare of defeat symbolized the upper class’s loss of power, and inferiority to the lower class. Also, it reflects how the proletariat would revolt against the bourgeoisie. Before the monster had the conversation with Frankenstein, he killed Frankenstein’s little brother. The monster wanted Frankenstein to the experience the misery he went through. He tried to break down Frankenstein’s established security, which was similar to the proletariats breaking down the bourgeoisie’s established society
