In Frankenstein there are many actions chosen by the characters that could be viewed as evil or immoral. While their actions are viewed as sinful there tends to be sympathy evoked due to one’s knowledge of the character’s background and person. Victor’s monster would appear horrid and vile until the reader is made aware of the monster’s background. Having all the pieces of the puzzle changes one’s perspective which changes the opinion of the reader towards characters. Frankenstein is the prime example of an innocent character who is driven to evil actions by the insensitive actions of others when the creature created by Victor turns into a monster due to cruel treatment because of his physical appearance.
Victor Frankenstein plays Creator
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when he takes the body parts of recently deceased corpses and molds his creation. He brings his creature to life and realizes his mistake, the physical appearance of his creature is so horrid he thinks, “Oh! no mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch.” (Chapter 4). Victor picked his creations features with care, aiming to make him beautiful, but it’s physical appearance didn’t turn out the way he had planned, “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.” (Chapter 4). The creature, however, had no say in his own appearance and, with his childlike mind, didn’t realize how he could possibly be so different from his creator who runs from him and leaves him to find his way alone. The creature starts off as any human enters the world, a clean-slate mindset and childlike wonder at the curios creations of the world. The creature is left to fend for himself and figures out how to scavenge for food and water.
He comes across a little hut in the woods and enters only for the sole occupant to flee at the sight of him, “ He turned on hearing a noise; and, perceiving me, shrieked loudly, and, quitting the hut, ran across the fields... his flight, somewhat surprised me. But I was enchanted by the appearance of the hut…” (Chapter 11). He has an innocent mindset the didn’t perceive the prejudice actions of the old man. He comes across a village and stares in wonder and tried to enter a house but the villagers caught sight of him, “... I had hardly placed my foot within the door, before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted. The whole village was mused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country, and fearfully took refuge in a low hovel…” (Chapter 11). This is when he flees the village and stumbles upon a small cottage with three residents; a blind old man and his son, Felix, and his daughter, Agatha. He learns the human language by watching them and comes to view them as a sort of family. The creature watches the humans interact, watches Felix meet the love of his life and invite her to live with them, and comes to crave the companionship they share. The creature sees what the humans share and wants to have someone to share his own life
with. The creature is an overall innocent character but there are actions he takes later in the story that can be viewed as evil and immoral. He takes revenge on Victor for creating him and giving him such a hideous form and starts with Victor’s youngest brother, William, “He struggled violently. `Let me go,' he cried; `monster! ugly wretch!... "`Hideous monster! let me go. My papa is a Syndic--he is M. Frankenstein--he will punish you. You dare not keep me.'"`Frankenstein! you belong then to my enemy--to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim.' "The child still struggled, and loaded me with epithets which carried despair to my heart; I grasped his throat to silence him, and in a moment he lay dead at my feet."I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph: clapping my hands, I exclaimed, `I, too, can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him.'” (Chapter 16). He demands from Victor a companion or he would kill everyone Victor held dear but Victor refuses, fearing another monster who would reak havoc on mankind as his monster had done, and enrages the monster who kills Henry and Victor’s love, Elizabeth. These murders committed against Victor is viewed as a horrid action that justifies Victor’s classification of the monster as a daemon. It can be argued that the creature is a horrible monster but he wasn’t like that originally, just driven to mad actions by the unjust views and actions of humans who describe him as inhumane.The creature had high hopes for integrating himself into human society by introducing himself to the cottagers whom he viewed as friends, “I formed in my imagination a thousand pictures of presenting myself to them, and their reception of me. I imagined that they would be disgusted, until, by my gentle demeanour and conciliating words, I should first win their favour, and afterwards their love.” (Chapter 12). The creature would have continued life as an innocent being but his personality was warped by the cruel treatment of those he trusted. He confronted the old man while the rest of the cottage’s occupants were out, “...I perhaps may be of use in undeceiving them. I am blind, and cannot judge of your countenance, but there is something in your words which persuades me that you are sincere. I am poor, and an exile; but it will afford me true pleasure to be in any way serviceable to a human creature,"(Chapter 15). The old man welcomed him, his blind state shielded him from the creatures appearance, and offered his help. The children, however, came back and cried out at his horrible form so close to their father, “ Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force tore me from his father... he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick...my heart sunk within me as with bitter sickness...overcome by pain and anguish, I quitted the cottage and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel.”(Chapter 15). It wasn’t the creature’s fault that society rejected him, he faced the prejudice views of humans for so long that he realized he didn’t have a chance and his heart, so filled with his love for humanity, shrank and shriveled away to hatred for his creator and longing for the companionship he would never have. The monster isn’t really a monster just someone who was exiled from society because of something so far out of his control that his innocent mindset was warped into one that craved revenge. While he could be viewed as a monster because he murdered Victor’s brother William, his friend Henry, and his lover Elizabeth, he wasn’t always an evil character. He was abandoned by his creator, rejected from society, and beat by a person he saw as family. There’s no person who wouldn’t be driven to madness by loneliness and anger, the creature was no exception. The creature struggled for acceptance for so long that being rejected by the cottagers was the last straw, he was lost and driven to desperate actions. Prejudice caused the tragedy that was the life of the creature and humanity isn’t always humane.
The various acts of cruelty in Frankenstein effects the characters personalities and actions greatly. If victor wouldn’t have abandoned his creation in the first place, the whole story would have gone differently. Cruelty is a crucial part in the characters
I have empathy for the monster because he was not created to be evil. His creator Victor D. Frankenstein and the people he encountered after he was created, were the ones who were being hateful towards him. The monster was happy and had a kind heart towards the people he met , but his kind heart and pleasant demeanor was short lived. People started talking about him in a bad way and that made the monster angry and also it made him a product of his environment. This is how he became who he was.
The creature’s moral ambiguity characteristic was a vile ingredient to the construction of this novel Frankenstein because it made the reader 's sympathies with him even after the audience knows he had committed murder because the readers had seen the truth this creature had to face. That he had tried everything within his power to peacefully live with them, to interact, communicate, and befriend them “these thoughts exhilarated me and led me to apply with fresh ardour to the acquiring the art of language”, that even though he was seen as a monster because of the looks he was created with, something he had no control over, he still had hope to be seen as equals, ”My organs were indeed harsh, but supple; and although my voice was very unlike the soft music of their tones, yet I pronounced such words as I understood with tolerable ease. It was as the ass and the lap-dog; yet surely the gentle ass whose intentions were affectionate, although his manners were rude, deserved better treatment than blows and execration;” this hope of his was utterly crushed, and can only set him up for utter disappointment(12.18). Because in the end he only received hates, scorns, violence, and prejudice from his good will. So in the end of the story, Mary Shelley’s forces the readers to see within the creature’s heart and for
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is ‘one of the pioneering works of modern science fiction’, and is also a frightening story that speaks to the ‘mysterious fears of our nature’. Mary Shelley mocks the idea of “playing God”, the idea that came from the Greek myth of Prometheus, of the Greek titan who stole Zeus’ gift of life. Both the story of Frankenstein and Prometheus reveal the dark side of human nature and the dangerous effects of creating artificial life. Frankenstein reveals the shocking reality of the consequences to prejudging someone. The creature’s first-person narration reveals to us his humanity, and his want to be accepted by others even though he is different. We are shown that this ‘monster’ is a ‘creature’ and more of a human than we think.
Literature often works as depicted act of betrayal. Many people, friends, and family may portray a protagonist, but they will likewise be guilty of treachery or betrayal to their own values. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, there is acts of betrayal between Victor Frankenstein and the monster. In the Novel Victor Frankenstein is a betrayal of life itself because it should be given naturally and not created by a scientist man. The monster is actually the one who is majorly betrayed, he may look like a hideous dangerous monster on the outside but, not one within himself. From the beginning of the novel, Victor betrays the monster, and this betrayal is seen on many levels throughout the novel. The tragic figure in Mary Shelley’s horror novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein, is truly the instrument of betrayal to his creation of the monster because life should be given naturally not by creation of suffering and horrific which is made by man.
In her novel titled ‘Frankenstein’, Mary Shelley employs many innovative literary techniques to elicit feelings of sympathy for the monster, even though the creature’s desire for revenge may render him incapable. Are readers able to respond compassionately to the creature even though he willingly makes Victor’s life miserable by murdering those close to him?
When Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein is analyzed, critics comes to a conclusion about Victor Frankenstein's creation. The creature invokes the most sympathy from the readers than any other character in the novel. Because he is abandoned by society which manipulates the creature to do evil things despite his good heart. Therefore Shelley's message throughout the novel is that a person is not born evil, they are made evil.
Can you imagine losing all of your loved ones to an evil beast? Or being abandoned by everyone you came in contact with? Mary Shelley portrays numerous emotions in Frankenstein. Sympathy and hatred are two that are constantly shown throughout novel. Mary Shelley enlists sympathy and hatred towards Victor and the monster by presenting them in different viewpoints. The views of sympathy and hatred towards the main characters change as the narration changes in the novel Frankenstein.
In Frankenstein, Victor’s monster suffers much loneliness and pain at the hands of every human he meets, as he tries to be human like them. First, he is abandoned by his creator, the one person that should have accepted, helped, and guided him through the confusing world he found himself in. Next, he is shunned wherever he goes, often attacked and injured. Still, throughout these trials, the creature remains hopeful that he can eventually be accepted, and entertains virtuous and moral thoughts. However, when the creature takes another crushing blow, as a family he had thought to be very noble and honorable abandons him as well, his hopes are dashed. The monster then takes revenge on Victor, killing many of his loved ones, and on the humans who have hurt him. While exacting his revenge, the monster often feels guilty for his actions and tries to be better, but is then angered and provoked into committing more wrongdoings, feeling self-pity all the while. Finally, after Victor’s death, the monster returns to mourn the death of his creator, a death he directly caused, and speaks about his misery and shame. During his soliloquy, the monster shows that he has become a human being because he suffers from an inner conflict, in his case, between guilt and a need for sympathy and pity, as all humans do.
“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelly explores the concept of the body, life, ‘the self’ and most of importantly humanity, which is repeatedly questioned throughout the novel. The definition of humanity is the quality of being humane or in other words someone that can feel or possess compassion. Despite all the facts against the “monster” in “Frankenstein” he is indeed what one would consider being human. Humanity isn’t just about ones physical appearance but also includes intellect and emotion. Some people argue that the “monster” is not a human for he was not a creature that was born from “God” or from a human body. That being said, the “monster” is not only able to speak different languages, he can also show empathy - one of many distinct traits that set humans apart from the animals. Both the “monster” and his creator, Victor, hold anger and feel a sense of suffering throughout the novel. Victor is a good person with good intentions just like most individuals, but makes the mistake of getting swept up into his passion of science and without thinking of the consequences he creates a “monster”. After completing his science project, he attempts to move forward with his life, however his past – i.e., the “monster” continues to follow and someone haunt him. While one shouldn’t fault or place blame on Frankenstein for his mistakes, you also can’t help but feel somewhat sympathetic for the creature. Frankenstein just wants to feel accepted and loved, he can’t help the way he treats people for he’s only mimicking how people have treated him, which in most cases solely based on his appearance. Unlike most of the monsters we are exposed to in films past and present, the character of the “monster” ...
...most readers tend to sympathize with Frankenstein because of the way in which he is mentally and physically harmed by his creation. However, one must also realize that while Frankenstein is a victim in the novel, he also exhibits features that make him a monster. These monstrous qualities, however, stem from his passion for science and his desire to create life. Not only does the reader criticize and pity Frankenstein, but the reader also empathizes with Frankenstein’s creation. He was unjustly shunned by society because of his physical appearance. On the other hand, the reader realizes that like Frankenstein, the creation can not be sympathized with entirely. He too exhibits traits that make him appear villainous. It is the duality of these two characters that make Frankenstein and his creation two of the most appealing characters of the nineteenth century.
In Frankenstein, Shelley creates two very complex characters. They embody the moral dilemmas that arise from the corruption and disturbance of the natural order of the world. When Victor Frankenstein is attending school, he becomes infatuated with creating a living being and starts stealing body parts from morgues around the university. After many months of hard work, he finishes one stormy night bringing his creation to life. However, “now that [Victor] had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled [his] heart” (Chambers). Right after Victor realizes what he has done, he falls into deep depression and must be nursed back to health by his friend. Victor spends the rest of the story facing consequences and moral problems from creating unnatural life. When he realizes that the ‘monster’ has killed his brother, even though no one believes him, he feels responsible for his brother’s murder because he was responsible for the existence of the ‘monster’. Also feeling responsible, Victor...
It is when Frankenstein realizes how different he is to other people that he realizes his uniqueness and individualism. “I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man. I was more agile than they and could subsist upon a coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs. When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?” (Frankenstein, 150). While Frankenstein is by no means a human, he is made up of human parts and still craves love and affection. His rejection from everyone he sees, including his creator makes him feel like an outcast. It was because of Victor that Frankenstein couldn’t bear to be who he was made to be and felt a need to run into isolation. Victor not only created a monster physically, but also mentally turned him into someone he didn’t have to be. Both Frankenstein and Victor struggle with balancing their personal wants and needs with societies expectations and the people around them. That is one of the true struggles of being one person living in a world of many, you have to do what makes you happy while making sure it doesn’t effect other peoples happiness negatively. Victor doesn’t do a good job of
In this essay I am going to answer ‘how and why does Mary Shelley make the reader sympathise with the character of the monster in her novel Frankenstein’.
At first glance, the monster in Frankenstein is a symbol of evil, whose only desire is to ruin lives. He has been called "A creature that wreaks havoc by destroying innocent lives often without remorse. He can be viewed as the antagonist, the element Victor must overcome to restore balance and tranquility to the world." But after the novel is looked at on different levels, one becomes aware that the creature wasn't responsible for his actions, and was just a victim of circumstance. The real villain of Frankenstein isn't the creature, but rather his creator, Victor.