Victor Frankenstein Selfish

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the creature is portrayed as the antagonist of the story; a murderous scientific experiment gone wrong. At the moment of his creation, he does not posses any negative personality traits, it is only the hideousness of the creature that causes Victor Frankenstein to abandon him. Frankenstein is unable to accept the creature as it is different from himself. The abandonment of the creature by Victor Frankenstein causes the creature to venture out into the world without any knowledge or nurturing to protect him and set him on a righteous path. Frankenstein’s monster encounters many unpleasant and emotionally damaging interactions with society which harden him. The creature craved love and acceptance from a creature

The lack of compassion from the people the monster encounters fuel his hatred for humanity. He is emotionally and physically hurt during these meetings. After months of observing a family after being abandoned by Victor, he decides to take a risk and meet them. When he does, he is met with disgust, fear, and prejudice. “He dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick. I / could have torn him limb from limb… But my heart sank within me as with bitter sickness, and I refrained” (97). He is unfairly treated, and because of this, he gives up trying to fit in, and instead resolves to hate. As it is not in his original nature to be destructive and hurtful, he goes back and forth between feelings of love and hate towards humans.“I had saved a human / being from destruction, and as a recompense i now have writhed under the / miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone. The feelings of kindness and gentleness, which I had entertained but a few / moments before, gave place to a hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. / Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind” (101). As he is always subjugated to the same treatment from humans, his resolve hardens and his feelings become more of hatred than love. During his first encounter with Victor after many months apart, he says to Victor “Shall I not then hate them who abhor / me?” (69). He is

After many unfortunate meetings with humans, the creature realizes that he will never be accepted by humanity, and therefore will be alone forever. “No Eve soothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone” (93). He blames his monstrous behavior on this notion, and he thinks the solution to this problem is for Victor to create a female creature for him. After sharing his life story with Victor, he gives him an ultimatum; “I will revenge my injuries: if I cannot inspire love, I / will cause fear, and chiefly towards you my arch-enemy, because my / creator, do I swear inextinguishable hatred” (104). He feels that if he does have a creature like himself to spend his life with, that he will not feel the need to be accepted by humans, because while he will never be like them or have what they have, at least he would not be alone. Victor eventually agrees to this, but then changes his mind and destroys it. The creature is heartbroken, and says to Victor “Are you to be happy, while I grovel in the intensity of my / wretchedness? You can blast my other passions; but revenge remains - / revenge, henceforth dearer than light or food!” (123). This finalizes how he feels about humanity, especially about Victor, and he continues his horrifying revenge plot, which is what makes him the monster he is portrayed