Sympathy for Frankenstein

1354 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Sympathy in frankenstein

Sympathy for the Devil is a concept most people of lesser intelligence cannot comprehend. Sympathy should be the first thing one thinks when the primary character in Frankenstein, the unnamed result of Victor Frankenstein’s laborious task in the opening chapters of the novel, is mentioned. The “monster”, we shall call him, came into the world as innocent as a newborn babe; he had neither been corrupted by the wickedness of man, nor tainted by the animalistic savagery of nature. When the monster realizes the inherent destitution of the elementary components of human happiness he has been brought into the world with, his disposition is corrupted. It is because of his lack of the love of a family, the security of belonging, and a creator watching over him that he is driven to a bitter perspective towards his existence. Sympathy is warranted towards the monster’s plight, as any rational being can understand the misery of a creature in such miserable circumstances. The monster deserves our sympathy because he is a victim of circumstance.

Most humans now living were brought up by a parent or guardian. Rarely is a human left to his own devices to raise himself from childhood. It would certainly be an unpleasant experience, having no protector, no one to care for you, no one to help you discover the emotions humans are capable of feeling. Sympathy is well deserved to any creatures that are thrust into the world with no guidance, left to learn the cruelness of the world on their own. Victor abandons his creation, which is comparable to a mother abandoning her child. “Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, they creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us.” (Shelley 89) The monster is saying ...

... middle of paper ...

... is ultimately foiled by humanities prejudices. He was only a victim of circumstance; hence we should feel sorry for him, not condemn him.

Frankenstein’s creation was a victim of circumstance. One who is brought into the world alone, with no protector to guide him, and is driven to desolation. A person with no mate is miserable, doomed to spend his life without pleasure or company. A man who is thrown out by those he deems his fellow creatures, lives a mean life, alone with infinite misery. Any creature that is demoted to this degree of torment is deserving of our sympathy. The monster is driven to his misery, and because of his anguish, transforms from a docile, loving creature, into a vicious, malevolent animal bent on revenge. Frankenstein’s monster was a victim of circumstance, and so deserves our sympathy.

Works Cited

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

Show More
Related

  • The Morally Ambiguity In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1901 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Essay Comparing King Lear And Frankenstein

    1827 Words  | 4 Pages

    As Frankenstein is enroute to his pursuit of gaining more knowledge, he states, “I wished, as it were, to procrastinate all that related to my feelings of affection until the great object, which swallowed up every habit of my nature, should be completed” (Shelley 41). Frankenstein’s decision in allowing his intellectual ambitions to overpower everything else in his life leads him to be blinded to the dangers of creating life. He isolates himself from his society when creating the monster, letting himself be immersed in his creation while being driven by his passions, allowing nobody to be near him. The fact that he allows this creation of a monster to consume his total being reveals how blinded he is to the immorality of stepping outside the boundaries of science and defying nature. His goal in striving to achieve what wants to in placing man over nature makes him lose his sense of self as all he is focused on is the final product of his creation. He starts to realize his own faults as after he has created the monster, he becomes very ill and states, “The form of the monster on whom I had bestowed existence was forever before my eyes, and I raved incessantly concerning him” (48). His impulsive decision to make the monster leads him to abhorring it as it does not turn out to be what he has expected. Because he chooses to isolate himself in creating the

    Read More

  • Why Frankenstein's Creature Is The Most Sympathetic Character

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Victor Frankenstein as the True Monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    The fact that Frankenstein’s creation turns on him and murders innocent people is never overlooked; it has been the subject of virtually every popularization of the novel. What is not often acknowledged is the fact that Frankenstein himself embodies some of the worst traits of humankind. He is self-centered, with little real love for those who care about him; he is prejudiced, inflexible and cannot forgive, even in death. While some of these traits could be forgivable, to own and flaunt them all should be enough to remind a careful reader that there are two "monsters" in Frankenstein.

    Read More

  • Tragic Hero in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tragedy shows no discrimination and often strikes down on those undeserving of such turmoil. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a creature more repulsive than one can imagine is brought to life by a young scientist. Although this creature is horrifying in sight, he is gentle by nature. Unfortunately, the softer side of the creature is repeatedly overlooked and the so called “monster” is driven to a breaking point. Even though the Creature committed many crimes, Mary Shelley’s Creature was the tragic hero of this story because of his efforts rescue the life of a young girl and helping destitute cottagers.

    Read More

  • Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

    1163 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Who Is the Real Monster in Frankenstein?

    1708 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • FRANKENSTEIN

    517 Words  | 2 Pages

    The monster “Frankenstein” is thought of as a horrible, evil creation. One informant thought of him as frustrated, loud, and uncommunicative. Some others remember aspects from the many different movies such as the monster having “the mind of a killer and the heart of a kind man.” One informant recalled the monster having a “soft spot for children” when he helped a little girl kill all the evil monsters in one of the movies.

    Read More

  • Essay On Frankenstein Tragedy

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Victor Frankenstein serves as an instrument of suffering of others and contributes to the tragic vision as a whole in this novel. He hurts those surrounding him by his selfish character and his own creation plots against his master due to the lack of happiness and love. The audience should learn from Frankenstein’s tragic life and character to always remain humble. We should never try to take superiority that is not granted to us because like victor we shall suffer and perish. He had the opportunity to make a difference in his life and take responsibility as a creator but his selfishness caused him to die alone just like what he had feared.

    Read More

  • The Effect of Frankenstein's Monster

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    Countless situations created in life will always have some consequence, whether the outcome is a positive outcome or a negative outcome. During the novel, Frankenstein, there are many incidents portrayed through the characters that have both a positive outcome and a negative outcome, no matter the type of situation. The majorities of the situations that are conveyed in this novel almost always have a negative outcome because of the way the effects damage and hurt the innocence of the other characters in the story. In this novel many of the negative outcomes are a consequence of a hideous monster, known as Frankenstein’s monster, which was created by the hands of Victor Frankenstein.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a truly famous novel that has been revisited by many, as well as revised by the author in the many years since its original publication. Within this novel Shelley conveys the tragic fictional story of Victor Frankenstein and his monster that he thoughtlessly brought to life, as well as the lives of those affected by his hideous creation. Throughout the novel it is made quite apparent that the monster was not inherently evil, in fact the monster was quite benign, however through its interactions with society the monster is slowly shaped into a being that can truly be called just that, a monster. All of the aforementioned change to the monster are brought about in part by the societal standards of the time period

    Read More

  • Sympathy for the Monster in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

    411 Words  | 1 Pages

    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’.

    Read More

  • Passion And Responsibility In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    After hearing the monster’s side of the story Frankenstein started to show some compassion for the being and agreed to it’s desire for a mate. Now that Frankenstein has learned the full story of his creation he feels the need to take responsibility for it now with the line, “did [he] not as his maker owe him all portions of happiness” (Shelley 125), less the monster start to attack humanity out of

    Read More

  • Victor is the True Villain of Frankenstein

    1243 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Chosen Vs Frankenstein Essay

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    He imagines, “A new species [Frankenstein’s creation] would bless me as its creator and source…No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs.” It is clear Frankenstein is initially ecstatic for the time his creation comes to life. He expects his creation to be thankful for him, and that this will bring him great pride and happiness. But, this prediction could not be further from reality. Though he dreamt of the happiness and well-being of his creature, he found his priorities lied else ware. Frankenstein recognizes, “My duties towards the beings of my own species had grater claims to my attention.” In other words, Frankenstein found his friends and family were more important than his creation. Because Frankenstein neglects his creation, his creation drifts far from Frankenstein’s dreams, and further than his nightmares could fear. He illustrates, “He [Frankenstein’s creation] showed unparalleled malignity and selfishness, in evil: he destroyed my friends; he devoted to destruction beings who possessed exquisite sensations, happiness, and wisdom; nor do I know where his thirst for vengeance may end.” In simpler terms, rather than the thankful and happy creation Frankenstein envisioned, he was reckless. His creation killed Frankenstein’s friends and family, and harmed those who were happier and wiser than he. And, Frankenstein could not see the end to his path of destruction; his creation was beyond Frankenstein’s

    Read More

More about Sympathy for Frankenstein

Open Document