He is rejected by the De Laceys and Frankenstein and ponders the question: ‘Am I not alone, miserably alone?’. The monster is represented as the dark side of Frankenstein. Shelley depicts Frankenstein as the real monster of the novel. Frankenstein appears to look like a nice person but Shelley creates him as a blasphemous person whose arrogance and obsessions with science end up costing him dearly. In contrast, the monster appears to be a nasty, unapproachable beast but actually appears to be well-educated and is knowledgeable about the world around him.
He tells him ‘do your duty towards me and I will do mine towards you,’ and if Frankenstein refused, he threatened him by saying he would ‘glut the maw of death’. This shows how the Creature’s abandonment and lack of nurture leads him to become a murderer. Further proof of this is when, during the Creature’s tale he tell Frankenstein ‘I could not conceive how one man could go fourth and murder his fellow’ showing that he was ‘benevolent and good’ and had Frankenstein full filled his duty he may have remained so. The Creature admits to Frankenstein ‘misery made me a fiend’ implying that Frankenstein’s actions, or lack of action, lead to this misery. Primarily it is not Frankenstein who has to suffer the consequences of his creating life, it is the Creature.
Often times, the monster would carry out a good and selfless deed, only to be shunned by the recipients. An example was when he tried to save a girl after she fell into a river, only to be shot in the shoulder by her companion. This was when the monster knew that no matter how benevolent he was, humans would never look beyond his appearance, for they rather let their prejudice rule over their decisions than to face an abomination. In a moment, the monster’s impression of humans changed and he desired revenge on Frankenstein for making him an abomination. If only Frankenstein had given his creation a chance, the unjust treatments would have never happened.
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.
Victor had no reason to put his creation though such pain he just did it through pure selfishness. Victor is the real monster because he has no respect for his creation, abandoned him, and causes him to turn on his creator. The lack of respect towards the Monster is so horrendous that Victor's creation has every reason to be furious. The disrespect starts right when the monster was created, "[a] flash of
Frankenstein agrees to create the monster but then once he is practically accomplished he rips up his creation. This is then the turning point for both of the characters; the creator now becomes human while the creation now become the real monster. Frankenstein reveals that he is human by stopping the creation as he realises that this will then cause further problems. Frankenstein then goes back home to his family rebuilding his previously torn relationships, showing again that he has now changed and become a real human. On the other hand the monster is even more rejected as he did not get his mate so sets out for revenge from
The Beauty of Nature in Shelley’s Frankenstein The awe of nature plays a huge role in the development of the romantic period. Shelley captures the essence of this theme in her gothic novel, Frankenstein. Even though Shelley emphasizes the role of science in the novel, it is portrayed negatively. For example, when the monster was finally created, Victor exclaims, “ Oh! No mortal could support the horror of that countenance.
To the reader, it seems that Shelly consistently reminds us of the lack of responsibility on the part of Frankenstein, and the monster’s inherent innocence, who is only made evil by his circumstances. But like the reader, Shelley too, is unclear about whose behaviour is most unjustifiable and unpardonable. With reference to David Punter’s essay “Gothic and Romanticism”, Victor Frankenstein can be compared to the ‘Wanderer’, the Wanderer’s essential characteristics being that he is hero and victim both, who defies God by crossing the laws of mortality and dares to touch the untouchable. The Wanderer is never satisfied with the restrictions placed on him by an ordered society, and he ultimately suffers for his disobedience. Victor clearly fits the description of the Wanderer, as his obsessive need to create life and be its sole creator has a hint of an unnatural desperation to satisfy his ego and attain gratitude.
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.
The Monster in the Lab Coat Many literary critics have long argued a question regarding Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Who is the real monster? One can argue that, throughout the novel, it is Victor Frankenstein, the overly ambitious scientist, who is the true monster. Victor Frankenstein is depicted as a callous creator who shows no empathy to his own innocent creature. Frankenstein fails his responsibility as a creator and abandons his creation to a life full of abhorrence. The creature has infinite potential, but it is Frankenstein’s prideful nature and negligence that makes the creature become “monstrous”.