Of the many mythic elements within Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, notions of creation, a lost Eden and the danger of acquired knowledge arise most prominently upon initial inspection, as the author herself directly references the classic myth of Prometheus and the Miltonian work, Paradise Lost. These references demonstrate within Shelley a unique ability to comprehend the complexities of the mythic element of life. From the psychological hypothesis of Dr. Carl Jung, that “myths do not derive from external factors…but are, in truth, the projections of innate, psychic phenomena,” it appears that Shelley’s mind is particularly in tune with her unconscious, the part of the psyche from which all mythic elements arise (Guerin 239). However, in following this philosophy, it is clear that she is not merely a messenger or interpreter of mythology, calling upon the legacies of these well-known myths, but a creator of myth as well, demonstrating the possession of (in Jung’s terminology) “primordial vision,” or the extraordinary access into the unconscious and the ability to portray it through art (Guerin 240). By observing several archetypes and mythic motifs that she creates and places into her novel, the audience is able to benefit from her talent and make out an image, although thinly veiled, of this ancient human psyche that has “been ingrained in [the mind of mankind] from earliest times, and, eternally living, outlasting all generations”—the psyche that connects all humanity, past and present (Guerin 239).
One of the most striking mythic elements of those not directly related to the classic and Miltonian references, is the archetype of Justine’s scape-goat, sacrificial death. While this moment in the novel could evoke impressions of the Christian crucifixion, it does not appear to be a direct reference to that specific event, as her death does not bring any valid atonement for the crime nor liberation for the guilty. Rather, the event depicts an underlying, mythic representation of mankind’s need for justice—the unconscious yearning of the human psyche for retribution. In this fictional world of Geneva, justice is met with Justine’s execution, thus satisfying the need in the minds of the Genevan officials and citizens. However, for the reader, the event of Justine’s death is, in itself, unjust, thus evoking emotions of the unmet psyche’s yearning. Elizabeth illuminates this emotion and mythic element, “Oh how I hate [the world’s] shews and mockeries!…the executioners, their hands yet reeking with the blood of innocence, believe that they have done a great deed. They call this retribution. Hateful name!” (Shelley 114). Rather than creating an ideal picture of justice in her novel, Shelley creates its void, enabling her readers to experience the fullness of their psyche’s emotional response, and awakening with vigorous passion an awareness of the human psyche’s desire for true justice.
Another mythic element, similar to that of justice, is the motif of childhood bliss, and the psyche’s positive emotion toward the representation of true innocence. Victor Frankenstein’s story opens with a description of a perfect, dream-like childhood, establishing a mythic understanding of a human longing not only for innocence, but for the peace, comfort, and fulfillment that come with its possession. The “domestic circle” of Frankenstein’s youth, “from which pain and care seemed forever banished,” is a blissful memory which carries and supports him through the end of his tragic story (Shelley 71). It is, by the end, his only beacon of hope, the source of his ability to live, which he accesses most effectively though dreams: “I was sustained and inspirited by the hope of the night: for in sleep I saw my friends, my wife…the benevolent countenance of my father” (Shelley 226). Here, Shelley establishes the mythic vitality of this youthful bliss and innocence by the depiction of Frankenstein’s constant desire to return to it. Jung theorized an “intimate relationship between dreams, myths, and art,” are access points into the unconscious psyche (Guerin 240). In highlighting Frankenstein’s dream-state as the access point to the desired subject of his dreams, Shelley again uncovers aspects of the human psyche for her audience to experience. The emphasis of “pleasure” that Frankenstein feels “in dwelling on the recollections of childhood before misfortune had tainted [his] mind” is an invitation for the reader to seek and experience the same by remembering a time of innocence and bliss; and thus, to glimpse more of the ancient human psyche within their own mind.
As peace, comfort, and bliss come to Frankenstein through the memory of his childhood, they also make an appearance at the sight of the beauty and grandeur of the natural world. Dr. Jung claimed that “all the mythologized processes of nature…are symbolic expressions of the inner, unconscious drama of the psyche,” which mankind projects onto nature as a method of accessing and understanding the unconscious (Guerin 240). Shelley demonstrates an intimate knowledge of this aspect of the human psyche by the scenes she creates in which Frankenstein finds relief through immersion into the natural world. She portrays “Mont Blanc, in awful majesty,” and Frankenstein, “gazing on this wonderful and stupendous scene” (Shelley 124). Shelley paints a syntactic picture of an awe-inspiring image in nature—a vast mountain range, the sea in the distance, river-like with ice, terrible and dangerous—all of the most powerful and least understood monuments of the natural world. In this surrounded place, Frankenstein expresses “My heart, which was before sorrowful, now swelled with something like joy,” indicating a higher element of fulfillment, different from that of justice or of a return to childhood bliss (Shelley 124). In his psychological theories, Jung relates the mountain archetype to the “goal of pilgrimage,” which he sees, on a psychological level, as self-recognition (Guerin 230). Thus Shelley conveys the most important state and greatest desire of the human psyche in this brief moment which, of course, Frankenstein is unable to fully attain, as the scene is immediately interrupted by the entrance of his monster—his shadow and his demise.
All of these mythological creations point toward aspects of Jungian psychological theories and reveal, through such theories, the presence of “primordial vision” in Shelley’s art. She demonstrates a remarkable understanding for expressing aspects, recently defined by Dr. Jung theories, of the unconscious human psyche. Her ability to present such ideas to the world not only enables readers to piece together a hidden image of Jung’s ideas of an ancient mind, but also to vicariously experience the effects and emotions of that mind, leading ultimately to a greater (by however small a measure) understanding of what it means to be human.
October 15, 2019
Works Cited:
Guerin, Wilfred E; Labor, Earle; Morgan, Lee; Reesman, Jeanne C; Willingham, John R. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. Oxford University Press, New York, 2011.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein; Or, the Modern Prometheus. Edited by D.L. MacDonald and Kathleen Scherf. Broadview Press Ldt., Ontario, 1999.