No Such Thing

The first thing I noticed about no such thing was the unique portrayal of the monster. Most often in movies, literature or gaming, the antagonist or specifically the monster is illustrated as just that: a monster. We expect monsters to be malicious, thoughtless creatures, motivated by carnal desires at best, the selfless desire for evil at worse. The monster in No Such Thing however, gives us a different interpretation of the idea of a monster.

Instead of being a thoughtless creature motivated by a will towards evil, the beast in No Such Thing seams to be more interesting in avoiding suffering. This beast is clearly intelligent, possessing a certain quality of class and dignity, despite his grotesque physical appearance. The beast appears at first glance just a temporal fluke of nature, a biological mistake. We soon see however, that this beast is not just a deformed human being. He possesses supernatural powers, such as the ability to breath fire, superhuman speed and strength, possibly even the ability to teleport. The most notable of the beasts abilities is his invulnerability, which bears great significance to the story.

It becomes clear rather quickly that while this creature was born a physical anomaly, he was later made into a monster, in that it was due to his own suffering at the hands of humans that he came to commit atrocities towards humanity. Compounding the issue is the problem that this monster cannot die; even after he has given up hope on life, death in not an option for the monster; he is forced to continue his suffering. In this way, the greatest contributor towards his monster like pathos is the lack of the human condition; he cannot die. Because this monster cannot stop his suffering, he is bound to grow more monstrous over time. It is suggested therefore; that the main reason the beast lashes out is due the frustration that he cannot end his own suffering.