Person and Personality – Dichotomy and the Proper Name

Abstract

In this article we will try to show how the binary structure of the novel is also contained in many small elements that can be found throughout the story. The main story line is told in two main parts: Frankenstein’s story and the Creature’s story. We will show how the author uses small dichotomies/binarisms in order to incorporate them in the bigger frame of the divided story. These dichotomies are mostly incorporated in proper names which mainly show the opposite of the character of the person (Victor – the beaten; Felix – the unlucky; Justine – unjustly murdered…). Furthermore, we examine the dichotomy between name and namelessness, highlighting how the Creature's lack of a proper name reflects its status as an alienated, excluded Other deprived of familial identity. Alongside this, we explore the dualities of creator versus creation and life versus death, applying Freudian concepts of sublimation, Eros, and Thanatos. In doing so, we demonstrate how both Victor and his creation mirror each other's fates, finding true peace only in death.