He enjoys the sights and sounds and tries to imitate them, but the sound of his own voice
discourages him. In his own mind it is my belief that he knows he is different than the other
humans. Then Shelley has made it the role of De Lacey to comfort him. He is blind and
therefore has no prejudice towards him.
He begins to explore things for himself and experiments with food. His experience is similar
to that of a primitive man. He is fascinated by the sight of a hut and on walking in frightens a
shepherd away. This is the beginning of his rejection by other humans. It is sad that although
he means no harm, the people around him drive him away with sticks and stones, as if he
were an animal. He receives the same treatment every time he encounters a human. These
incidents leave an indelible impression on his mind. His hatred for mankind starts off as an
intense fear of people.
He comes across fire and uses it to roast nuts and roots. He starts to wander again, and
early one morning, he finds a small hut
"Meant for a shepherd."
As he enters it, the old man who occupies the hut runs out, terrified. The monster has some
food and falls asleep.
He describes his emotions in a vivid way and also Shelley cleverly words this chapter to
make the reader feel a sort of understanding and sympathy for the creature.
“Tormented by hunger and thirst, this roused me from my near dormant state.”
He claims to be tormented, feels changes in temperature and it is at this point we begin to
realise that he is lonely and alluded as to why people react to him the way they do.
He seeks refuge in a low hovel, which is close to a cottage. It is not until he reaches the
cottage that he understands the emotion of love. His experiences observing this family show
that he is capable of sympathy. He comes across as more humane than any other human.
The next day he creeps out and sees a man outside but decides to stay there. He then sees a
young girl with a pail on her head and a young man who takes the pail from her and carries it
to the cottage. The monster finds a place in the cottage and remains there, unseen by any of
the inhabitants. He observes them: there is an old blind man who plays the guitar excellently,
a young girl who is busy cleaning the cottage and a young man who does the outdoor tasks.
Later he reads aloud to the old man. But the monster cannot understand, as he is not yet
familiar with language.
The next day the monster finds them at their daily chores. But he sees
they are unhappy . The monster steals some of their food, but he stops himself when he sees
that they are hungry. Also the monster also chops wood and, unseen, performs other tasks
for them. He learns a few words, like
"bread, fire, milk and wood,"
as well as the names of the boy and the girl: Felix and Agatha. He spends the winter and the
beginning of spring there.
Chapter 13 marks the arrival of Safie, a friend of the family's. She is apparently a foreigner,
an Arabian, who does not speak their language. So Felix's attempts to teach her their
language prove to be useful to the monster, too.
“Felix seemed delighted to see her, every trait of sorrow vanished from his face, and
instantly expressed a degree of ecstatic joy”
The monster gains knowledge in the meanwhile from Volney's Ruins of Empires, from which
Felix reads to Safie. He learns a great deal about being a human. Shelley was a great
admirer of books of her time and by adding this to the novel she can explain to the reader
how the monster knows so much about humans, their culture and language in a single
sentence.
The monster then starts to contemplate his existence. He is confused, having already been
rejected by his master and creator. This leads to loneliness, a sense of desolation and fear.
He is like a lost child, but the pleasant sight of the moon comforts him. He draws strength
from nature's wonders, the moon and the bubbling stream; in this he is quite similar to Victor
Frankenstien.
This chapter also presents the characters of Felix and Agatha. The family is rather unhappy
under the present circumstances. They are living in poverty, and are barely able to sustain
themselves. Yet they try their best to rise above their sorrow and to be cheerful. They need
each other, and it shows in the way they love each other. The entry of Safie further heightens
their spirits, and they now lead a fuller life, no matter
how poor they are.
Then the situation seems almost perfect for him to introduce himself to this family. However,
something holds him back. Instead The monster now learns the history of his
"protectors."
He has been living on the property of a French family by the name of De Lacey. This family
is quite well known in France: Felix was a soldier, while Agatha figures among ladies of high
distinction. They were once quite well off, but now they are in exile in Germany. This is all
because of Safie's father, a Turkish merchant, was accused of betraying the French
government, for which he was tried and imprisoned. Felix, who was present at the trial and
enraged at the injustice he saw, decided to help him to escape from prison, and in the
process, he fell in love with Safie. Her mother is a Christian Arab who had been enslaved by
the Turks.
A day before the execution, Felix helped the Turk to escape from Paris.
Felix had passports for himself, Agatha and their father, who were
residing in some obscure place in Paris. Felix took them through France
to Lyon and across Mont Cenis to Leghorn, where the Turk tried to
depart for Turkish territory.
We can see here again how shelley is gently introducing masses of background information
to prevent the reader from questioning anything she has written. Thanks to the De lacey
family no questions are asked like - How can the monster talk? - forage and cook etc. I
think that these chapters and the time he spent with the De Laceys for the monster are like
primary school for a young child.
