On Frankenstein's depiction in modern culture.

Frankenstein's transformation and immortalization into modern culture is an interesting case of how a depiction in one form of media can overwrite the depiction shown in the original source. In the case of Frankenstein, it is well-known (or, well received) that Frankenstein is a slow, stupid, murderous monster, brought to life as a monster only capable of killing. In truth, Frankenstein is a monster brought to life with an innocent mind, not a mind filled with violence. In both the original novel and the 1931 film, Frankenstein reacts to events and situations with innocence; he sits and stands as his creator commands, plays with a small girl near the river, and reacts to a fire with fear, not anger. However, the monster's actions are misinterpreted by those around him; the very people who witnessed his birth think of his reaction to fire as an attack, resorting to locking the monster away. In the film, the doctor's assistant begins to regularly torment the monster with a torch, which he knows the monster fears. The anger and rage that the monster displays at this point is one of the most memorable moments of the film, and defines the plot in a new sense; this is what sticks in peoples minds when they think of Frankenstein. Not a innocent mind harassed and pushed to violence, but a violent and angry monster, born without the word of god and crafted from the parts of murderers. Over time, depictions of Frankenstein have changed, moving from the public perception of a slow, dull killer to...a slow, but friendly monster. For instance, The Munsters, a famous sitcom, has a Frankenstein-like monster star as the father of a "modern" family of monsters -- in this adaptation, he's known as Herman Munster. Herman may have the slow, lumbering stance of the famous monster, but the show focuses more on his traits as a father and a provider for his family. In so many other adaptations, Frankenstein is depicted in so many different media as a slow moving monster, but in recent times he is no longer depicted as a stupid or violent creature. He is slow, but to a comedic effect; instead, the creature is shown as a more kind version of himself, closer to how the novel laid him out to be.