Poppi’s Monster

Title: Poppi’s Monster

Author: Lisa Morton

Date of First Publication: 1994

Place of Publication: The Mammoth Book of Frankenstein

Type: Short Story

Characters: No Character

Critical Summary: “Poppi’s Monster” follows the story of a ten-year-old girl named Stacey and her abusive father. Stacey attempts to deal with her father sexually, emotionally, and physically abusing her. Through the narrative, we see Stacey begin to have dreams of the Frankenstein movie and how she resonates with the little girl which the Monster throws in the river, as she believes the girl gave the Monster a flower in return for the Monster ending her life by throwing her in the river, and Stacey feels comfort in knowing she is not the only one who wishes for death. We later learn that Stacey’s mother had passed away and had been very nurturing to Stacey, while Stacey’s father lives in regret, resenting the fact he was unable to save his wife who died of cancer. Despite this, in some sick twisted manner, Stacey’s father seems to cope with this loss through the abuse he heaps on Stacey, and through his alcoholism. At several times in the story, Stacey comes close to being able to escape the abusive grasp of her father, almost being able to spill her experience of abuse, but it never truly comes to fruition. Finally, at the end of the story, the dreams Stacey has of the Monster being created by her dad seems to come to a close as the Monster is born and Stacey hopes the monster will throw her in the river in exchange for a few flowers. Her delirium overtakes her, and Stacey flees her home into her neighbor’s pool, the water almost inviting her in.

In “Poppi’s Monster” we see a theme revolving around women writing monsters. Here we see a man who, when unable to control mortality, rather than create a monster, becomes a monster. Stacey’s father devolves into an abusive creature birthed from resent towards himself and using alcoholism to escape reality. This escapism is also seen in Stacey, as she clings to this hope that she will one day be taken away from the abuse. In this way, Lisa Morton creates a commentary on how it is that women deal with trauma through escapism and the dangers of being unable to confront your monster because of the social position a woman is in. Stacey being a little girl in this case works to truly illustrate how women may feel in a situation where they must confront their own monsters.

Administrative Notes: Ivan Garcia, CSUF; Dr. David Sandner, CSUF (editing)