Of Monsters and Men

 For years, I have been haunted by a recurring nightmare. In it, my friends and I are relentlessly pursued by a horde of monsters. One by one, they succumb to the horde's grasp and are transformed into one of them. As I was running frantically, doubts start to creep into my mind. Are they still my friends or purely monster? The line between them blurs, leaving me with an ominous feeling of uncertainty. As the chase continues, I feel a growing sense of dread. Despite my efforts to outrun the horde, I eventually succumb to their clutches. The feeling of being enveloped by the swarm is suffocating, and I am left wondering if I too will become one of them. This is where the nightmare always ends, leaving me with an unsettling feeling that lingers long after I wake up. Will I be able to resist the transformation and retain my humanity, or will I become just another monster in the horde? The answer remains a mystery to me. 

This dream has left me with a thought-provoking question: what truly differentiates a monster from a human? Is there a clear-cut boundary that separates the two, or is it a blurred line that can be crossed? Could it be that there is no boundary at all, and that monsters and humans are capable of transforming into each other? To explore these questions, I will begin by offering my definitions of monsters, both in a narrow and general sense. Then, I will examine the concept of monsters transforming into humans and vice versa. To illustrate my analysis, I have created an illustration inspired by Professor Brown's lecture, which I will elaborate on.

In my understanding, monsters can be narrowly defined as creatures that are often depicted as physically grotesque, with features such as horns, claws, or skeletal appearances. While they may not necessarily be dangerous, they are meant to be quite spooky in nature. If we adhere to this narrow definition, we can easily understand the first two pictures in the illustration. Sméagol, who lacks any of the monstrous features, can be classified as a human. On the other hand, Jack the Pumpkin King's appearance certainly qualifies him as a monster.

In a broader sense, monsters can be defined as beings that are different from humans, often labeled as "The Other." Therefore, we can define a monster by first defining what it means to be human. In my understanding, human life is complex. We experience a range of emotions, from love and hate to happiness and melancholy. We have the ability to pursue multiple interests, such as being a scientist while also loving art. We can create and appreciate the creations of others. In contrast, monsters like Smaug may spend their entire day sleeping on a hoard of gold with no other thoughts in mind. Their minds are often twisted, and their lives are reduced to a single-minded pursuit.

From this definition, we can say that it was after Sméagol's first sin, murdering for the Ring, that he turned into Gollum, a human into a monster, even though he still looked like a human being at the time. Sméagol's transformation into Gollum is a perfect example of how a human can turn into a monster, if we accept the general definition of a monster. There are many more "Sméagols" in our world, such as Doctor Faustus in Thomas Mann's novel. These cases are well-known and have been extensively discussed, so I will not delve into further detail about them. Later, after I finish introducing cases where monsters can also turn into humans, I will present another case of "human turning into monster," but in a completely different sense than the Sméagol case.

Having established why Sméagol is considered a "monster" in the third picture, the question arises as to why Jack is labeled as a "man." To answer this question, we may benefit from watching a video:

Right after this scene, Sally, the most angelic girl in all worlds, says, “Jack, I know how you feel." I believe that she is not the only one, both inside and outside of the screen, who feels this way. This moment marks the breaking of the boundary between human and monster. No one would deny Jack's humanity, as his thoughts seem to have resonated with many of us. This video illustrates that Jack is quite different from standard monsters such as Smaug and Sméagol, according to our previous definition. While those monsters are often portrayed as having singular, spooky, and monstrous routines, Jack is seeking something beyond his usual routine. This is what evokes our familiar feeling and makes him relatable. In this modern age, many human beings have been reduced to mere tools and pseudo-monsters. Seeking a moment of escape and doing something different is an instinctive response to restore a part of our humanity that has been lost. Returning to the film, despite Jack's bitter and arduous Christmas journey, we begin to perceive a human soul within his hollow bones, especially in the final scene where he realized what is truly precious in his “life”. It is at this point that I believe Jack, the king of monsters, has transcended his monstrous nature and become a fully realized human being, and that this nightmare has transformed into a sweet dream.

In the last part of my discussion, we'll be looking at a sensitive topic - another case of a human “turning” into a "monster." You might have noticed the quotation marks I used here; this means that the terms “turning" and "monster" have a different connotation than in the case of Sméagol. Although it is regrettable to admit, the term "monster" has been used not only to describe actual monsters we mentioned before, but also those who are not. Throughout thousands of years of intolerance, those who hold different ideas from those in authority, and anyone who shows sympathy towards them, have often been labeled as monsters. If their voices are too weak to defend themselves, they would be viewed by those who are unaware of the truth as evil wolves lurking in the forest. Even if they follow the way of the Lamb faithfully, they are deemed to have a wolf's heart beneath their sheepskin.

Stephen King once said, "The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool." While this may explain some cases of how lambs are "turned" into "wolves," it cannot account for all such cases. Recently, through a lecture, I learned that there may be an even more brutal reason behind this “transformation”. During the lecture, we reviewed Mark 5:15-17, which I hadn't paid much attention to before:

And they came to Jesus, and they see him that was troubled with the devil, sitting, clothed, and well in his wits, and they were afraid.

And they that had seen it, told them, in what manner he had been dealt with who had the devil; and concerning the swine.

And they began to pray him that he would depart from their coasts.

After Jesus successfully drove away the demons and turned the "monster" back into a human, he was not met with cheers from the crowd, but instead with fear. Now, Jesus himself became the "unwelcome one" or even worse, the new "monster" in the eyes of the people. I couldn't understand this story before, but after the lecture, everything makes sense: perhaps a monster is what the community needs. People need a scapegoat to blame everything on so that they can feel human. By labeling this scapegoat a “monster”, they absolve themselves of guilt and can easily throw stones at him. Jesus, with his love for humanity, could not bear to witness this tragedy unfold, as those who threw stones at the "monster" were actually throwing stones at their own souls. Therefore, he saved us from it, even at the cost of becoming the new "monster" and being sacrificed for the bloodthirsty nature of humanity. Although the "monster-transforming ritual" may continue, he planted a seed of hope in our hearts, and this hope will never fade as long as we follow his way. For those walking the Way of Sorrows, I have a poem to share:

-Y.P.L.