Blog Post #1 - Teaching the Monster Manners

"Teaching the Monster Manners" by Ashley Olafsson
CCS 202 Blog Post #1

Throughout the history of horror movies, the “monster” tends to be something or someone that ignites fear in us and makes our skin crawl. However, in the sequel to James Whale’s 1931 Frankenstein, the image of the monster changes and becomes something that the audience no longer fears. By analyzing the scene when the monster meets the blind man and he teaches the monster manners, we see a whole new side of the monster. This new side allows the audience to dive deep into thought about the way society is and portrays the monster in a new perspective. In James Whale’s 1935 Bride of Frankenstein, the monster is not portrayed as something the audience fears, but as someone the audience can sympathize with, and Whale shows this by using dialogue, performance, the environment, lighting, and sound.

In Robin Wood’s “The American Nightmare,” Wood discusses what society refers to as “the Other” and states that “otherness represents that which bourgeois ideology cannot recognize or accept but must deal with in one of two ways: either by rejecting and if possible annihilating it, or by rendering it safe and assimilating it” (Wood, 27). In Bride of Frankenstein, everyone in their society rejects the monster and attempts at annihilating him except the blind man. Society fears what is considered to be different or as Wood refers to as “the Other.” Discussing the monster, “he becomes more threatening, more estranged, since he fits nowhere within the natural order” (Conger and Welsch, 249).  Whale’s use of the blind man’s character and his specific performance in this scene is the main reason that the audience finds sympathy for the monster, despite him being “the Other.” We live in a very visual society and people are quick to judge those who do differ from the norm; if the blind man was deaf instead of being blind, he would not have accepted the monster. By being blind, he represents someone who instead of immediately reacting negatively, does not judge the monster by his appearance and allows the monster to enter his home and become his friend. The blind man’s dialogue also makes us sympathize with the monster as the monster is portrayed as being very childlike and innocent, having the blind man teach him simple words. The blind man says, “We are friends, you and I. Friends.” The monster responds, “Friends!” and they shake hands excitedly while the monster has a huge grin across his face. By using and teaching such simple words with the monster, we see the monster as a young child, eager to learn and just make that one friend.

Whale also uses the environment to show that the monster can be sympathized with instead of being rejected. The scene takes place in the blind man’s cottage. The blind man and his home are very inviting; there is a fire lit and a table with food and wine. This shows that instead of being fearful of the situation, the environment being cozy and welcoming allows us to show that in reality, there is not much to fear about the monster; he is not going to hurt the blind man. This goes into Whale’s use of lighting in the environment and its impact on how we interpret the scene; the lighting, instead of being dark and mysterious, is bright and clear. By having bright lighting, we see the monster not as some scary and vicious character.

The sound in the scene also plays a significant role. In addition to the environment and light, when the blind man teaches the monster manners is also joyful; as the blind man teaches the monster manners and tells him how to say certain words, the audience feels reward when the monster gets a word right. They want the monster to do well and appreciate him trying so hard. “Spoken with great effort by the awkward man-monster child, the words are at once funny and poignant,” (Conger and Welsch, 248). The audience also finds humor in the way the monster attempts as speaking. We again find sympathy for the monster as all he wants is to learn how to fit in and be normal, and have a friend.

By analyzing this particular scene, we see the monster as not something that we need to fear and annihilate, but someone we can sympathize with. A specific part in the scene when the monster thrusts the blind man's violin at him and says "Good!" and the blind man responds laughing and asks "Music?" and begins playing. "When he shits with the hermit to play violin, his huge frame drawfs over the stool" and "his arms move awkwardly in time to the music" (Conger and Welsch, 248). The monster's "childlike innocence" (Conger and Welsch, 248) as he is delighted by the music" (Conger and Welsch, 248) we see him as a harmless being. We lose sight of his being a monster and see him as someone who simply wants to fit into society, but because he is different, does not know how. These aspects of the scene that Whale uses allows the audience to not only sympathize with the monster, but think about our society: why are we so quick to judge those who are different and why do we assume that they should be feared?

Works Cited

Conger, Syndy M. and Janice R. Welsch. "The Comic and the Grotesque in James Whale's Frankenstein Films." (1984): 240-54. Print.

Wood, Robin. "The American Nightmare: Horror in the 70s." (1979): 25-32. Print.