Commandments in the Media: Volume 6

Live, and be happy, and make others so. Justine Moritz

"The night precedes itself."

Frankenstein

I think that out of all of the different forms of media, I enjoy nothing more than reading books. When I first came out on my mission, the thing I missed most was having a book in my hand at all times. It didn't help that I had just begun reading classical literature.

When I started with the classics, Halloween was soon, so I decided to experience horror classics like Dracula and Frankenstein for myself. I was pleasantly surprised when I read these books! They were creepy, but I had never imagined that they would be so positive too. They were both full of noble heroes working to defend their loved ones from the forces of fear and darkness.

The Commandments in Frankenstein

The story of Frankenstein is about a young scientist who meddles with forces beyond his imagining and succeeds in creating a monster. However, despite this tragedy, the greater horror in my opinion is the total destruction of two families; Frankenstein's and the monster's.

Families can be the greatest source of happiness in our lives, but Victor Frankenstein neglects his in the creation of the monster (sometimes named Adam). He had never considered that what he was doing could impact his family, but it did. And it destroyed them. We will never create a living monster in the way that Frankenstein did, but we may create a spiritual or emotional monster. Let us be wary of delving into dark places and experimenting with things we shouldn't; drugs and pornography just to name a few.

While Frankenstein physically created Adam, it was ultimately Adam who made himself into a monster. From the moment he is created, he wants companionship, either with his maker or with a wife. Early in his story, Adam is a very noble character. He wants to do good and be good. He is hideous physically, but he only becomes truly vile once he commits the vile sin of murder. When he kills a family who were disgusted at his appearance, he loses his good nature. His feelings warp and twist until he begins to hate his creator. Adam kills his entire family and in return, Frankenstein destroys his wife. In the end, everything that was good about Adam was destroyed by the black hole of murder and death until all that was left was the mindless instrument of death we are familiar with. There is no condition so vile, so awful, that violence won't make it worse.

As we enjoy the costumes and treats of this Halloween, never overlook that the family is the greatest source of our happiness in life. Have fun, enjoy the company of your family, and avoid the dark diversions that bring real evil into the holiday.