The 2025 film Frankenstein written, directed, and produced by Guillermo del Toro, based on the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley, seemed to be the perfect gothic drama to cuddle up and watch during autumn. But looking deeper, these characters explored much more complex themes that leave you with more questions than answers.Â
A greedy doctor, Victor Frankenstein, creates a creature in pursuit of beating death. However, when things do not go to plan and he views his creation as an “it” and not intellectual, he leaves it behind to fend for itself. As the creature grows into more consciousness, he says things that get us to think about our own mortality, and even question the meaning of life itself. Let’s unpack.Â
The creature is born into coldness, no comfort. For us, when entering the world, hopefully we have parents to elicit warmth and demonstrate what love is. With this, we grow up with a certain positive outlook on the world. For the creature, he is on his own. Without outside influence or indoctrination of love, he learns how cruel the world is.Â
“The men did not hate the wolves. The wolves did not hate the sheep. Yet I could sense there was a certain violence in this world.” The creature says this while watching men ruthlessly shoot at wolves as they devour sheep. By stating this, he is observing how violence is a natural process of the world. It surrounds us, yet it can be separate from the emotion of hatred. As humans we can be such emotional beings, automatically assuming everything horrible we experience comes from a place of prejudice. But in reality, sometimes this is just a natural process we too have to endure.Â
“I cannot die. And I cannot live…alone.” When the creature initially finds his creator post-separation, he asks him to make another one “like him.” Since he cannot die, he wishes to live eternally with a companion. As humans, we are granted one certainty in life: death. Other things like love and companionship are not guaranteed. The creature wants the inverse; since death is not a surety for him, he wants guaranteed companionship through the creation of another one like him. Whether you like it or not, I believe that this is teaching us to embrace death. No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, or what eternal freedom you believe in, eternal life simply sounds grievous rather than joyous. The end needs to be seen as a way to live life to the fullest, and completely enjoy the highs and lows of life as finite – rather than the meaningless of a repetitive cycle.Â
“To you I am obscene, but to me I simply am.” The creature says this in response to seeing how disgusted his creator is by him. To me, this highlights our inherent need to be loved by those who made us. To think that our being can bring out such strong negative emotions within others is hard to understand, especially when we only exist because of them. Our need to be seen may be the largest need of all. Our existence is a fact. Outside view is an opinion. No matter how simply we view ourselves, it can easily be altered by the harsh reality of society’s grotesque feelings.Â
“You may be my creator, but from this day forward, I will be your master.” The creature finally realizes his power, and will no longer think he is lesser than his creator. Throughout life, we want and demand so much from our own creators, believing that they are on a whole different level than us. However, at the end of the day, all of us are human. All of us are experiencing life for the first time. They deserve grace, we deserve grace. Time will always make you older, but it does not assure you will become wiser. Once this is realized, self-respect and self-belief can grow tremendously.Â
“The miracle is not that I could speak, but that you would ever listen!” Frankenstein left his creation in the first place because he could only say one word: Victor. In this meeting, Frankenstein realizes the creature now has a full vocabulary and sees it as a miracle, to which the creature says this in response. He aches of being misunderstood. He has a hunger to belong. He has the hunger to be understood most by who made him. All we want is for someone to truly listen to us. What is the meaning of life if our only existence is that of being alone. If no one is there to hear us, did we truly live?Â
“Victor. I forgive you. Rest now, Father. Perhaps now, we can both be human.” In the end, the creature forgives his creator. This signifies the creature’s journey of humanity through forgiveness and understanding, opposed to revenge, as he accepts his creator’s flaws. May this be the most important takeaway of the human experience; forgiveness transcends hatred.