Questions Addressing Marxist Theory and Frankenstein
- How does the struggle between Frankenstein and the monster represent the classic struggle between the proletariat and bourgeoisie?
- How do the challenges the monster encounters depict the struggle and hardships of the labor class?
- How does the monster represent the concept of materiality to Victor’s point of view?
- What does the creature learn after reading Paradise Lost? How does it impact his character and feelings to humankind?
- How does the death of Victor and his family depict the demise of the bourgeoisie from the uprising of the working class?
- How does the monster’s rejection from society reveal the classic Marxist theme of alienation from society? How is he the “alienated laborer?”
- How does Victor symbolize the upper rich class of a Marxist society? What are his desires and aspirations, and how do they ultimately lead to his destruction?
- How is producing the monster more of an act of production, than an act of creation?
- How do the physical characteristics of the monster, such as its massive size and its bolts on its head, for example, help classify it more as a product made of heterogeneous parts, rather than a creature?
- Why is the monster better off unseen that seen? For example, when the De Lacey’s see the monster, they cast him off immediately. What does this show about the Marxist society the story is part of?