Examples Of Monstrosity In Frankenstein

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, monstrosity is defined as an inexorable sense which demonstrated by intense revenge, prolonged isolation and the dangerous pursuit of knowledge. Firstly, the revenge between Victor Frankenstein and the creature initiates their insanity or monstrosity. When Victor destroys the female creature, the creature is extremely wrathful and says, "You can blast my other passions, but revenge remains-- revenge, hence forth dearer than light or food! I may die, but first you, my tyrant and tormentor, shall curse the sun that gazes on your misery" (Shelley 205-206). Thus, Victor and the creature show their willingness to fight against each other. It is evident that they leave far away from love and companionship which causes them suffer sorely in a dire consequence. Mary Shelley conveys an idea

that revenge would not solve any problems, instead it would bring a sense of monstrosity to destroy anything included innocent people. Moreover, loneliness may catalyzes the imprudent actions of Victor Frankenstein and the creature which drift them into monstrosity and destruction. For example, the creature expresses his loneliness, "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. This being you must create"( Shelley 173). In this quotation, the monster tells Victor Frankenstein about his loneliness in order to get a female partner which would give the monster love and compassion. Because of his outer looking, the monster isolates with the rest of society even though he wants to find his love and happiness. The novel presents that monstrosity is intensified by loneliness which is a disaster to the society. Lastly, consumed by the obsession of a dangerous pursuit of knowledge, Victor Frankenstein indulges into a madman which builds the sense of monstrosity. For instance, at the beginning of the book, Victor Frankenstein tells readers, "Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will

allow." (Shelley 53) He describes himself as a person who likes exploring knowledge, "While my companion contemplated with a serious and satisfied spirit the magnificent appearances of things, I delighted in investigating their causes. The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine. Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember." (Shelley 31) Although a yearning for knowledge is usually an encouraged characteristic, Shelley builds a character, Victor Frankenstein, to display that unmerciful curiosity would leave behind monstrosity. From the major incident, Frankenstein persists his willingness and curiosity to learn science and then evolves the dangerous knowledge into a monster who finally destroys Victor's own happiness and love. From the everlasting curiosity, Frankenstein is engulfed by the monster inside him and the monster grows bigger. As a result of the pursuit of knowledge that defied natural order where life was created from inanimate objects, the developing monstrosity inside Frankenstein led him to destruction. In general, Shelley demonstrates that monstrosity is acquired through belligerent revenge, extensive isolation and dangerous curiosity. As the characters in the novel Frankenstein compellingly evince, monstrosity is not an inherent characteristic but one that is acquired through belligerent revenge, extensive isolation and dangerous curiosity. Shelley uses the theme of monstrosity to inspirit the readers that monstrosity brings out destruction.