On June 5th, 2002, Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was only fourteen at the time, and remained a mystery March 12, 2003, where police officers rescued her in Sandy, Utah. She was held only 18 miles away from her home by David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen. Two weeks ago I was able to attend a lecture about overcoming adversity by Elizabeth Smart herself. Hearing the struggles that Elizabeth went through during and after her abduction is truly chilling. Despite being able to overcome the fear that the world had left her with, she had to face a religion that was not as forgiving. Sex is commonly seen as a cherished act between two individuals who love one another on the night of their marriage. However, this privilege was stripped from her after her male captor, David Mitchell raped her. She describes the feeling after as dirty and damaged. These feelings were not lost as her religion commonly reminded her of her impurity and tragedy.
Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" depicted the same helplessness and feeling of loss that Elizabeth felt after being rescued. He was created from by a man named Victor who feared him himself. Furthermore, both of their weaknesses were out in the cold, they were shown to everyone. They were both seen as dirty, as used and not a part of the world they wished to be in. Both Elizabeth Smart and Frankenstein lost their true selves while being turned into something they did not wish to be, and then scrutinized by society for who they were forced to become.
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