The Monster had done nothing to deserve what Victor has put him through, so the fact that the Creation turns on Victor was perfectly normal. Victor has no respect for his creation, abandoned him, and causes him to turn on his creator therefore, making him the real monster. The monster does not deserve the behavior he gets from Victor. He treats his creation like property when the Monster deserves to be treated normally. If parents would respect their children more then cases like Victors creation would be much
The book is the start of the monster’s abhorrence to man, as the monster thinks that he cannot fit in with people because he does not own any property and does not know he was born. So, the monster begins to believe that he is an outcast. I would replace this book with The Ugly Duckling. Ruins of Empires causes the monster to lose self-esteem. The Ugly Duckling is well renowned for creation of self-esteem in children.
Grendel adapted because of the way he was treated by society which ultimately led to his destructive behavior. He wasn’t given a chance to conform to society because he was judged. His aggression was due to jealousy and loneliness. Grendel will always be seen as a monster because he comes from that culture. A world full of monsters, hate, violence, and evil.
However, the creation of the monster did not have to result in such horrific acts. Victor was mortified by his creation, and immediately rejected and abandoned it to face the world of judgmental people alone. “Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?” (Shelly, 108) It is believed that this irrepressible feeling of abandonment and the continuous rejection angered the monster so intensely that he sought to soothe his revengeful soul by murdering those closest to the one whom he felt responsible for
This could cause conflict between the creator and the created as Victor is repeatedly insulting the monster. In addition, Victor rejects the Monster immediately after its creation; he calls it a 'wretch' and leaves it to fend for itself. This shows how irresponsible Victor is as he abandons his responsibilities. It is also another example of him neglecting his family, since the Monster sees him as its father. This creates conflict between the monster and Victor as the monster soon begins to hate him for abandoning him.
Victor waves his fist around and threatens to attack the monster, but is able to avoid Victor with his speed. The monster claimed to be a virtuous creature, until the actions of humans made him miserable. “All men hate the wretched; how then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us.” (Vol. II Chapter II, Page 117).
It is Frankenstein’s responsibility to teach the monster and see it as a friend. It’s because Frankenstein rejects his creature that causes it to become evil. “Oh No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing suck as even Dante could not have conceived.”(pg.49) Each time the monster killed it was a consequence of Victor’s actions.
This text offers a cynical and biased view of the human population and our cultures. It confirms to the creature that he is in fact not normal and that the reactions of others towards him are definitely not normal either. He also realizes that his desire for companionship is something that all men feel and most men have. This causes him to feel even more hatred toward Victor for creating him to be alone. This leads to the monster’s threats toward Victor to create a female creature for him or he will keep on causing tragedy in Victor’s life.
In both cases, the person without power ended up feeling isolated and lonely. Another similarity between the two is that the person who was isolated and lonely was dehumanized by a "monster" and the affected person then went on to be a monster. In Grendel, the humans treated Grendel inhumanely, which lead him to become cruel and wicked towards others. The humans would not listen and did not bother to try and understand what he was saying. Instead, they attacked him for no reason.
Many times, individuals fail to overcome suffering while their suffering continues to overcome them. Frankenstein shows that despite what one does to rid themselves of suffering, it may just never go away. In the novel, Victor Frankenstein builds a creature, but he is disgusted not only by his deed, but the appearance of the creature, turning him away. This first feel of rejection from his creator is what begins the creature’s suffering. The decisions the creature makes out of his suffering, or his characterization, show that one may not overcome suffering.