Cyrano

Title: Cyrano

Author: Gary A. Braunbeck

Date of First Publication: 1993

Place of Publication: Frankenstein: The Monster Wakes

Type: Short Story

Themes: MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER; POSTHUMAN

Critical Summary: Braunbeck’s short story, “Cyran,” immediately beings with the narrative of the Creature after the conclusion of Frankenstein. The Creature, upon fleeing the company of Robert Walton, is paralyzed with a deep self-loathing and comes to the conclusion that he can be nothing more than a monster in the eyes of humanity. Overwhelmed by this depression, the Creature builds a pyre on the ice and immolates himself in the flames.

Later, the Creature wakes to find himself aboard a ship, bound for Italy, almost completely healed from his suicide attempt. The captain of the vessel explains to the disoriented Creature that his life had been saved by a Dr. Merrick, a good samaritan who had seen the Creature in the ruins of the pyre and had healed the Creature for months back to health before securing his passage on the ship. The Creature, puzzled by this act of kindness, also discovers a bundle of letters in his pocket, all address to him from an eager young lady admirer. The Creature is perplexed and made distraught by all this unconditional kindness and instead believes it all to be some cruel trick.

Upon meeting and speaking with the other passengers (all in one form or another linked to famous literary works) on the ship, some also monstrous in their own right, whether by demeanor or unfortunate deformity, the Creature finds a kind of kinship with the humans around him. One of the passengers gives him a letter from Dr. Merrick explaining the peculiarities of the situation. Merrick describes how when he first began tending to the Creature in his unconscious state, the ghost of Victor Frankenstein used the body of the Creature to communicate with him. Victor explained that he felt remorse for the way he had treated his creation and how he wished to set things right and give the Creature the companionship he had so wanted.

Merrick goes on to describe how he and Victor had joined forces to, through the pretense of being the Creature, set up a correspondence with one of Victor’s old friends. The friend in question is Beatrice Rappaccini from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” an individual who quickly empathizes with the Creature as she too suffers a monstrous existence brought on by her father through the means of misguided scientific experimentation. Beatrice is told the whole of the Creature’s story and instead of feeling that he is an abomination, as most of humanity has condemned him to be labeled, she falls deeply in love with him and bids him hurry to Italy to be with her. The Creature is heartened by this news and eager to make Beatrice’s acquaintance. The Creature decides to forgive Victor Frankenstein for the unkindness shown to him and moves forward into a life now more optimistic of the goodwill of humanity.

Braunbeck’s “Cyrano” connects to Frankenstein in that it is a direct continuation of events from the Creature’s perspective. The short story continues the theme of the sympathetic monster through the lens of the Creatures internal emotional turmoil. It is only upon encountering the unconditional caring of humanity and entreating with other sympathetic monstrous individuals that he is able to find hope for the future. The mad scientist/monster theme is present in the strained bond between Victor and the Creature. Dr. Rappaccini and his daughter, Beatrice, reinforce the tumultuous relationship that comes from this archetype where one individual disregards the humanity of another for the sake of gaining scientific prowess. This monstrous nature shared by Beatrice and the Creature serves to emphasize further elicit sympathy from the reader.

Administrative Notes: Lee Koehler, CSUF; Allison Archer (editing)