Frankenstein Compare And Contrast Essay

The trust that one can express for those around them can show how a person truly is. The tale of Frankenstein is one which many people know differently. In the original Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with creating new life and immediately becomes horrified and regrets it afterwards. In the novel there are many point of view changes that allow for viewing of different character’s opinions on different things, including the monster’s. You may see Victor describe the monster’s grin as horrid and devilish, while the monster describes his own smile as excited. These different views show how in depth each character’s thought process is, and inversely to this, how innocent they are. Simple minded characters, such

as the monster, do not have a very extensive thought process when it comes to situations and therefore are more innocent. Victor’s thought process is one that is far too in depth, which causes him to have very selective views about many things as well as over think many things. (including the intentions behind the monster). He neglects the monster and ignores it, forcing it to grow up in a harsh environment and cause it to seek revenge out of pure rage. Victor is the true villain, due to his fears and selfishness. The monster is nothing but a blank slate, which could have been kind and happy if raised correctly, but the way Victor treats the monster causes the monsters downward spiral to malicious actions.
Victor’s emotions throughout Frankenstein are some that are attributed to a villain of a story. To start, Victor is fearful in life. He seems to have issues committing to things. After he committed to creating the monster and teaching it as one of his own, he abandoned it not even one day after its creation due to only its appearance. “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath… his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips”(42) are some examples alone of what the monster looked like. While it’s true that every other person in the story couldn’t stand the sight of the creature, it is purely pathetic for the monster’s creator to abandon it so quickly, even after all of his hard work. Victor’s fear show that no matter how professional someone appears to be, primal instinct will kick in and show how someone truly is. This can be attributed to Thomas Hobbes’ philosophy that all men are born self interested. Victor himself acts like he understands everything that he is doing, though he really understands very little about human philosophy. For instance, John Locke, a well known philosopher, believed that every creature is born a tabula rasa, or a blank slate. For Victor to not believe this, as well because Victor abandons the monster so early in the novel, it is obvious that Victor cares more about himself than others: a very evil trait.
Along with this fear comes Victor’s selfishness.

Victor frequently doesn’t consider the monster, and only thinks of self-benefit. In fact, Victor’s purpose in creating the monster was self-benefit: to have a race that considers him their god. This plan doesn’t work out for obvious reasons, and the monster runs. When Victor encounters the monster again, it is an unexpected encounter on Mount Blanc. Victor assumes the monster killed his son though no real proof existed at the time. Victor sees the monster, and “A mist came over (his) eyes, and (he) felt a faintness seize (him)”(80). This is Victor's reaction to simply seeing the monster. He feels as if he needs to get revenge against the monster who could be innocent. Victor says later “I trembled with rage and horror, resolving to wait his approach and then close with him in mortal combat”(80). He is willing to die if it gets this possibly innocent creature off of the earth. This is an evil and selfish thing of him to do, simply to get out the rage of losing two of his family members. Actions like this are what cause the monster to want to continue ruining Victor. The monster asks for a compromise; a bride so that he has someone who he can befriend. Victor agrees to this only out of self defense, and not out of goodness. After realising he is being spied on by the monster, he destroys the bride. Victor said “I thought with a sensation of madness on my promise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion, tore

to pieces the thing on which I was engaged”(145). Once again, when Victor saw the face of the monster he freaked out irrationally, for he could have ridden of his problems. His paranoia causes him to be selfish and is a weak attempt at saving what he loves -- his family.
Many could accuse the monster of being the cause of the strange and cruel actions that Victor does throughout the book, but these ideas come from Victor’s point of view.

When we peek into the mind of the monster, we see how innocent he actually is. The monster can be compared to a sad, alone puppy. Dogs, in general, grow and learn about the world from those around them. They start out innocent and are basically taught through actions that others do. The phrase, ‘There are no bad dogs, only bad owners.’ applies here. Victor -- as well as the rest of the world -- teach the monster about life, and they present the world as a hostile place. The monster meets a family, and feels bad for them and decides to help them. Right away, the monster is showing sympathy. While the DeLaceys don’t know who is getting wood for them, they do leave out clothing and books for whoever it is. Through the books he learns more about the good and bad of the world. When he finally enters their cottage and speaks to the blind old man, he is quickly interrupted by the old man’s son who attacks him with a stick. The monster’s response is one that shows his innocence. “I could have torn him limb from limb… But my heart sank within me as with bitter sickness, and I refrained… Overcome by pain and anguish, I quitted the cottage and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel”(115). The monster is shown avoiding violence. He is shown being kind, and as a result doesn’t mean to harm, only to

help.
When the monster does help, he isn’t rewarded for it. He is shot in the arm for saving a young girl from drowning, for instance. This will teach the monster to not want to do good things in the world. Lastly, the monster expresses sadness when his owner is killed, even after all of the pain they put each other through. He expresses sympathy, and even says that Victor is a “Generous and self-devoted being!”(194). The emotions that the monster undergoes, including sympathy and generosity, as well as its innocence and his unknowing of the impact of his actions show that the monster cannot be the villain of the novel and, is instead, the one suffering.
Victor is one of the weaker characters in Frankenstein. He lets his emotions and human instinct get the better of him in almost all situations. He makes impulsive decisions that impact him poorly in the future. He finds ways to blame the monster for his own actions. The monster, or the blank slate, did not dislike anybody, and the actions alone of others resulted in the monster's rage and spite for mankind. The monster shouldn’t be accused of being self interested, he follows Locke’s ideas that beings are born blank slates, while all true humans in the story follow Hobbes’ more self-centered mindset.