The Tim Burton
film Edward Scissorhands contains
many elements that classify it as a “Frankenstein” film. One of the primary
reasons for this, perhaps the most obvious, is the simple fact that Edward himself
is reminiscent of Frankenstein’s monster. Much like Frankenstein’s monster,
Edward Scissorhands longs to be accepted by a society in which he doesn’t
belong.
Edward is an unfinished creation
whose creator died before Edward was completed. As a result of this, Edward is
left with scissors in place of human hands. This leads him to be shunned by
culture and society, as many people prejudge him as an “evil creature.”
Frankenstein’s
monster learns about world history, literature, and language by observing the
people whom he is around. Edward Scissorhands also learns in this manner.
Watching the film, it is obvious that Edward is not very vociferous at the
beginning of the movie, but he speaks more as the plot proceeds. One can make
the assumption that this is because, like an infant learning how to speak
through his toddler years and early childhood, Edward learns more language as
time goes on.
Another reason for
Edward Scissorhands’s similarity to Frankenstein’s monster is his motives for
his actions. Like Frankenstein’s monster, Edward does not intentionally cause
harm. For example, there is a scene in the film in which the son of the family
with which Edward is staying runs out into the street. Edward pushes him out of
the way of an oncoming van, but this action causes nearly as much trouble as it
prevents, as Edward’s scissors get in the way and accidentally cut the boy.
Also, nearly everyone who observes Edward caring for the boy assumes that
Edward was acting out of malicious desire to harm the boy. This scene could be
considered a parallel to the scene in Frankenstein
in which the monster rescues a drowning young girl. Everyone who observes this
scene assumes that the monster has attacked the girl.
In the wake of his
rejection, Frankenstein’s monster vows revenge against all mankind for the way
he is treated. He decides that, since everyone considers him to be a monster,
he will act like a monster. He acts out of vengeance and kills his creator’s
brother. Similarly, in the climax of Edward
Scissorhands, Edward murders his love interest’s boyfriend. Both Edward and
Frankenstein’s monster give up on trying to be accepted as kind, civilized
creatures, and decide to become the monsters that society has made them out to
be.
One significant
difference between Edward Scissorhands
and Frankenstein is the status of the
inventors. Edward’s inventor has died during the creation of Edward, and Edward
must carry out acts of vengeance on the people who treat him poorly, rather
than avenging his creator for making him a “monster.” Frankenstein, on the
other hand, is alive throughout the course of the story, allowing the monster to
avenge his creator directly.
Edward
Scissorhands’s journey for approval is not an easy one; similarly to
Frankenstein’s monster, he must overcome obstacles such as language barriers,
prejudice, and lifestyle differences in order to be accepted. Ultimately,
neither Edward nor Frankenstein’s monster achieve their goals. However, both Edward Scissorhands and Frankenstein are tales of seemingly
wicked creatures who only desire one thing from the world they are brought
into: acceptance.
