Blog Assignment 4- The transformation of the monster to Frankenstein

I feel like the transformation of Frankenstein’s monster within visual media says a lot about the film adaptation of novels. Often times in adapting stories for the screen, the adapter opts for the visual appeal or aesthetic over everything else—that’s the medium. In the case of the 1931 film of Frankenstein, I think it was adapted to fit into the genre of “monster films” rather than doing an actually faithful representation of the themes of the book. While the book obviously is about monsters, the genre of “monster films” generally focuses on the monster as the main “event” of the film, and the appearance of the monster is essential to the success of the film. The appearance of the monster would often appear on promotional art as well, and creating an iconic appearance is exactly what the 1931 film did. The monster has changed significantly from the novel—the main difference is that the monster in the novel is extremely articulate and educated, an entire section of the book is dedicated to him detailing his experiences within the world thus far. The monster in the novel serves as a mouthpiece for the way that the Other is coded in society. This context is removed from the film adaptation for a new figure of the monster who is simply there to frighten or to visually excite the viewer. Gone is the cultural subtext, which is replaced for a cheap thrill instead. The name change from nameless to “Frankenstein” also reflects this change. Essentially, the monster as a character between the novel and the film adaptation is a shift between the monster previously being a reflection of larger society to a singular character that is devoid of the previous meanings. Giving him a name makes him a mere individual rather than the mosaic of things that he represents. This is why I think the name of “Frankenstein” to refer to the monster has remained so pervasive—it’s easier to think of the monster as an individual character, but it’s harder for people to grasp the concept that the monster is representative of multiple experiences.