Assignment TI1.2

The Monster in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein bared an apparent physical stigma ever since his creator brought him to life. Even from the beginnings of his life, The Monster was excluded from society. His maker, Victor Frankenstein was horrified from his physical appearance when The Monster first awoke. Everywhere he went and interacted with people, he began to realize he had an overbearing stigma. In Goffman’s Stigma, he states, “Society established the means of categorizing persons and the complement of attribute felt to be ordinary and natural for members of each of these categories (2).” Due to the Monster’s ugly physical appearance, the people he came into contact with automatically categorized him as a violent and scary individual; a monster. Goffman goes on to write, “When a stranger comes into our presence, then, first appearances are likely to enable us to anticipate his category and attributes (2)” The Monster was not given a chance by society due to his frightening attributes. Goffman argues that first impressions are automatically made by someone’s outward appearance and since the Monster’s was unfavorable to the rest of society, people would not give him a chance and either run away in shock, or act violent towards him. These reactions by the populace towards The Monster’s looks made him realize that he was different from everyone else. His interactions with people indeed made The Monster realize his stigma.
Not only did The Monster learn from human interaction that he was different from everyone else, he also learned through readings of the human world. Since society would not give The Monster a chance due to his physical handicap, he was forced to learn about being human through novels. Through his readings and observations of the Delacey Family, The Monster was able to read, write, speak, and act just like a human. He began to feel that he was human, but his physical characteristics, his “stigma” held him back. Erving Goffman states, “The stigmatized individual tends to hold the same beliefs about identity that we do…his deepest feelings about what he is may be his sense of being a “normal person,” a human being like anyone else...(7).” Through these novels, The Monster learned what it is like to be “normal.” He realizes that “he does indeed fall short of what he really ought to be (7)…” and “his own attributes as being a defiling thing to possess, and one he can readily see himself as not possessing (7).” Interactions with society only made The Monster aware of his certain Stigma. He knew something was wrong with him but he was not exactly sure. Using technology such as readings and observing the Delacey Family, The Monster was able to pinpoint and realize why society ostracized and rejected him. These technologies made him know what it is like to be a normal human being, but on the other hand The Monster realized he could never feel like a typical person due to his physical stigma.
I think that movies and other readings such as magazines due indeed make people feel excluded. As an example, in fashion magazines the majority of the people featured in it are attractive and in shape. I believe this makes the reader feel that they must not be “skinny” or “attractive” enough. I think these types of media have caused many people in society to take extreme measures such as plastic surgery and excessive exercising. Recently, plastic surgery has been a booming industry and the majority of the demographic that go under the knife have gotten younger. MTV has even come out with a show titled, “I Want a Famous Face,” where young adults and even teenagers undergo surgery spending 1000’s of dollars to make themselves look more like their favorite celebrity. Movies and other forms of technology do indeed make people feel excluded. Many have taken extreme measures to remedy this problem of exclusion that is caused by what they see in different forms of media.
When reading the expert from Great Expectations, I discovered Pipp finds consciousness of himself as a “self,” when the escaped prisoner in by the grave where his mother and father lay confronts him. Before this incident, Pipp seemed very quite and reserved. I could see him keeping to himself as described in the first paragraph when he was sitting at his parent’s grave weeping alone. I believe this all changed when the escaped prisoner jumped out, grabbed him, and threatened to kill him unless he brought him a file and some food. Pipp stated, “My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things, seems to me to have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards evening (1).” Pipp acted out of his ordinary self and fulfilled the prisoner’s wishes even though he was scared and felt guilty for stealing food from his sister’s pantry. This memory in his life, I feel was almost like a right of passage for Pipp. I think he gained courage and confidence by helping out the escaped prisoner. He really broke out of his shell and changed his identity of being a reserved and quite person to a bolder and stronger individual.
I found that Pipp’s situation was the complete opposite of the Monster’s in the novel Frankenstein. It seemed the Monster was only happy when he was in solitude observing the Delacey family and reading books that he found. The monster found observing human life very intriguing. When he discovered who or what he really was and gained consciousness of himself, the Monster changed from a timid, observant creature, to something filled with hatred and anger. Although the monster was kind at heart, his discoveries lead him to the destruction of everyone around him. Pipp, on the other hand was sad and scared when he was alone. The encounter with the escaped man changed all of this and Pipp found that he was courageous and bold. He gained confidence through this experience of finding his real self.