By Eliana Nunez
nunee42@mail.broward.edu
Monstrous, unearthly, inhumane: such are words that describe characters from classic horror literature. Most people see characters like Frankenstein and Dracula as Halloween icons whose only purpose is to frighten kids and be mascots of fear. They are considered villains and freaks of nature. However, these characters and others were not necessarily created to be scary stories; rather, they send a message about the darker sides of human nature.
Most classical horror figures are arguably the most human-like of all fictional characters. Their “monstrous” behaviors are reflections of the sins and imperfections of humanity. Despite these characters being constantly portrayed as supernatural villains, the point of these stories isn’t to dehumanize them but rather, to show that their monster-like attributes are human. This symbolism marks a warning to not overlook the fact that humans have a dark side: one that we frequently try to hide or reject, but one that we must recognize and understand.
A prime example of this is the story of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” a famous story in pop culture, which thoroughly expresses through the narrative the theme that human darkness is evident in humans’ innate tendency to “play God” and the duality of humans being both good and evil. Frankenstein’s monster, who is known as Frankenstein, is the epitome of the consequences when people try to play God but do it in a completely immoral way with the sole aim of obtaining more knowledge. Additionally, most of the time Frankenstein’s monster is met with hostility due to his zombie-like nature which is also indicative of the repressive behavior humans show towards those who are physically different, thus mirroring humans’ constant judging behavior.
Dracula, a gothic horror by Bram Stoker, further states that human nature has various dark characteristics, implicitly suggesting that any evil shown is from our inner selves. Dracula is a perfect example of this theme: no one transformed him into a ruthless killer; in fact, he was always one inside. He represents the primal and animalistic tendencies that a person experiences when there is no resistance to their raw desires. Dracula is a mirror of what happens when humans give in to their lusts and violate social rules. Dracula’s blood drinking acts as a metaphor for humanity’s internal struggle with its dark impulses. However, the novel also speaks of the duality of human nature, highlighting that both good and evil can reside in humanity, as seen in the perseverance of the protagonists in the face of evil.
These iconic monsters are merely a reflection of the dark side of humanity, issuing a warning on the complexities of human nature. The stories bring us to acknowledge that evil isn’t supernatural but inherent to human behavior. This epiphany should not be seen as an insult to our character, but rather as a call to consider the duality of human nature since every one of us struggles with the internal conflict of good versus evil. These books imply that monsters come to be solely due to how we handle our dark desires. Along with underlining the message that it isn’t wrong to have “evil” thoughts, what makes us grow is the acknowledgment of them.