The Creature’s Tourist Gaze and Identity Construction in Frankenstein
Scientific Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, (2026), Vol.8, No.7, pp.55-59
Published: July 13, 2026
DOI: 10.54691/w5bg3f76
Abstract
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein depicts the tragic fate of the creature under multiple layers of the social gaze, revealing the violent disciplinary mechanisms of 19th-century Western society rooted in scientific rationality and cultural hegemony. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s theory of the gaze and John Urry’s concept of the “tourist gaze”, this paper analyzes the creature’s identity crisis, its efforts to construct an identity, and its ultimate deconstruction under the gaze. It demonstrates how social gaze perpetuates oppression through visual politics, spatial discipline, and cultural symbolism, offering a new lens for understanding power and identity construction.
Keywords:
Mary Shelley; Frankenstein; tourist gaze; identity construction.
APA Citation:
Wenjun Zhang (2026). The Creature’s Tourist Gaze and Identity Construction in Frankenstein. Scientific Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(7), 55-59. https://doi.org/10.54691/w5bg3f76
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