Analyzing A Scene: Frankenstein

In this particular scene from the movie Frankenstein, directed by ames !hale in "#$", %e
find &enry '(olin (live) compelling the other characters present in the scene to believe that the
creature he has created is alive*
+he binary oppositions present in the scene can be very aptly described as revealing* Firstly, the
light,dark difference in the scene comes into play as %e see Frankenstein is %earing a %hite,light
coloured overall, %hereas the other four people in the room are %earing dark coloured clothing*
+his suggests that he-s different from the rest. he-s at one by himself* !hile researching the
symbolism of %hite, I came across the fact that %hite aids mental clarity and enables fresh
beginnings, as in his ability to create life* /r !aldman %as %earing a dark coloured suit. I-ll
presume that it %as black* After researching the symbolism of black, I concluded that black
conveyed elegance, sophistication, mystery and can be serious and conventional* !hile &enry
Frankenstein lay there etherized on the table, he represents himself to be different, %hile the
others are conventionally dressed, they are the norm*
!hen 0aron Frankenstein is being lifted up to the ceiling, light becomes apparent* !e see the
mi1ture of both light and dark at different points during the scene* +he light is needed for
Frankenstein to come to life* 2esearch suggests that light in literature symbolizes 3-2ebirth--,
purity and cleanliness* +his is truly in direct opposition to black and death*
0inary oppositions is a common dramatic techni4ue to bring t%o different 'opposite) %orlds
together: their differences %ill inspire conflict and narrative possibility* &ere in this scene %e
find the doctor claiming that he has found the light that is beyond the ultra5violet range of light, a
light that %ould induce life into a creature made out of stolen human body parts*
+he up,do%n opposition is also striking in this scene* In the first scene %e see that &enry
Frankenstein is standing %hile talking to /r !aldman, %ho is sitting do%n* It gives a sense that
&enry is in control and is the leader, even though /r !aldman %as his teacher* &e is sho%casing
his ne%est creation, he-s the dictator, %hilst !aldman is the student here, listening* !hile the
creature is lifted up to the ceiling, like as if he is going to rise from the dead, %e notice that going
up%ards has a different meaning altogether* Although in the film clip, &enry says the creature is
not dead, that it has never lived* !e can see that it gains its life from a higher source, like it
depends on %hatever is above, %hich is %here the light came from* +his too sho%cases that up
plays a significant role in bringing life to the body*
+he young,old conflict is an opposition shared by both &enry and /r* !aldman, so it is unclear
%hich side of the table to place this on. but this theme is central so the film is e1ploring issues of
contemporary masculinity and age* &enry Frankenstein is the young person, and /r !aldman is
the old person, %e see the t%o different ages clash* From the conversation bet%een &enry and /r
!aldman %e can see that they come from t%o different times* &enry feels as though he has
discovered the ne1t best thing, and that is by bringing a body to life, but /r !aldman doesn-t
believe that someone can bring something from the dead to life* &e 4uestions &enry and asks
him to prove his achievement* It-s a difference bet%een /r* !aldman-s time and that of &enry-s.
things that %ere impossible during his time have no% become possible*
Another opposition %e find in this scene is bet%een human,non5human* !e see t%o different
sides here, the humans, and the one 3non5 human- creature* It is not a human, because it %as not
created like the norm, nor does it look like the norm, it is not iconic to %hat a &uman looks like*
/efinition of human states: of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or having the nature of people*
!hile the definition of non5human states: not human, not displaying the emotions, sympathies,
intelligence, etc*
+hus, it is clear that the body on the table is definitely different from the other characters in the
scene as it %as composed of stolen body parts*
+he sane,crazy conflict in this scene runs throughout till the end* At one point in the clip, &enry
suggests that the three people sitting in the room are sane %hilst he, himself is crazy* &e states:
6uite a good scene isn-t it7 8ne man crazy, three very sane spectators9 A clear binary
opposition, as he identified himself as not being normal*
(razy means someone affected %ith madness, insane, having no enthusiasm or e1citement*
!hile sane is someone %ho is of sound mind, mentally healthy and having or sho%ing sound
:udgment* In this scene it is clearly visible that &enry goes from sanity to insanity in moments as
he goes on raving in the end: It-s alive9
;astly, the opposition bet%een dead,alive is also prevalent in this particular scene* !e see the
transition bet%een life and death at the end of the clip* +he body %hich the other character
assumes to be a dead body begins to move after being struck by light, but &enry insists that this
is not a dead body, it %as never alive* Alive means in e1istence or operation* +he body became
alive because it %as in operation, it had movement* /eath implies having lost life or no longer
alive* &enry uses his kno%ledge and light to create a living body out of dead body parts* +his
achievement clearly contradicts the general conventions and norms* +his creates conflict and
rage* &enry starts believing that he has no% become <od, he has achieved the impossible*
0eyond its literal meaning 'its denotation), a particular %ord may have connotations: for
instance, se1ual connotations or mythical connotations* =yth is defined by its intention, much
more than by its literal sense* In spite of this, its intention is someho% frozen, purified,
eternalized, made absent by this literal sense of its meaning* !hile analyzing this scene from
Frankenstein %e find that there are several denotation and connotations occurring throughout
the scene*
Firstly, the conflict bet%een young and old comes into play* +he young &enry denotes the
possibilities of a great future, %hile the old /r* !aldman represents stability, custom and norm*
In the dark room %e find &enry in a %hite lab coat, %hile /r* !aldman is in a dark suit* +hey
discuss the possibilities of creating a human being out of dead body parts* Four other people are
present in the room* +hey are the audience that helps to create a sense of reality to %hat-s
occurring inside the room* 8ne man %ith a hump back is possibly an assistant to &enry and helps
him out in operating the machines* +he three other characters, amongst %hom there is a %oman,
represents mere spectators* All these characters play an important role of creating reality* !hat
&enry has achieved needs to be substantiated %ith proof, and he does so my utilizing lightning
and lights*
+he significance of the body lying on the table cannot be over5emphasized* It denotes death*
&enry e1plains that the body is composed of body parts of different human beings* &e has
%rapped the body in a %hite cloth and kept it on a table* >o%, he %ould infuse life into it, to
teach his teacher, /r* !aldman, that he has achieved <odly po%er*
!ith the unraveling of the body to the spectators, &enry and his assistant sets out on %orking the
machinery and soon the table on %hich the body lay is raised to the ceiling* ;ight appears on the
top and loud noises are heard* !ith thunder and lightning the effect of something spectacular is
created* +he three spectators are amazed and scared*
8nce the table comes do%n, &enry moves for%ard and sho%s the %orld that the body is alive*
+he hand begins to move and &enry e1claims ? It-s alive9 +his is the final stra% %here &enry
loses his sanity and become insane due to %hat he has achieved* &e thinks himself to be <od*
+hese denotations throughout the scene create the effect of a spectacle* +he fact that the corpse
%as brought to life on a @dreary night@ underlines its importance in Frankenstein@s life* It also
implies that Frankenstein %as only concerned about his creation at this stage and had ignored
every other responsibility concerning him or his family* Secondly, there are numerous gothic
features, such as rain pattering @dismally against the frames@ and darkness, %hich set up an almost
paranormal atmosphere* It is possible that this only reinforces the already tense scene, but it is
more likely that the creature created %ould turn into a monster* In this scene different techni4ues
have been used to indicate the commencement of a ne% era, in %hich creature and creator bring
fear and devastation to mankind*
Further, &enry is a symbol for /r* !aldman. both are ambitious and strong5%illed men* +he
creature created by &enry symbolizes !aldman@s 4uestion for the Aarth@s magnitude* It nullifies
old kno%ledge and gives birth to ne%* &o%ever, the myth of creating the impossible %ould only
be revealed later in the movie* +his constituent ambiguity of creating a creature, giving it life,
has t%o conse4uences for the signification, %hich henceforth appears both like a notification and
like a statement of fact* !hile it appears in the scene that &enry has created life but in reality it is
a monster* &enry-s insanity goes to prove that something impending and disastrous is %aiting to
happen*
=yth does not deny things, on the contrary, its function is to talk about them. simply, it purifies
them, it makes them innocent, it gives them a natural and eternal :ustification, it gives them a
clarity %hich is not that of an e1planation but that of a statement of fact*