Document text
2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: One man's beacon ... Guest Opinion: Lies about marijuana are finally being debunked ... Mochas, midrash and mysteries: Choosing light to banish the darkness ... Our View: One man's beacon ... Guest Opinion: Lies about marijuana are finally being debunked ... Mochas, midrash and mysteries: Choosing light to banish the darkness ... RELOCATIONS Herb Rothschild Jr.: Sharing our stories Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Jun. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Jun. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Most of us know that Frankenstein isn’t the name of the creature Boris Karloff played in the old horror movies. Frankenstein is the name of his creator, Dr. Victor Frankenstein. So what do we call that over-sized, physically hideous being? Probably we call him Frankenstein’s monster. From the moment his creation opens his eyes, Victor regards him as a monster. He says, “by the dim and yellow light of the moon ... I beheld the wretch — the miserable monster whom I had created.” He flees, hoping never to see the creature again. But many months later, responsibility for his actions is forced upon him when his younger brother is murdered and a beloved household servant is successfully framed for the crime. Victor learns that his creature has done these dreadful things, and forms the settled opinion that he is, indeed, a monster. At that point the reader almost certainly shares Victor’s opinion. And then Mary Shelley does something extraordinary. She allows the creature to tell his story to Frankenstein. It occupies the very center of the novel. From it we learn that the creature was born with a benevolent disposition, but abandoned by his maker, bereft of love and guidance, and treated cruelly by all whom he encounters, he becomes embittered toward humans. He tells Victor, “I am malicious because I am miserable.” Victor is moved, but not enough to help secure the creature’s happiness. He cannot accept him as a fellow human. They thus become locked in terrible, mutually destructive discord. Toward the end of her introduction to the second edition of her novel, Shelley says, “And now, once again, I bid my hideous progeny go forth and prosper. I have an affection for it.” Clearly she’s analogizing her relation to her creation with Victor’s to his, and underscoring the difference. When we let people tell us their stories, we can’t regard them as monsters even though we may not condone all they have done. A major reason juries hand down much harsher sentences to poor defendants than to rich ones is because prosecutors portray them as monsters, with “no redeeming human qualities,” and jurors rarely hear stories that would give the lie to so outrageous a characterization. A man in Talent named Maynard Telpner has twice published letters to the editor accusing me of condoning ill behavior by Muslims — first Iranians, then the Charlie Hebdo assassins — though I did nothing of the kind. But I didn’t call them monsters, and it seems Mr. Telpner requires this. I’ve come to suspect that to him, all followers of Islam, which in his latest letter he called a “totalitarian political religion,” are monsters. Fervent supporters of Israel too often share this view, and many fervent supporters of the Palestinians reciprocate. They thus are locked in terrible, mutually destructive discord. Last week I mentioned how animal rights theorists like Peter Singer downplay the differences between us and other animals. I don’t. Among other distinctions, humans tell stories. We continually tell stories about ourselves to ourselves, which is a primary way we cope with the problem of being human. And when we share our stories, we come to realize that we are all working at that problem, some well, some poorly, most somewhere in between. In another column I said I don’t like to talk politics with right-wingers. But I don’t mind hearing their stories. It’s there we encounter each other in our humanness, and thus discover an otherwise elusive common ground. Herb Rothschild Jr. is chairman of the board of Peace House.     DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Jun. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501