Frankenstein II

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was one of the most popular novels of her generation. However, it also secured her a place within the hearts of future generations. The story of the scary creature brought to life by a genius scientist has become a Halloween fixture and a popular culture phenomena. Like many past stories, Frankenstein has been altered slightly from the original with each new version. In the original text, Dr. Frankenstein is not an evil scientist with a hidden agenda, as most films today depict him, but rather an intelligent college student with a noble goal of curing disease. Also in the text, Frankenstein receives no help with his creation, in fact he tells no one about it. In many other tales, the "mad" doctor receives help from a creepy assistant. Another major difference between Shelley's version and folklore is the physical appearance of the creature. Shelley describes him with "yellow skin [that] scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath" (pg 35). While the giant muscles sound familiar  most modern depictions of the creature portray him with green skin, probably to increase fear in audiences. While Shelley's story continues to spread in the modern world, society has left an influence on the old tale.