Creature In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Beastly, vengeful, and violent - these are the adjectives that often describe evil characters. In Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein, Victor’s Creature displays all of these characteristics and yet the reader still sympathizes with Creature and his situation. Through Creature’s violent actions, he manifests his immorality, but some readers are able to justify and forgive his actions because of their emotional involvement in his character. Shelly is successful in humanizing the Creature to readers in a way that makes them sympathetic, despite the fact he commits brutal acts against Victor’s family and innocent people.
Shelley’s use of contrast in diction, imagery, monologue, and allusion showed Victor’s unfair judgement of Creature when he was

first brought to life, which then made readers sympathize with him. Upon initially completing his experiment, Frankenstein looked at Creature as a failed experiment; he was hideous.

Victor was very quick to turn Creature away because of his appearance. This is is highlighted in the quote which states,
His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips (58).
In the quote, Shelly utilizes a contrast in diction. This quote shows his step by step assessment of his creation and the reader can clearly see Victor’s disappointment as he continues to look over his work. Specifically, Victor begins by describing his creation as “beautiful” and truly seems to be satisfied with some of the features Creature possesses. However, when Victor starts to look at his eyes it is a “horrid” contrast with the rest of his beautiful features. After fully assessing Creature it was clearly not

what he envisioned. Because Victor was quick to judge Creature based solely on his features it enacts a sense of sympathy within readers. Readers are familiar with the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” so they know that one cannot rush to judgment based on outward appearances; a common theme throughout this novel. Shortly after the review of his experiment, his creation wakes up and Frankenstein rushes out of the room, “His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was outstretched, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs” (59). Within this quote, Shelly incorporates imagery that shows the reader that Creature reached out to touch Frankenstein, but he blatantly rejected him and ran away. This was Creature’s first opportunity to interact with his creator and he was shunned. It was clear within this quote that Victor did not even listen to Creature which was shown, “He might have spoken but I did not hear”. Victor did not even give him a chance because he was so disappointed in his appearance. From the very beginning, Frankenstein was creating a science experiment. He was not looking to build a relationship with his creation, it was solely for scientific research. The creature may have reached out to him for comfort, but Frankenstein never considered his creation might have feelings. Now, readers really sympathize with Creature as he only wanted comfort, but was rejected and left alone. Later on in the book, Frankenstein’s true self and feelings are revealed through the use of monologue and allusion. This can be recognized within the quote which states,
Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent in good; misery would make me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall be virtuous” (103).
From this quote, it helps the reader to fully understand his thoughts towards his situation. There are very few times when Creature has the opportunity to speak, and his use of monologue finally allows him to reveal all his suppressed feelings. Because readers do not have the ability to read the Creature’s mind, this use of monologue was very beneficial for readers. This quote appeals to the readers emotions as he is trying to make Victor feel guilty for not accepting him. All creature wants is Victor’s love and acceptance and if he receives this, then he will be virtuous towards Victor and the rest of humanity. Also, this quote is an allusion to “Paradise Lost”. Within the poem “Paradise Lost”, it describes Satan’s fall from Heaven and the story of Adam and Eve. Creature wants to be treated like God treats Adam; he wants to be surrounded by love and support. However, instead he is being punished for no reason other than his appearance. Again, by showing how miserable he is because of Victor’s rejection, it makes readers sympathize with Creature as up to this point he has done nothing wrong.
With Shelley’s use of anecdote, Creature is able to reveal his a humanistic side through his observations and interactions with the Delacey family.

Creature comes across the Delacey family; a group of gentle, kind cottagers who live in the woods together. From afar, Creature finds ways to protect this family and help them with their daily labors. His humanity is presented when he decides to refrain from taking food from the cottagers after realizing they need it very desperately themselves, “I had been accustomed, during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own consumption; but when I found that in doing this I inflicted pain on the cottagers, I abstained, and satisfied myself with berries, nuts and roots, which I gathered from a neighboring wood.” (114) Over time, as he watches the Delacey family, he learns from their actions and the way they communicate with one another and also develops a connection to the family and wants to find ways to help them. This is recognized when he gathers wood at night so that the children do not have to spend time during the day doing this chore. By gathering wood, he is helping to ensure the family stays warm, but also allows them time to do other important things like repairs to the cottage and tending the garden. This is a very humane, caring act, hardly an act of a monster. In his observations of the family, Creature also displays emotion which greatly influences the reader's’ perception of him as human-like character, “The

gentle manners and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them to me: when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathised in their joys.”(137) And yet, when Creature finally crosses the boundaries of the cottage, his hopes for acceptance are quickly dashed, the sweet, gentle family he's been spying on in the forest falls to pieces when they see him. “Who can describe their horror and consternation on beholding me? Agatha fainted, and Safie unable to attend to her friend, rushed out of the cottage. Felix darted forward...in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick.” (137) To readers, this turn of events is heartbreaking. Creature’s feelings toward the family had grown significantly, and he held them in high regard and desperately hoped they would accept him. To read Shelly’s words and envision the terror on their faces and to imagine him being beaten, was saddening and generated a strong sense of sympathy for Creature. Through Shelley's use of anecdote it allowed readers to connect with Creature as he becomes more humanistic throughout the novel. With the combination of his selflessness in helping the Delacey family and his expression of emotions, it allows readers to sympathize easily with Creature when he is continually rejected by people.
When Creature asks Frankenstein for a female mate, he enacts sympathy in readers from Shelley’s incorporation of strong, negative diction, repetition, and rhetorical question. As Creature is clearly depressed due to his inability to connect with any human, he is certain that a monster of his kind will cure his sadness and loneliness. Creature presents his proposition with, “I am alone, and miserable; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species, and have the same defects.” (146) Within this quote there are many uses of negative diction. This negative diction, expresses Creature’s internal struggles and makes readers connect with him on an emotional level. Words such as “alone”, “miserable”, “deformed”, and “horrible” all appeal to the readers emotions as Creature is fully aware of how flawed his outward appearance is. As readers have continued to recognize Creature’s humanistic qualities through Shelley’s use of literary devices, they are quick to side with Creatures desires. Creature continues with, “Our lives will not be happy but, but they will be harmless, and free from the misery I now feel. Oh! My creator, make me happy; let me feel gratitude towards you for one benefit! Let me see that I excite the sympathy of some existing thing; do not deny me of my request!” (148) In this quote, Creature repeats the word “happy”. This use of repetition continues to justify Creature’s need for a mate; to make him happy. Victor owes Creature something due to his rejection and lack of acceptance and readers are fully aware of this. All he wants is to be happy and have someone who understands his pain. Creature’s desire for happiness once again reveals his humanistic quality of emotion. Because Creature is begging a need for happiness, readers will be able to connect to creature, and thus sympathize with him when his desires are rejected and questioned. Later on when Frankenstein decides to destroy the creation of Creature’s female mate, Creature responds with, "Shall each man," he says, "find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone?" (172) This rhetorical question again, makes the reader sympathize with Creature. He compares how every man needs a wife, so why can he not have a female mate also? Readers are able to make the connection between the need for love among humans, so since they see Creature as a human, they are able to understand his perspective.
It is clear that through Mary Shelley’s use of literary devices, it allows readers to perceive Creature as a human. Creature’s interactions with Victor Frankenstein, the Delacey family, and his need for a female mate, allowed readers to sympathize with Creature even despite his evil and murderous actions. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein reveals how evil characters are still able to receive sympathy even when they commit acts that would make them otherwise discouraged and criminals.