Adam's Struggle In 'Finding Companionship In Frankenstein'

Neil Chavan

11/20/14

AP Lit

Mr. Thomas

The Abandoned Child: Adam’s Struggle in Finding Companionship in Frankenstein

In the novel Frankenstein Victor succeeds in creating life after years of constant work and study. Soon after his success however, he abandons his creation because of its horrific physical appearance. The monster is forced to survive in isolation, where, unlike a normal human being, he is not nurtured into adulthood by a parental figure. He becomes unable to form relationships with other human beings and whenever the monster, whom Mary Shelley refers to as “Adam,” attempts to have contact with another being he is reminded of the physical difference that exists between himself and everyone else. It is primarily this difference

In many places around the world, children are abandoned for physical deformities that they are born with. The parents see the imperfections in their child and for various reasons are driven to rid themselves of said child. Many times the baby dies because he or she is left alone in the middle of nowhere with no ability to take care of themselves. Other times the baby is taken to a foster home. These foster homes believe that any child can be nurtured into a well-mannered being. Like a deformed child, Adam is abandoned by his “parent.” The difference with Adam is that there is no foster care for him, and consequently he is not nurtured into his adulthood by another being. His desire in finding companionship can directly be tied to this. Had Victor not abandoned Adam after his awakening, Adam would have grown up in the presence of another person, someone who could have showed him even the slightest compassion. After all the time he spends alone, this compassion is what the monster wishes for. When he watches the De Lacey family, Adam comments, “...the greater became my desire to claim their protection and kindness; my heart yearned to be known and loved… to see their sweet looks turned towards me with affection, was the utmost limit of my ambition” (92). This passage is indicative of Adam’s lonely state as well as how much he wishes for companionship. Adam’s

Each of his attempts concludes in a similar manner: he is shunned and made to realize that which Victor calls his “wretchedness.” In his initial search for food the monster comes across a village where the screaming villagers flee and drive him away by hurling stones (73). After observing the De Lacey family for an extended period of time Adam attempts to speak with them, only to be beaten away with a stick by Felix (94). In the woods, the monster encounters William and attempts to seize him to “educate him as [his] companion and friend” (100). Instead he is reminded that he is an “ugly wretch” and a “hideous monster” (100). The monster’s perceived ugliness by others is unable to be surmounted by any amount of words that the monster says. He is immediately judged by his look and never gets the opportunity prove he is good-natured. This is the ultimate struggle that Adam faces when searching for a