Title: Frankenstein’s Monster
Author: Susan Heyboer O’Keefe
Date of First Publication: 2010
Place of Publication: Broadway Books
Type: Novel
Characters: The Creature; Victor Frankenstein; Robert Walton
Themes: SYMPATHETIC MONSTER; BYRONIC HERO
Critical Summary: Frankenstein’s Monster by Susan Heyboer O’Keefe is a modern-day sequel to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Frankenstein’s Monster starts right where Frankenstein finishes, in the arctic waters on Walton’s boat. After the Creature tried to take leave of Frankenstein and Walton, Walton attacks the creature but is defeated easily. Walton then goes on to swear revenge against the Creature for killing his friend Frankenstein. Once again, the Creature is on the run, hiding all over Europe. He settles in Italy for a while where he meets a woman he falls in love with but the small amount of peace he finds is taken by Walton. Walton destroys his little world by killing the woman he had fallen for and exposing him to the world. The Creature finds a letter from Walton’s sister and decides he will do what he did to his father to Walton: the Creature would go to England and destroy everything that Walton held dear. Once he reaches England, he is disappointed to find that Walton only has three relatives that the Creature can kill. Walton’s niece, Lily Winterbourne, sees him and accepts him as does the rest of the family as they recognize him from Walton’s letters. And though the Creature starts to carve out a new life with the Winterbournes, Walton comes and ruins everything once more. The Creature and Lily run away believing that Walton has killed Lily’s parents. The novel goes on to chronicle their travels fleeing from Walton.
O’Keefe continues Shelley’s work and creation by making the Creature as sympathetic as possible. In this novel he is much more accepted than in the original Frankenstein. It also falls back on the trope of the blind man accepting a monster early on in the novel. The Creature begins as a Byronic Hero as he goes to England to kill the Winterbourne family but once the Winterbournes accept him, he becomes gentler and strays from that identity. He becomes a protector as he flees with Lily, the Creature goes on to guard her from her crazed uncle and provides for her. He continues to be very sympathetic like in the original Frankenstein novel as Walton keeps destroying his attempts at a peaceful life. This is O’Keefe’s first adult book as she has written only children’s books before. O’Keefe is very idealistic in her interpretation of the Creature and the people around him. The Creature seems to find a sympathy very easily compared to the original novel were he was shunned repeatedly.
Administrative Notes: Neftaly Ceballos, CSUF; Dr. David Sandner, CSUF (editing)