Loss of Innocence

Hey y’all it’s a me Mario(no, not really it’s Harry F’n Potter actually)I’m back and taking a closer look at my roots. Uh huh, you heard right, straight back to magic, mythical beasts, and terrifying enemies for us. To be completely honest I only chose this because I really, really like How To Train Your Dragon and what better way to show that than by connecting it to loss of innocence in Frankenstein. And lo and behold there’s a surprising amount of connections between the two, despite some major differences.

So, to draw a couple parallels between the two, both the monster and Hiccup are very much isolated and shunned/ridiculed by society. Although reasons for doing so are different it results in the same thing, an ardent yearning for companionship and acceptance. Both are driven to extremes to fulfill this need and are, for the most part, rebuked by their peers for their actions, beliefs, physical appearance. They two turn to socially questionable activities or thoughts to alleviate this pain they go through. I perceive this as loss of innocence in that they both are in situations that should be inducing wonder and awe in their natural world; not jaded cynicism or befriending huge firebreathing reptiles. Due to their situations they’re forced to stop deluding themselves and are given a harsh dose of reality effectively strippiing them of their “innocence.”

In Frankenstein this is seen through the monster’s insistence on having an equal to talk with without fear of rejection and even, possibly, to love. This intense need, along with extenuating circumstances, pushes the monster to abandon any morals he previously had and threaten to kill not only Victor but his family. Chapter fifteen is one such occurrence, The monster finally plucks up the courage to attempt to make contact with the french family he has been stalking. However, his hopes are dashed when almost immediately after he is spotted the family members that can actually see react exactly like all the other humans he has encountered. An all encompassing hate is festering in the monster quickly replacing the previous notion that humans are a superior race to be admired; and the only cure to this ailment is, in his mind, an equal that only Victor can provide.

In How To Train Your Dragon Hiccup is, to put it simply, the village idiot, always getting into trouble with his ridiculous schemes(e.g. In the beginning of the movie when he ends up letting a whole ton of dragons get away with the livestock) He is constantly bullied by his peers, even his cousin Snotlout; and not even his father accepts him, as seen by Stoick’s refusal to listen to Hiccup’s protests to dragon slaying training. He faces rejection from almost all avenues, his sole friend being a middle age cripple with a propensity for the disgusting(Gobber). So, desperate and lonely, Hiccup eventually befriends a dragon, sworn enemy of the vikings. But not just any dragon he finds a night fury, the most feared and dangerous variant of dragon. When found out he is viciously disowned by his father and is emotionally devastated. AN event not dissimilar to when the monster discovers Victor’s intense disdain for it, despite him being a father figure of sorts. This type of loss of innocence, that which is seen when a child is denied the unconditional love of their parent(s), is a pivotal scene in both Frankenstein and How To Train Your Dragon.

Despite having dramatically different endings(I think) I feel we’ve benefitted from this comparison just in the sense that we better understand the circumstances and feelings behind events in Frankenstein. The similarities between the two let us compare different situations that deal with much of the same elements and thus make it easier to spot important parts in the story.