The Creature's Character Development

Victor Frankenstein’s Creature is innocent and unknowing when he is first abandoned, but through knowledge and run-ins with humans he becomes a hated and miserable life form. Although the Creature is alone, not all of his life is spent as a fiend; often times the Creature is benevolent. Victor Frankenstein's Creature in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein goes through an extreme character change based on the quote, "I was benevolent and good--misery made me a fiend" (62).

Everywhere the Creature goes he is met with hatred, but through the hate he still tries to help others. After, "The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped . . . ." (67). The Creature finds himself in the woods near the De Lacey home. Remaining kind in spirit the Creature tells that, "I often took his tools, the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days" (71). Though his first contact with humans is awful, the Creature’s benevolence leads him to help and learn from the De Lacey family.

The Creature learns to read, speak, and write while living in the hovel attached to the De Lacey home. After many months, he decides it is time to meet M. De Lacey and try to form a relationship with him. The conversation is going well until Felix, Safie, and Agatha return home and quickly fled, but not before Felix attacked the Creature with a stick. The Creature realizes he could easily tear Felix apart, but refrains and is saddened by the thought that the De Lacey’s would not accept him. Through his grief, the Creature becomes enraged and begins his descent from benevolence.

The Creature starts his transition into a f...

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...urns when his creator, Victor Frankenstein, dies. The Creature realizes Victor is one of his many victims and tells Walton, “my heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change without torture . . . .” (153). This quote tells how the Creature was loving and innocent, but became evil when met hate and confirms the statement “I was benevolent and good--misery made me a fiend" (62).

In Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein’s Creature goes through an extreme character change based on the quote, "I was benevolent and good--misery made me a fiend" (62). The Creature began as unknowing and innocent, but once met with hatred he became miserable. Although kind and benevolent when first created, loneliness, hate, and other aspects led to the Creature’s downfall.