Title: Piss Eyes
Author: Rick Hautala
Date of First Publication: 1993
Place of Publication: Frankenstein: The Monster Wakes
Type: Short story
Characters: The Creature
Themes: ANDROID; BYRONIC HERO; POSTHUMAN
Critical Summary: “Piss Eyes” unfolds the story using two types of narration, the journal entry of Rev. Robert Crocker and the transcript of his conversation with Ajut, a member of the Inuit tribe. The year is 1964, and Rev. Robert Crocker is traveling with the Inuit tribe on a mission to teach them about Christianity. Along the way, Ajut tells him of the myths and beliefs of their tribe and the story of his father’s brother encounter with the evil spirit inua angkuni, or “Piss Eyes,” many years before. It is said that the encounter with the spirit causes either death or insanity. As evidence to this story, Ajut takes the reverend to the old sailing ship where the spirit was seen. Exploring inside the burnt-down ship the reverend finds human bones along with a piece of paper written in French, while outside Ajut spots “Piss Eyes”. The translated paper reveals the story of the creature’s wanderings in the northern ices and his attempts and failures to kill himself. Later that night “Piss Eyes” attacks their igloo to claim the paper, and though they make it out alive, Ajut is injured. Ajut dies soon afterward, and after long and complicated contemplation Rev. Crocker makes up his mind to search for and find the Creature.
As readers, we know from the description of the Creature’s appearance and from the contents of his journal paper that he is Frankenstein’s monster. However, the characters in this story do not know this and see the creature as an evil spirit from the Inuit legends—the inua angkuni. It is interesting connecting this completely new perspective to the idea that the creature did not actually perish at the end of Frankenstein. In this context, the creature can be connected to the themes of android and posthuman in that he was created as a new kind of human, and after being abandoned and killing his creator, still exists as both the first and the last one of his kind. His journal also reveals his endless struggles regarding what he is and the matter of life and death; swinging between the desire to die and the instinct to sustain life. He finally decides that he must stay alive, and the agony from it is his punishment. Also, Rev. Crocker can be seen as changing into a kind of Byronic hero because even though he fears the creature and feels responsible for Ajut’s death, he digs deeper and deeper into the nature of the creature and finally decides to look for it himself.
Administrative Notes: Min Chae Kim, CSUF; Jonathan Donabo (editing)