Introduction
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and H.G. Wells’s War of the Worlds each present distinctive settings, with Frankenstein taking place in the late 1700s and War of the Worlds unfolding in the late 1800s. Both novels portray peril embodied by an ‘adversary,’ even though the initial introduction of these creatures lacks background information and appears harmless, readers can anticipate how the narrator’s limited understanding of these entities could transform them into a menace.
Thematic Analysis
Adversary
In Frankenstein, the creature is artificially created, but due to the narrator’s fear of his creation, he flees, leaving the Monster to wreak havoc on society. In War of the Worlds, the entities, later recognized as alien invaders, did not originate from the narrator; instead, they descended from the sky inside massive cylinders onto the English countryside.
In contrast, in Frankenstein, the narrator displays irresponsibility by creating his being without a valid motive, merely because he possessed the scientific knowledge to generate life, and then subsequently abandons his creation. The narrator’s “monster” is, in truth, misunderstood and lonely, and the series of distressing experiences he undergoes push him towards malevolence.
Meanwhile, the creatures in War of the Worlds are inherently vicious, as demonstrated when the townspeople of Woking attempted to signal their peaceful intentions with a white flag but were met with an attack from a heat ray:
In the closing years of the nineteenth century, it would have been inconceivable that our world was under vigilant scrutiny by intellects superior to humans yet as susceptible to mortality. As people immersed themselves in their diverse affairs, they were observed and analyzed, perhaps with a precision akin to a man scrutinizing the fleeting organisms teeming and multiplying in a droplet of water (Dhaenens and Pitta 13).
This means that in the late 19th century, people were unaware that they might be under observation by beings or entities more intelligent than them, and these observers were analyzing human activities with a level of detail akin to a scientific examination of microorganisms. Additional beings descended and commenced the destruction of structures while unleashing toxic black smoke to exterminate individuals, using their blood for sustenance.
In War of the Worlds, the ‘adversary’ possesses inherent malevolence. In contrast, in Frankenstein, the ‘adversary’ was not inherently evil but, due to a series of events, sought revenge against its creator. For instance, the creature initially exhibited benevolence by attempting to rescue a drowning girl, only to be shot and later aiding peasants in wood chopping.
Fight with Human-Created Adversary
In “Frankenstein,” the central character is Victor, the primary narrator throughout most of the narrative. He brings into being a knowledgeable yet repulsive being but then recoils in terror and disgust from his creation, overcome by guilt and shame. The antagonist in the story is Victor Frankenstein’s Monster, an 8-foot tall, grotesque creature with intelligence and sensitivity harboring a deep desire to belong in human society (Quick and Fryer). Feeling abandoned and misunderstood, the Monster seeks revenge against his creator, expressing his anguish with the words, “Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live?” (Shelley 16). The primary conflict confronting the protagonist is the consequence of his thoughtless actions, as his creation embarks on a quest for vengeance by targeting those closest to him, starting with the murder of his young brother, William.
Following this, the creature frames Justine, a servant within Frankenstein’s Geneva household, leading to her unjust condemnation to death. Subsequently, the Monster confronts his creator with a pair of alternatives: one that could bring an end to the creature’s reign of terror. The creature insists that Victor Frankenstein construct another being to serve as his companion, alleviating his loneliness, or else the animal threatens to continue his murderous spree should Frankenstein refuse.
Although Frankenstein initially consents, he ultimately reneges on his promise, destroying the creature’s incomplete body parts. In retaliation, the Monster strangles Henry Clerval, Frankenstein’s lifelong friend, which results in Frankenstein being falsely accused of murder. Shortly after that, Frankenstein weds his lifelong love, Elizabeth Lavenza, who is also his cousin, only for Frankenstein’s creation to murder her on their wedding night.
Upon Frankenstein’s realization of how his creation not only wrecked his own life but also inflicted havoc upon his loved ones, he dedicates the remainder of his existence to pursuing his creature to end its existence. However, before he can fulfill this purpose, Frankenstein succumbs to death, and his creation, in a desperate act, leaps overboard into the icy waters, leading to the demise of both.
As expressed in the words of the novel, “But soon, I shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning miseries will be extinct” (Shelley 24). The overarching conflict in this narrative revolves around the interplay of Love and Revenge. The Monster’s fundamental desire is to experience love and acceptance, but the abandonment by his creator drives him to seek revenge to alleviate his anguish.
The resolution of the conflict is only achieved with the demise of both Frankenstein and his creation. Human nature, as depicted in Frankenstein, exhibits a profound inclination to make judgments based on outward appearance. Frankenstein’s creature is immediately branded as a monster due to his external appearance and deformities. This unfortunate being had no one to shield him from the harsh world, as even his creator abandoned him solely because of his grotesque looks. The text states, “I beheld the wretch” (Shelley 57). He grinned while opening his mouth and making incomprehensible noises.
Confrontation with External Adversary
In War of the Worlds, the conflict between humanity and the Martians is depicted as a survival-of-the-fittest scenario. Nevertheless, it is essential to note that the Martians’ invasion of Earth was driven by the depletion of resources on their home planet, Mars. “Yet over the chasm of space, minds that are to our brains as ours are to those of the creatures that perish, and unsympathetic, observed this world with jealous eyes and slowly but surely devised their plans against us” (Wells 4). Throughout the novel, the narrator draws parallels between Martians and humans, highlighting the shared tendencies of both species to kill others, including people and animals, pillage resources, and consume them, albeit in the case of Martians, it’s limited to animals.
The narrator underscores the need for self-reflection, emphasizing that before passing judgment on the Martians, it is crucial to remember the ruthless and comprehensive destruction that humanity has wrought not only upon animals, such as the extinct bison and the dodo, but also upon its marginalized populations. Despite their human-like appearance, European settlers eradicated the Tasmanians in a relentless campaign of extermination within fifty years.
Should we, as advocates of compassion, express discontent if the Martians waged a similar war? As the text states, “Are we such apostles of mercy as to complain if the Martians warred in the same spirit?” (Wells 5). It is noteworthy that, although their external appearances differ significantly, the Martians’ oily brown skin and slow, deliberate movements have a certain repulsive quality.
As the story nears its conclusion and the demise of the Martians unfolds, they emit mournful cries, a sound that profoundly affects the narrator and strikes him as profoundly human. “It was as if that vast expanse of urban buildings had found a voice to convey its fear and isolation” (Wells 6). The conflict resolution occurs when all the Martians succumb to bacteria or microorganisms, as they are unaccustomed to the specific microbes in Earth’s atmosphere. Yet, the narrator grapples with conflicting emotions, as he desires to confront the Martians directly while also striving to ensure the safety of his wife during the Martian attacks. He characterizes these two emotional states as a battlefield.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both of these novels feature adversaries that possess human qualities. In “War of the Worlds,” the narrator draws parallels between the Martians and humans, illustrating how both engage in acts of violence, revealing commonalities in their destructive behaviors. In “Frankenstein,” the ‘enemy’ is crafted from human remains and demonstrates the capacity to communicate with humans, aspiring to be treated as a fellow human but ultimately facing rejection. In “War of the Worlds,” the narrator’s curiosity is piqued by the enigmatic creatures that wreak havoc, cautiously observing them through a hole in a building as they operate their machinery.
Within “Frankenstein,” the narrator and the creature function as doppelgängers, sharing parallel motivations throughout the narrative. Both are on a quest for identity, with the narrator seeking fame while the creature yearns for a place in society. Frustrated by repeated rejections, the creature seeks vengeance against the person he deems responsible for denying him the desired identity.
Although the narrators perceive these creatures as ‘enemies’ in both novels, they exhibit distinctly human attributes. The Monster in “Frankenstein” turns malevolent only after enduring multiple societal rejections, including rejection by his creator. In “War of the Worlds,” the Martians resort to violence to achieve their objectives, mirroring the tendencies of humans to do the same in pursuit of their desires.
Works Cited
Dhaenens, Laurens, and Fernanda Pitta. “No One Would Have Believed: A Warning.” (2021): 13-21.
Quick, Jonathan D., and Bronwyn Fryer. The end of epidemics: the looming threat to humanity and how to stop it. St. Martin’s Press, 2018.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: the 1818 text. Penguin, 2018.
Wells, Herbert George. The war of the worlds. Broadview Press, 2003.