Title: Fallen Angel, Malignant Devil

Author: Billie Sue Mosiman

Date of First Publication: 1993

Place of Publication: Frankenstein, The Monster Wakes!

Type: Short story

Characters: The Creature

Themes: MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; RACE/POLITICS; QUEER FRANKENSTEIN; POSTHUMAN; BYRONIC HERO

Critical Summary: Twenty years have passed since Walton returned from his fateful trip into the North where he came face to face with Frankenstein’s monster. The memories of Victor’s final moments and the encounter with the Creature is etched into Walton’s heart but he fears that it may have never happened at all and he dreamt up the encounter. Resentful of his mutinous crew and with sickness returning to him, Walton becomes obsessed with the Creature. He writes to his sister of his wish to spend the last years of his life trying to return to the north in order to find the Creature, hoping that is still lives. On his journey, Walton encounters the captain of the ship who is curious about the rumors from Walton’s previous attempt to reach the north. Walton, fearing that his current crew will also mutiny and abandon him should they find out that he means to track down the Creature (and worse, take it back to civilization) lies to the captain about the events on the previous trip and tries to reassure the captain that there was no monster. After a harsh march through the tundra chasing any clues of the Creature’s whereabouts, Walton finds the cave where there is evidence of recent habitation by the Creature. As Walton hoped, the Creature did not kill itself and have been living there since the day of that encounter. As Walton await the return of the Creature, his men suddenly encounter the Creature and a fight breaks out. The Creature kills one man and before he could slay another, Walton threatens the Creature with a pistol in order to get it to release the other man. The Creature complies and the rest of Walton’s men mutiny and escape with all the supplies. Ecstatic to be back within the Creature’s presence, Walton praises the Creature and calls it a god, his god. Walton then convinces it to come back with him and on the journey back to civilization, Walton dreams of all the things he could show the Creature and how the world would be amazed to receive the Creature. Unfortunately, the first town that they reached upon their return has been warned of the Creature’s arrival by the mutineers and the townsfolk together swarmed the Creature and slay it.

Walton, who considers himself a scientist still, goes mad with an obsession for the Creature just like Victor Frankenstein. But where Victor considered the Creature the devil, Walton worship it like a god. In his obsession, Walton ignores the strong potential of humanity treating the Creature as a threat and instead is hard-set on taking the Creature back with him. With the townsfolk comes the theme of Race/Politics. The townsfolk do not understand the Creature other than what they were told by the mutineers, and the intimidating stature of the Creature only confirms their fears. With that, the townsfolk are willing to judge the Creature to be a threat and immediately leap upon it to butcher it piece by piece. There is a strong subtext of Queer Frankenstein as Walton treats the Creature very lovingly and as the Creature lays dying, Walton begs for it to not die for he has been longing for it for years.

Administrative Notes: Quang Trung (Ben) Le, CSUF; Kyle Kalmanson (editing)