“When falsehood can look so like the truth, who can assure themselves of certain happiness?”

---Frankenstein, Chapter 9. Elizabeth to Victor.

“Frankenstein” was written by Mary Shelley and first published in 1818. The story was a combination of horror and science fiction. After the book was published, the story was reproduced in various formats such as movies and even cartoons. Perhaps the most famous adaptation was the Hollywood film “Frankenstein” released in 1931, with Boris Karloff as the monster. Although “Frankenstein” was actually the name of the monster’s creator, over the years the name “Frankenstein” got attached to the monster itself, and now we sometimes give the nickname “Frankenstein” to someone or something that looks hideous.

The story is about Victor Frankenstein, a gifted Swiss scientist, who one day found out that he could create life by assembling various pieces of corpses and transform the pieces into a living being. Victor Frankenstein was so happy and proud and thought that he succeeded in creating a new and noble race. However, after taking a second look at his creation, he found it so ugly and horrifying that he abandoned his creation and fled. The monster was not aware of its hideous appearance and tried to live a normal life. However, everyone was terrified of the monster. Lonely and miserable, the monster decided to seek revenge on its creator and killed everyone Victor loved. In the end Victor decided to completely destroy his creation, which was once his pride.

The above quote was spoken by Elizabeth, Victor’s fiancée, to Victor in the middle of a dialogue. Elizabeth was sweet and innocent, and had no idea the monster that had killed many of her loved ones was created by Victor. When Elizabeth said "when falsehood can look so much like the truth, who can assure themselves of certain happiness", she was disappointed and puzzled by the unjust happenings around her. Victor’s brother was accused of murder committed by the monster and was unjustly sentenced to death.

Since its publication, “Frankenstein” has become an icon in horror fiction. To name a character representing horror, “Frankenstein” may probably be the first one that comes to mind. However, Frankenstein is more than a horror fiction. It deals with the themes of life and death, nature and creation. It is also a sad story. In the beginning, the monster did not realize its hideous appearance was deviated from the norm and did not understand why everybody treated it with fear and disgust. It tried to be friendly to everyone and even saved a little girl from drowning. However, people judged it by its appearance instead of by its acts. Had the monster been judged differently, the ending would have been different. With “Frankenstein”, we are constantly reminded that we should treat everyone equal, regardless of race, appearance, or social status.