Title: Skin Memory
Author: Tracy A. Knight
Date of First Publication: 1993
Place of Publication: Frankenstein: The Monster Wakes
Type: Short Story
Characters: The Creature
Themes: MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; ANDROID; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER; BYRONIC HERO; WOMEN WRITING MONSTERS
Critical Summary: Tracy A. Knight’s short story, “Skin Memory,” is a modern rendition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, in which a therapist inadvertently transforms a human into a monstrous creature through his signature hypnotherapy method. Presumably set in the late 20th century, the story focuses on a famous, overweight therapist named Dr. Errol Tompkin and his technique for therapy: the Tompkin Technique. This technique is unusual in that it causes the patient to manifest emotional pain on a physical level in an attempt to help them ease their pain. The nature of the physical manifestations is painless and usually consists of a few lacerations that bleed for a short amount of time. The story begins with a demonstration. In front of hundreds of colleagues, Dr. Tompkin successfully performs the Tompkin Technique on a female patient. When he finishes the demonstration, the crowd is clearly impressed and he begins to take questions. After a few questions about his development of the technique and its results, a wild young man named Fred runs onstage, right up to Dr. Tompkin but is quickly subdued by security. Dr. Tompkin allows him to speak and he reveals that he is upset because another therapist had caused his sister, Anita, to suffer much emotional pain. Dr. Tompkin then offers to treat his sister with the Tompkin technique free of charge, promising better results. Fred accepts and they set out immediately from the auditorium to see Anita. Dr. Tompkin performs his hypnotherapy on her and she mentions how she feels like the monster in Frankenstein while a small cut appears on her forehead. It quickly heals and Anita remarks that she feels strange but possibly better. Dr. Tompkin then leaves and provides Fred with his number should they need anything.
Later on, Dr. Tompkin recieves a frantic phone call from Fred stating that something is happening to Anita. Twenty minutes later, Dr. Tompkin arrives at Anita’s house to help. He finds Fred unconscious on the floor, bleeding from an ear. Hearing cries from Anita’s room, he goes to investigate but is shocked at what he finds. In Anita’s place is a large grotesque monster. The shock of the initial sight causes Dr. Tompkin to freeze in terror. The monster who was Anita pleads with him to help, but he is so repulsed that he immediately flees to his car. After driving for awhile, Dr. Tompkin returns to his home but once inside is soon confronted by Fred at the door. Fred attempts to enlist the his help but Anita soon arrives. Anita kills Fred by snapping his spine but spares the doctor’s life, thanking him for what he has done to her.
Anita withdraws, Dr. Tompkin packs up his belongings and attempts to escape his guilt by driving far away. At the very end, a highway patrol officer finds a burnt body in a car on the road which appears to be the doctor. The officer is dumbfounded because the cars interior is hardly burned while the body is burnt to crisp.
This story definitely has the Mad Scientist element. Though it is not purposeful, Dr. Tompkin creates a monster with his unconventional therapy methods. Like Victor, he is forced to deal with the repercussions and is ultimately destroyed by them. Anita is a sympathetic monster because she has no say in her transformation. Due to her tragic past she has an unexpected reaction to the therapy, and is turned into a hideous creature.
Administrative Notes: Trevor Chansler, CSUF; Dr. David Sandner (editing)