The concept of the Other is understood through its division from the Self. Specifically, Otherness represents those who go against predominant social ideologies; thus, the Other, denounced as a threat to norms, is avoided by humanity, if not actively chased away. In Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein”, the creature, detested by its creator and rejected by society, embodies Otherness. Such a grotesque appearance, coupled with the fact that it serves as an antithesis to natural reproduction, isolates the monster, provoking its vengeful behavior and leading to the apparent justification of Victor's attempts to destroy it. Similarly, in Joseph Conrad's “Heart of Darkness,” otherness evidently akin to abnormality is realized in the attitude of European imperialists towards native Africans. Conrad describes the jungle as a primitive wilderness and its inhabitants as savage and dangerous, which facilitates communal support for the colonization of Africa by effectively dissociating civilized Europeans, or the Self, from their Other counterparts. Such an imposed racial division – or the repression of species in “Frankenstein” – exemplifies the fundamental exploitation of the Other by the Self. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The monster in "Frankenstein", at the beginning of the animation, is immediately insulted by his creator, Victor. Although “breathing life into an inanimate body was desired with an ardor that far surpassed moderation,” Victor was “unable to bear the appearance of the being he had created” (Shelley 35). This disheartened reaction, as is later revealed, forced the creature to move away from its place of origin and take refuge in a forest near Ingolstadt. Through this immediate ostracism by its “natural lord and king,” the creature embodies Otherness (Shelley 69). When given the opportunity to explain himself to Victor, he affirms his natural benevolence, stating that, initially, "his soul shone with love and humanity" (Shelley 69). The stark divide between conventional and deviant is illustrated through the monster's implicit understanding of the consequences of Otherness: "If the multitude of mankind knew of my existence, they would arm themselves for my destruction" (Shelley 69). Likewise, Victor, being indirectly guilty of the murders of his creature and overwhelmed by grief, detaches himself from humanity and can even personify the Other. In agreement with both characters, Mary Shelley's mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, explored “physical differences perceived as the central and mistaken principle of structuring society” in 1789 (Bugg 656). John Bugg argues that “Frankenstein” fits this model, calling him a “master -trope of physical difference” (656). Consider the case of the monster who, separated from society, commits diabolical behavior as a result of the split, thus justifying the public's perception. Wollstonecraft, however, examined race as the distinction between Self and Other, describing the "[degradation of] the many nations, upon which the sun's rays most directly dart, below the common level of humanity" (qtd . in Bugg 655). According to this concept, Joseph Conrad portrays native Africans as Others who, like Frankenstein's monster, are assumed to pose a threat to customary ideologies and must be conquered. The African jungle in “Heart of Darkness” is the mysterious and threatening Other for white people. , civilized European self. Bugg's description of Otherness in “Frankenstein” as “the politics of biology” applies here as well, as the native Africans are under the control, 2010.