Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: A Different Perspective

Frankenstein: A Different Perspective

Going into Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the first thought that comes to the reader’s mind are the several misconceptions that exist about this literary work. The first is the idea that the monster goes by the particular name of Frankenstein. Another misleading aspect is the depiction of him: a scary creature whose only purpose is to serve evil intentions. However, upon reading the story we learn that the “monster” goes unnamed throughout the entire book, initially unaware of his capabilities. He learns to read, and stumbles upon papers that reveal his creator, Victor. After being driven to living in isolation, and Victor’s refusal to create a female companion, the monster decides that earth is no place

He ends his life by jumping out of a window to be washed away by sea. Who is the real monster in the story? The wrongdoings of the characters in the novel along with some recounts of the inhumane actions of mankind contrasting may lead the reader to question who the real antagonist is. Frankenstein can be viewed as a story about an innocent creation who falls victim to the stomach-churning actions committed by man, because of the prejudice views, unfair treatment, and lack of empathy that is repetitively highlighted in the story.

Mary Shelley brings a great amount of attention to ignorance. One of the early lines of criticism lies in Chapter 13, when the genocide of the Native Americans is referenced by the monster, in the middle of telling us about how Felix used De Volney’s Ruins of Empires to instruct Safie. He discloses that he “wept..over the hapless fate of [America’s] original inhabitants” (Shelley 100). He goes on to explain how he felt about the

One example of this is during the time the creature takes refuge in a small cottage near the DeLaceys. He states, “I retreated and lay down happy to have found a shelter, however miserable, from the inclemency of..the barbarity of man” (Shelley 88). Man is yet again called out on the behavior it was taking part in. Victor’s refusal to create a female creature may have been for the best, but it still shows how most chose to reject this being to ensure their own comfort. In the words of the creature himself: “ I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on” (Shelley 197). Perhaps the only person in the story equipped with sincerity was the old man, who did not rely on his eyes to make