Frankenstein’s Epitaph

There are times when humans wish that they could live without pain and suffering.

In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, pain and suffering are caused due to the actions of

Victor Frankenstein and the monster. In the novel pathos is created when the monster

portrays its tale, a character makes a regrettable decision, and a character dies unjustly.

Pathos helps the reader have a better understanding of the novel.

Pathos is first created when the monster discloses it tale. Brought to life by Dr.

Frankenstein, the monster begins to identify its five senses and explore the world around.

According to the monster, “A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me… I learned to

distinguish between the operations of my various operations of my senses” (Shelley, 87).

The monster is abandoned by it creator and left to discover things for itself. The monster is

similar to a lost child, uncertain about its surroundings. Dr. Frankenstein abandoning his

own creation is comparable to a parent abandoning their children when they are most

vulnerable and some sympathy is felt for the monster. Next, the monster learns another

miserable fact about itself that is that it will remain desolate for the remainder of

its life. Observing other people’s joy and happiness such as the De Lacey family, the

monster develops a longing for recognition, which can only be cured by finding its own

family, which understands its torment. The attempt by the monster to communicate and

connect with the De Lacey family is unsuccessful as it is violently turned away by Felix,

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“in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick”

(Shelley, 121). The feeling...

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...tein’s life as miserable as possible. Pathos is

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felt for his death because even though Dr. Frankenstein has made some mistakes that

ultimately leads to his downfall he has lost his remaining family due to the monster. This

is a price that is far greater than the pain he has cause the monster. So the unjust death in

the novel creates a feeling of pathos.

Pathos in the novel is created by the story that the monster tells, the decisions that

Have caused the downfall of the characters, and the deaths that were unjust. Pathos is a

feeling of sympathy and sorrow that helps the reader better understand what is developing

in the story. Whenever someone reads about painful tales, it is inevitable that pain and

suffering should take place.

Works Cited

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. United States of America. Bantam Books, 1981.