Pathetic fallacy is introduced when Shelley says "the rain patter dismally against the panes" making you think of tears, sadness and depression; this could either represent the sadness that is felt from the monster at being rejected by Frankenstein or the deep depression that Frankenstein goes into at his realisation of what he's done. The effect on the reader is they start to see the sadness of these two lives and may start to feel sympathy for both characters. "My candle was nearly burnt out" and "half extinguished light", these lines show the dimness in light making the scene seem more eerie and the candle going out could represent the descent into darkness and obsession.
The imagery of the monster at times contradicts itself. In the second paragraph the monster is described as having black lips, yellow skin, water eyes and a shrivelled complexion the connotations of which point towards illness, disease and sadness. Though the creature is also described as having lustrous hair and teeth of pearly whiteness, which makes you think more towards sensual feelings and beauty. This could be a materialistic representation of the good inside the monster that even though as a whole he is not beautiful there is a deeper beauty, which would make the reader feel more sympathetic toward the creature. However it could also be that these features are there purely to contrast and therefore concentrate the readers attention on the ugliness of the creature.
The description of the monster also seems to change with frankenstein's feelings toward the creature. As he is creating the creature he claims to have 'selected his features as beautiful' but as it comes to life the creature is described to be a hideous monster.
Shelley uses ambiguity in the creature's actions when she says "he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grim wrinkled his cheeks." The meaning of this can change with the readers' perception, some will see it as an act of vengeance, whilst others may see it as the monster reaching out towards Frankenstein. An important thing to remember is that the monster has only just been created and has yet to learn how to speak, so the mutterings could be that of a new-born baby learning to talk.
The monster throughout the book is never given a name, he is referred to as 'monster', 'creature', 'wretch' and many others. I think this is because even giving him a name would make him more human and the reader wouldn't quite get the full effect of his outcast. It also causes the reader to start thinking more about Frankenstein's character, about how irresponsible and cruel he can be.
I see Frankenstein as a selfish, spoiled and stubborn person, but also a caring one as well.
I see him as stubborn and spoiled as, at the beginning of the book he is warned against the consequences of interfering with life and death which he continuously argues to the point where he attempts to create life regardless of the fact that it is illegal and immoral. However his stubborn and spoilt nature can be easily overlooked as the reader may feel his opinion is the result of his mother's death and so instead may feel sympathy toward him because of his past and all he has had to suffer.
His selfish nature is shown all throughout the book as when he starts this project he almost completely looses contact with his family worrying them sick without even a care or a cursory thought to what he was doing. He then continues to show this in his actions toward the monster when he "rushed out of the room" abandoning the creature. He also shows this nature toward those who are meant to be his friends When Justine is accused of killing Frankenstein's brother, even though he knows that it was the monster, instead of confessing what he did - and being seen as the monster himself - he allows Justine to sacrifice herself. Whilst all of this is true I think that Frankenstein is quite caring as the reason he tried to create life was so that no one would have to suffer through death or have to grieve over it. However you could argue that his reasoning for creating life was completely selfish and he only thought of himself never having to suffer.
I think that Frankenstein is about the rejection of the unusual, and the superficial nature of humans. The treatment of the monster shows this as he is constantly shunned from society because of what he is and the way he looks.
Frankenstein has an underplayed message of feminism, as the women in the story are perceived as good, smart and well-grounded people unlike the men who are shown as weak. A good example is when Justine faces her death sentence, she handles it with grace whilst Frankenstein stands by and watches her die because he is afraid of how people will view him. Mary Shelley's mother was a famous feminist which may have affected her view of women.
It's possible that the book is an autobiography of sorts. Mary Shelley can relate to both Frankenstein and the monster as she was ostracised for her actions and was seemingly surrounded by death for much of her life.
I really enjoyed this book, and loved that it was such a feminist book for its time. I also enjoyed its portrayal of the monster and how people treat him.
