Orientalism in Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Foreword:
Orientalism, as it exists in Frankenstein and as Edward Said’s original definition of the word, applied to primarily the Middle East. However, when we acknowledge that Orientalism grouped together not only the entirety of the Middle East but also the “Far East,” it is clear how the term is applicable to AAPI issues. In today’s media, we can still see the vestiges of an Orientalist mindset—it’s in so many portrayals of AAPI: fetishization, exoticization, feminization, and general othering.
A link to Orientalism, by Edward Said is posted on the Nonfic Resources section of our Book Lists tab. In the meantime, let’s try to understand Orientalism through a more well-known book: Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.
The Essay:
During the 1800s, the time period when Mary Shelley wrote her novel Frankenstein, the concept of Orientalism appeared in many works of art and writing. This concept, coined by Edward Said, describes the stereotyped western perception of Asia from a colonial perspective. In Said’s titular book Orientalism, he argues that “the Orient” was a “place of romance, exotic beings, haunting memories and landscapes, [and] remarkable experiences” (“Orientalism”) that in fact did not exist, rather, was a European invention. In the 19th century, Orientalism was used as a way for Europe, or the Occident, to define their own identity by setting themselves apart from Asia, especially the Middle East. Orientalism-driven pieces of art and writing depicted the East as “irrational, depraved (fallen), childlike, ‘different’; thus the European [was] rational, virtuous, mature, ‘normal’” (“Orientalism). In Frankenstein, Orientalism exists as a way to contrast barbarism and inferiority to a superior culture and society, drawing a clear line between those who are accepted and those who are considered “other.” This sets up European culture and society as the norm, to which people of other cultures must try to conform to. In Frankenstein, the creature is deemed monstrous and evil by society, despite his efforts to conform. The novel utilizes Orientalist tropes to define good versus evil by society’s perception, which in turn helps to define what makes the creature so monstrous. This is done mainly with Safie and Safie’s father’s characters. Although these characters contrast each other in terms of good (in the character of Safie) and evil (in the character of her father), these depictions of good and bad are not nearly nuanced enough. Instead, they depict the two sides of Orientalism. Shelley infantilizes Safie’s character, portraying her with childish simplicity, feminizing the East. This is contrasted by Safie’s father, who Shelly portrays as an irrational heathen who refuses to conform. Both of these still end up depicting people of the Middle East as lacking in comparison to European society. By acknowledging this, one is able to look more deeply at how the characterization of both Safie and her father compare to Frankenstein’s creature.
First, it should be noted that Shelley may play into Orientalist tropes due to the influence of Romanticism. The Romantic Era took place in the beginning of the 1800s, and rejected science and modernity in exchange for individualism and praise for the natural world. During the beginning of the 19th century, which was when Frankenstein was written, these two schools of thought—Orientalism and Romanticism—were often written in connection with one another. For example, the poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge describes a man who wakes from an opium-induced dream to find himself in a heavily idealized Asia (“Kubla”). The setting is in the natural world, exotic and sublime. The only other person the narrator sees is a beautiful woman, playing an instrument and singing. In depictions such as this one, Asia is praised for its “antiquity” and “simplicity” in comparison to Europe. Although these praises may seem positive, they still stem from problematic stereotypes that deem Asia as backwards and lesser than the “progressive” Europe. In Frankenstein, this can be seen after Dr. Frankenstein creates the monster and turns to Clerval’s studies of the humanities to distract himself. In reading “the works of the orientalists,” (44), Frankenstein finds himself greatly relieved. He states, “When you read their writings, life appears to consist in a warm sun and garden of roses, in the smiles and frowns of a fair enemy, and the fire that consumes your own heart. How different from the manly and heroical poetry of Greece and Rome” (44-45). Here, Frankenstein’s fascination with the romantic draws him towards Oriental stories and away from Greek and Roman classics. The first sentence implies that the lives depicted in Oriental stories are simpler than the “manly and heroical” Classics, while the second sentence suggests that the Orient is effeminate and unheroic in contrast. This is important because it shows that although praised, the Orient and those who live there are lacking compared to Europe’s societal norms, and sets up the need for those “foreigners” to conform.
In Frankenstein, two characters who try to conform to Europe’s standards are Safie and Frankenstein’s creature. When Safie is alone in Germany, she is described as “unacquainted with the language of the country, and utterly ignorant of the customs of the world” (88). In this phrasing, “the world” is taken to mean Europe specifically. Safie is not as ignorant and helpless as she is described to be, as although young, she is a woman of marriageable age. However, since the Turkish customs she had knowledge of did not align with those of Europe, this knowledge is overlooked. This wording also shows that the standard held for “the world” is to conform to European standards. Both Safie and the creature take on this task readily, learning much about their new surroundings from Felix. Through Felix’s teaching, the creature in particular not only learns his language, but also learns “the strange system of human society” (83). Because Safie and the creature are put in the same position of foreigners learning new customs, this implies that Safie, like the creature, knows little of human relations and status and has to learn these things from Felix, furthering her portrayal as innocent and ignorant of common customs.
However, although Safie is rewarded for her ability to conform, the creature is still perceived as “other.” By examining the portrayal of Safie’s father, one can determine why the creature’s monstrousness transcends his desire to conform. Safie’s father differs from the creature and Safie because he does not want to conform, and holds tightly onto the values of his culture. This commitment to his cultural heritage is used against him, and turned into motives for his becoming an antagonist. One example of this is Safie’s father’s aversion to “the idea that his daughter should be united to a Christian” (86), an idea that is deemed as irrational and harmful to Safie herself. But despite this, Safie’s father and the creature are still comparable. Their similarities can be seen in how they are treated after committing crimes. The creature’s crime is the murder of various people, and Safie’s father’s crime is never outright made clear. However, in both cases, they are punished not for the crime itself, but for outsiders’ perceptions. When people meet the creature, they immediately abhor him not necessarily for the murders he has committed, but for his visual appearance. Likewise, Safie’s father is not judged based on his crime. The creature explains, “It was judged that his religion and wealth, rather than the crime alleged against him, had been the cause of his condemnation” (85). This is significant because it shows the importance of outward appearances. The perception of society can condemn a person to the status of “other” regardless of whether or not that person wants to conform.
One might say that while writing Frankenstein, Shelley was unaware of these stereotypes, and was relying on faulty or incomplete information to tell her characters’ stories, and therefore the concept of Orientalism does not apply, as the work did not come from an imperialist mindset. Shelley’s lack of knowledge is made clear through her confusion of the terms “Arab” and “Turk,” which are used interchangeably throughout the novel. This mistake shows how these groups of people are distanced from the author and her main characters, proving that Shelley’s misrepresentation does not come from a place of malice, rather a place of ignorance and lack of information. However, regardless of Shelley’s intention, her depictions of characters from the Middle East is harmful as it perpetuates false stereotypes. These depictions create a clear victim—people from the Middle East—and a clear perpetrator—Mary Shelley. Although Shelley is not creating myths and falsehoods, she is still perpetuating them. Therefore, Frankenstein should still be subject to criticism regarding its Orientalistic portrayals.
Examining Frankenstein’s Orientalist themes gives a new perspective on the Romantic Era, and alludes to Europe’s cultural hegemony and imperialist agenda of the time. Because Frankenstein also utilizes Romanticism as a driving theme, the novel can also be used to explain how Orientalism was justified through a romantic lens. Safie’s childish innocence is praised through this lens, and similarly, Frankenstein is able to find appreciation for Oriental writers. However, many stereotypes used are very harmful—in particular, first, the assumption that Safie needed to be saved from the religion of her people, and second, the portrayal of Safie’s father as a tyrant who could not see reason. The racism and prejudice against people from the Middle East has continued into America in the 21st century. These stereotypes and depictions contribute to American animosity towards those in the Middle East. As Said states, “So far as the United States seems to be concerned, it is only a slight overstatement to say that Moslems and Arabs are essentially seen as either oil suppliers or potential terrorists.” The representations that readers consume have consequences in how real life people are perceived, and so it is all the more important for readers to be critical about the values and themes pushed by stories, including Frankenstein.
