Theme Of Sympathy In Frankenstein

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Although Shelley revealed how humanity defines monsters and how to fix the problems associated with it, why does this happen to humanity? Many, including myself, would have enough faith in humanity to believe that it can decide for itself what is monstrous without having to be taught how to do so correctly. Yet as seen through history, finding monsters is not as easy as it seems, but why is this true? Why can humanity not see innocence past difference and evil in similarity? Despite revealing to humanity the problem with finding monsters, Frankenstein also indirectly reveals why this occurs. When reading Frankenstein, readers invoke many emotions: fear, anger, and sympathy while at the same time trying to read everything from an analytical …show more content…

The human mind finds itself over ridden with analysis and unable to deduce characterization correctly resulting in one of two scenarios. So, the improper labeling stems from improper characterization. Through this, the monster is once again able to provide insight into how humans act upon the world. In letting emotions take control of the story, Frankenstein becomes a story about a boy searching for love from his father (Bissonette, 108-109). Of the many emotions the monster brings to the reader, the first and strongest emotion brought out is sympathy. As a lost and hurt soul longing for acceptance, readers latch on to the monster wishing they could provide the compassion he is searching for. In this moment, sympathy overwhelms the readers as they begin to despise Victor Frankenstein for what he has done. He, in the minds of the reader, has become a father who has abounded his child in the …show more content…

As such, the problem society has with evaluating character stems from allowing emotion or pure analysis to guide an impression instead of combining the two (Bissonette, 109-110). In order to fix this problem, a conscious effort must be taken in evaluating characters. As with the example of Frankenstein, the beast is initially brought to this life without his consent and then left to die on his own by his creator (Shelley, 51). Considering ethics, it is unethical what Victor Frankenstein did. He defied nature and brought to life an abomination without considering the consequences of his actions. However, this does not mean the creature deserves to be considered an abomination because of its frightful origin. Those who use solely analysis to view character need to stop and evaluate the situation from an ethical and emotional standpoint. The creature could not control his bring of existence into this life, his looks, or his abandonment. As such, he is like a deformed child brought into this world that is immediately abandoned. The child has committed no wrong and deserves no mistreatment as such. It is the parents who were not ready to take care of the child that preformed an unethical act. Yet, those who view the monster using on the analytical approach place all of Victor’s unethical actions upon the monster as he was the

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