Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley is a complex novel that was written during the age of Romanticism. It contains many typical themes of a common Romantic novel such as dark laboratories, the moon, and a monster; however, Frankenstein is anything but a common novel. Many lessons are embedded into this novel, including how society acts towards the different. The monster fell victim to the system commonly used to characterize a person by only his or her outer appearance. Whether people like it or not, society always summarizes a person's characteristics by his or her physical appearance.
Society has set an unbreakable code individuals must follow to be accepted. Those who don't follow the "standard" are hated by the crowd and banned for the reason of being different. When the monster ventured into a town"...[monster] had hardly placed [his] foot within the door ...children shrieked, and ...women fainted" (101). From that moment on he realized that people did not like his appearance and hated him because of it. If villagers didn't run away at the sight of him, then they might have even enjoyed his personality. The monster tried to accomplish this when he encountered the De Lacey family. The monster hoped to gain friendship from the old man and eventually his children. He knew that it could have been possible because the old man was blind, he could not see the monster's repulsive characteristics. But fate was against him and the "wretched" had barely conversed with the old man before his children returned from their journey and saw a monstrous creature at the foot of their father attempting to do harm to the helpless elder. "Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force tore [the creature] from his father..." (129). Felix's action caused great inner pain to the monster. He knew that his dream of living with them "happily ever after" would not happen. After that bitter moment the monster believed that "...the human senses are insurmountable barriers to our union [with the monster]" (138) and with the De Lacey encounter still fresh in his mind along with his first encounter of humans, he declared war on the human race.
The wicked being's source of hatred toward humans originates from his first experiences with humans. In a way the monster started out with a child-like innocence that was eventually shattered by being constantly rejected by society time after time. His first encounter with humans was when he opened his yellow eyes for the first time and witnessed Victor Frankenstein, his creator, "...rush out of the [laboratory]..." (56). Would this have had happened if society did not consider physical appearance to be important? No. If physical appearance were not important then the creature would have had a chance of being accepted into the community with love and care. But society does believe that physical appearance is important and it does influence the way people act towards each other. Frankenstein should have made him less offending if even he, the creator, could not stand his disgusting appearance. There was a moment however when Frankenstein "...was moved..." (139) by the creature. He "...felt what the duties of a creator..." (97) were and decided that he had to make another creature, a companion for the original. But haunting images of his creation (from the monster's first moment of life) gave him an instinctive feeling that the monster would do menacing acts with his companion, wreaking twice the havoc! Reoccurring images of painful events originating from a first encounter could fill a person with hate and destruction.
We as a society are the ones responsible for the transformation of the once child-like creature into the monster we all know. The public needs to know that our society has flaws and they must be removed before our primal instincts continue to isolate and hurt the people who are different. With such a large amount of technology among us, some people may wonder why such an advanced civilization still clings on to such primitive ways of categorizing people.
"I was benevolent and good. Misery made me a fiend" (960).
This statement from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein ...
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We as a society are the ones responsible for the transformation of the once child-like creature into the monster we all know. The public needs to know that our society has flaws and they must be removed before our primal instincts continue to isolate and hurt the people who are different. With such a large amount of technology among us, some people may wonder why such an advanced civilization still clings on to such primitive ways of categorizing people.
"I was benevolent and good. Misery made me a fiend" (960).
This statement from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is most intriguing; for isolated from its context, the reader cannot readily decipher whether the words come from Victor Frankenstein or from his creation. While it is generally thought that the "monster" in this story is the unnamed creature, there is evidence to support the assertion that Frankenstein-in turning a benevolent creature into a monster-became a monster himself. After defining the term "monster" based on textual evidence, this paper will briefly discuss the startling transformation of the Creature at the hand of his creator. It will then move to a discussion of how these events indeed make Victor into a monster as well. Finally, this writer will argue the position that based on the definition of monster, the more loathsome of the two monsters is actually Victor Frankenstein.
First, it is necessary to define what a monster is in the context of Shelley's Frankenstein. It is tempting to define "monster" solely in terms of physical appearance. For example, Frankenstein's creation says in describing himself:
Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God in pity made man beautiful and alluring...but my form is a filthy type of your's, more horrid from its very resemblance (978).
In spite of the above words that remind the reader of the classic horror story definition of a monster, this paper will define monster by actions and intentions. Again, it is important to look to the Creature in arriving at this particular definition. Admitting that it was only upon the murder of Elizabeth that he set his conscience aside in exchange for his quest for vengeance, the Creature states, "I had cast off all feeling..." (1032). Therefore, a monster is one who loses the ability to
sympathize with another. As Percy Blysse Shelley communicates in his "Defense of Poetry", true imaginative sympathy exists when an individual "puts himself in the
place of another...[for] the pains and pleasures of his species must become his own" (796). Consequently, a monster is precisely one who lacks the ability to take on the pains of another and is only concerned with his own needs and wants. The remainder of this paper will apply this definition to the Creature and to Victor Frankenstein.
There is abundant textual evidence to support the assertion that the Creature began life as a benevolent being, whose "soul glowed with love and humanity" (960). This particularly is seen in his interactions with the DeLacy family. He secretly aided them in their daily chores, to the point that they referred to him as a "good spirit" (969). Even more importantly, he shared their emotions. The Creature states:
The gentle manners and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them to me: when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathized in their joys (968).
It is here that the Creature distinguishes himself as the opposite of a monster, for he exhibits sympathy and compassion. Unfortunately, this condition did not last; and essential to the issue at hand is the reason for his transformation from sympathetic creature to heartless monster. It is clear that the catalyst to this change began with rejection by his creator, and ended with horrific isolation resulting from a broken promise from Victor. This isolation, in turn, drove the Creature to a murderous rampage. He admits that "impotent envy and bitter indignation filled me with an insatiable thirst for vengeance" (1032). It was indeed this desire for revenge that led the Creature to his monstrous behavior.
Virtually all readers would readily recognize the transformation of the
Creature from benevolent being to murderous monster. However, what is not so easily observed is the change in Victor Frankenstein from noble scientist to hardened monster. At the beginning of the story, Victor is an ambitious scholar with lofty goals. He wishes to "banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death" (925). He is also a devoted son, brother, friend, and companion to Elizabeth. Nevertheless, as he becomes increasingly absorbed with his creation of human life, Victor begins to exhibit signs that he is changing for the worse. He becomes so self-absorbed that he neglects his family and so prideful that he begins to view himself as a god. He states:
A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve their's (933).
It is with these thoughts in mind that Victor first sees the Creature he has formed; but instead of reacting toward his creation with love, compassion, or even sympathy, he responds with selfish disappointment and repulsion:
I beheld the wretch-the miserable monster whom I had created.... For this I had deprived myself of rest and health...now the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart (935).
Tragically, Victor's reaction does not simply lead to the making of the Creature into a monster. Rather, Frankenstein starts down a path that takes him even closer to the definition of a monster. When he comes face to face with his creation a few years later, he realizes that he has a choice in how he responds. He states, "For the first time...I felt what the duties of a creator towards his creature were and that I ought to tender him happy before I complained of his wickedness" (961). It is here that Victor has a chance at redeeming himself from his past mistakes by offering compassion and sympathy to the Creature. The Creature pleads with Victor to acknowledge his responsibility and remedy the situation by giving him a companion. The Creature appeals to him as follows:
Our lives will not be happy but they will be harmless, and free from the misery that I now feel. Oh! My creator, make me happy; let me feel gratitude towards you for one benefit! Let me see that I excited the sympathy of some existing thing; do not deny me my request! (986).
Sadly, the Creature's plea for sympathy only sways Victor momentarily. He soon chooses to break his promise to help the Creature, and in so doing, denies his responsibility to the Creature. In fact, when he is overhears someone labeling him as one with a "bad conscience" (1010), Victor laments that his actions have hurt those he loves but never shows regret over the life he doomed the Creature to live. Therefore, because Victor refuses to show compassion and extend sympathy to his creation, Victor also warrants the label of "monster."
The last question to be answered pertains to which of these two monsters is actually the more loathsome. One could quickly argue that it is the Creature, for he takes the lives of numerous innocents. However, it is this writer's contention that Victor Frankenstein meets the set-forth definition of monster to a greater extent than does his creation. If a monster is defined as one who refuses to sympathize and feel the pains of another, Victor is the epitome of a monster. This conclusion is evident when one looks closely at the end of the story. Here, the final thoughts of both the Creature and Frankenstein can be compared.
The Creature, upon seeing the death of Victor, is immediately seized with remorse. He cries:
Oh, Frankenstein! Generous and self-devoted being! What does it avail that I now ask thee to pardon me? I, who irretrievably destroyed thee by destroying all thou lovedst (1031).
Despite the fact that Frankenstein reviled him, rejected him, and broke his promise to him, the Creature is still overtaken with compassion, sympathy, and regret. Perhaps his contriteness does not erase his standing as a monster, but it does endow him with a level of humanity that Victor did not show.
In contrast with the Creature's reaction, Victor maintained his lack of care and understanding for his creation until the bitter end. He states to Walton:
"...I feel myself justified in desiring the death of my adversary. During these last days I have been occupied in examining my past conduct; nor do I find it blameable (1030).
Victor proceeds to argue that he made a noble decision when he chose to break his promise to the Creature, as his responsibility to all of humanity was greater than his responsibility to the Creature. Whether or not this is true is not at the heart of the issue, for Victor's monstrous behavior reached far beyond his breaking of the promise, be that decision justified or unjustified. When Victor took it upon himself to become the creator of this being, he put himself under moral obligation to his creation. A creator's responsibility is to show compassion and provide for the needs of his creation; but Victor did the opposite. By condemning the Creature to a life of loneliness, self-hatred, and condemnation, Victor did not simply make one monster; rather, he made two. Furthermore, because he was the one with the moral obligation, his responsibility was greater. Yet not even on his deathbed would he acknowledge wrongdoing. It is this remorseless, unsympathetic lack of regard for a dependent that makes Victor the greater monster.
In conclusion, when "monster" is defined as refusing to sympathize with the pains of another, it is clear that there are two monsters present in Frankenstein. The Creature evolved from a kind-hearted being to one who sought vengeance upon his maker. Likewise, Victor transformed from a noble, ambitious scientist into a heartless person who lacked moral responsibility. Of the two, Victor is the man who fits the definition of monster most closely. Not only did he continue his unsympathetic attitude toward his creation until his death, but he also had the greater moral obligation, which makes his lack of compassion all the more loathsome. This paper began with a quote that could have easily been attributed to either character. It will now end with another quote which, while meant for the Creature, is more appropriate for the unsympathetic, self-justifying Victor:
It is well that you come her to whine over the desolation that you have made. You throw a torch into a pile of buildings, and when they are consumed you sit among the ruins, and lament the fall (1032).
Victor is the ultimate monster because he withholds compassion and sympathy from the being he formed and--in the process--denies his moral obligation, all the while refusing to point an accusing finger at himself.