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【Abstract】The essay analyzes the question of class in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley to reveal the unjust condition of social class particularly addressing the injustice of Justine’s trail and the marginalization suffered by Justine and the monster.
【Key words】Frankenstein； class； inequality
【作者簡介】李思敏（1997-），女，汉族，广东人，中国人民大学外国语学院，本科生，研究方向：英语语言文学。
Frankenstein is a novel of purpose written by Mary Shelley which tells a story of a monster created by a scientist， Victor Frankenstein. Written in 1818， the novel alludes to the unjust condition of social class. I’ll discuss the question of class particularly addressing one section where Justine， as a faithful servant of the Frankensteins， made a scapegoat for the monster that Victor created and was condemned to death after the trial.
In the novel， the injustice of law and public prejudice result in the unnecessary sacrifice of Justine as a lower-class servant. On the face of it， Justine’s death is a tragic sequel of the monster’s crime. Justine， with a kind heart， looked for William but was accused of murder because she was found with the picture of Victor’s mother on her which previously belonged to William.When Justine asked a few witnesses to give their testimony concerning her character， those who knew and spoke well of her rendered unwilling to speak for her （Shelley 56）. They readily believe that she is the murderer because she is a lower-class servant and seems to have the motivation to murder a boy out of temptation of a bauble. Elizabeth’s defense for Justine does no help to free Justine from suspicion. Instead， “the public charged her with the blackest ingratitude” （Shelley 56） out of their prejudgment of social class. Let alone the judges， Victor who is an indirect murderer of his brother William， makes excuses for himself that no one will believe his story and considers not to speak up for Justine. Justine’s sacrifice in Victor’s mind is only a vexation of his wrong deeds. The unnecessary sacrifice of a life which caused by him is less disturbing than the horror of his situation and cannot make him at least try to save an innocent life. It is the unjust law and class difference that kill Justine with the help of prejudice.
Concerning the social status and class difference， the monster and Justine share the similar experience of marginalization and injustice. At the birth of his creation， the monster was abandoned by his own creator Victor. The appearance of the creature terrified Victor whose heart fills with horror and disgust. Along the journey of finding shelter and trying to live on， he was constantly rejected by human. He is an outcast of the society and this misery tortures him to question “Cursed， cursed creator！ Why did I live” （Shelley 95）？ As for Justine， she is turned by those who distrust her out of her social class and condemned to death. They suffer the same experience of marginalization and rejection， which exhibits the inequality and injustice of the society. The fact that they are educated and possess sublime benevolence does no help to reduce the inequality and imbalance resulted from social class difference. In the monster’s case， having acquired the language and been educated， he still fails to be accepted into the DeLacey family for his hideous appearance. After he leaves the family， he finds a girl falling into the rapid stream and saves her. However， the reward of the benevolence is a shot at his body. This sad result of kindness echoes Justine’s act of trying to save William but suffering the wrong treatment. The tragedies of Justine and the monster， which I think， embody the social reflection of injustice. The monster， the same as Justine， is a representation of working class. “Like the proletariat， the monster is denied a name and an individuality……Like the proletariat， he is a collective and artificial creature” （Moretti 85）. The creation or rather the formation of the monster can be taken as a metaphor for industrious production which puts together different pieces with the help of science and technology. The monster， as well as the proletariat， is alienated and marginalized by the industrious progress of capitalism. The working class， at the bottom of the society， experienced “starvation， poverty， injustice， and the violence of the ruling class” （Montag 388） which forces them to become a strong social force to challenge the ruling power. The vengeance and hatred of the monster towards human arise from the injustice and violence from his creator and all other humans. “Frankenstein’s invention forms by deforming， civilizes by barbarizing， enriches by impoverishing” （Moretti 87）. The monster and the working class are born by capitalism， but both are marginalized by the hierarchical and discriminating capitalist society. The monster embodies an opposition to this hypocritical aspect of capitalism and it represents the lower working class and shared experience of social injustice.
In conclusion， Justine’s trial in Frankenstein reveals the unjust social condition of class in nineteenth century England. Justine suffers injustice because of the uneven law and prejudice against lower-class during the period. The monster， on the other hand， represents the working class and shares the same experience of injustice and marginalization.
【Key words】Frankenstein； class； inequality
【作者簡介】李思敏（1997-），女，汉族，广东人，中国人民大学外国语学院，本科生，研究方向：英语语言文学。
Frankenstein is a novel of purpose written by Mary Shelley which tells a story of a monster created by a scientist， Victor Frankenstein. Written in 1818， the novel alludes to the unjust condition of social class. I’ll discuss the question of class particularly addressing one section where Justine， as a faithful servant of the Frankensteins， made a scapegoat for the monster that Victor created and was condemned to death after the trial.
In the novel， the injustice of law and public prejudice result in the unnecessary sacrifice of Justine as a lower-class servant. On the face of it， Justine’s death is a tragic sequel of the monster’s crime. Justine， with a kind heart， looked for William but was accused of murder because she was found with the picture of Victor’s mother on her which previously belonged to William.When Justine asked a few witnesses to give their testimony concerning her character， those who knew and spoke well of her rendered unwilling to speak for her （Shelley 56）. They readily believe that she is the murderer because she is a lower-class servant and seems to have the motivation to murder a boy out of temptation of a bauble. Elizabeth’s defense for Justine does no help to free Justine from suspicion. Instead， “the public charged her with the blackest ingratitude” （Shelley 56） out of their prejudgment of social class. Let alone the judges， Victor who is an indirect murderer of his brother William， makes excuses for himself that no one will believe his story and considers not to speak up for Justine. Justine’s sacrifice in Victor’s mind is only a vexation of his wrong deeds. The unnecessary sacrifice of a life which caused by him is less disturbing than the horror of his situation and cannot make him at least try to save an innocent life. It is the unjust law and class difference that kill Justine with the help of prejudice.
Concerning the social status and class difference， the monster and Justine share the similar experience of marginalization and injustice. At the birth of his creation， the monster was abandoned by his own creator Victor. The appearance of the creature terrified Victor whose heart fills with horror and disgust. Along the journey of finding shelter and trying to live on， he was constantly rejected by human. He is an outcast of the society and this misery tortures him to question “Cursed， cursed creator！ Why did I live” （Shelley 95）？ As for Justine， she is turned by those who distrust her out of her social class and condemned to death. They suffer the same experience of marginalization and rejection， which exhibits the inequality and injustice of the society. The fact that they are educated and possess sublime benevolence does no help to reduce the inequality and imbalance resulted from social class difference. In the monster’s case， having acquired the language and been educated， he still fails to be accepted into the DeLacey family for his hideous appearance. After he leaves the family， he finds a girl falling into the rapid stream and saves her. However， the reward of the benevolence is a shot at his body. This sad result of kindness echoes Justine’s act of trying to save William but suffering the wrong treatment. The tragedies of Justine and the monster， which I think， embody the social reflection of injustice. The monster， the same as Justine， is a representation of working class. “Like the proletariat， the monster is denied a name and an individuality……Like the proletariat， he is a collective and artificial creature” （Moretti 85）. The creation or rather the formation of the monster can be taken as a metaphor for industrious production which puts together different pieces with the help of science and technology. The monster， as well as the proletariat， is alienated and marginalized by the industrious progress of capitalism. The working class， at the bottom of the society， experienced “starvation， poverty， injustice， and the violence of the ruling class” （Montag 388） which forces them to become a strong social force to challenge the ruling power. The vengeance and hatred of the monster towards human arise from the injustice and violence from his creator and all other humans. “Frankenstein’s invention forms by deforming， civilizes by barbarizing， enriches by impoverishing” （Moretti 87）. The monster and the working class are born by capitalism， but both are marginalized by the hierarchical and discriminating capitalist society. The monster embodies an opposition to this hypocritical aspect of capitalism and it represents the lower working class and shared experience of social injustice.
In conclusion， Justine’s trial in Frankenstein reveals the unjust social condition of class in nineteenth century England. Justine suffers injustice because of the uneven law and prejudice against lower-class during the period. The monster， on the other hand， represents the working class and shares the same experience of injustice and marginalization.