Original audience reaction is not preserved in Adaptations
“Change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency,” says Ron D. Burton reflecting on how adaptations of original works stray from the initial intended audience reaction by the author. The reaction varies because of the alterations of the characters original personalities. Thus, original themes are not kept intact, such as the theme portrayed and supported through Shelley’s novel: You cannot judge a being without first knowing its personality and responses to outside factors and influences. The theme from the original novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, has been altered through screen play for dramatic effect but does not possess the equivalent message as the initial script. The modifications from the Frankenstein novel do not preserve the effect on the audience due to the difference of atmosphere, themes and character development caused by the change in the character personalities in the 1931 film adaptation.
The change in the character personas are in the conversion to increase viewing pleasure and suspense for the audience but does not retain the original effect as planned by the author therefore resulting in a very different atmosphere. The first character that changed noticeably in his personality and brought a dark and mysterious atmosphere to the film is Victor Frankenstein. In the film Victor is only known for studying the science of electricity and seems completely bent on the crazy and abstract idea of creating life. Dr. Frankenstein is also very open with his secrets, which is suspicious due to the nature of his experiment and the reputation of his family and differs completely from the novel. Once the creature has been created and brought to life under the eyes of his best friend Henry Clerval, the professor and Elizabeth, Victor is not scared, disgusted nor guilty, as he felt in the novel when he said, “…but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and...