Mary Shelley makes the reader feel sympathy for the creature by the way see the way the monster was made this fill us full of horror because the way he was made is completely unnatural “I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave or tortured the living animals to animate the lifeless clay” This make u feel that the monster was born out of pain and horror.
Another way Mary Shelley make feel sympathy for the creature is the way she describes the place the creature was made as no one should be brought in to the world in a place like that “In a solitary chamber, or rather cell, at the top of the house, and separated from all the other apartments by a gallery and staircase, I kept my workshop of filthy creations” Some readers may gain sympathy towards the monster as Frankenstein refers to the monster as filthy as may mean filthy as physically filthy or mentally filthy.
One of the biggest ways that Mary Shelley gains sympathy for the creature is the way she describes him, this tells the reader how ugly he is and it also tells the reader what Frankenstein thinks of him “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles arteries beneath; his hair was of lustrous black, and following; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but seemed almost the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.” The description Mary Shelley uses gives the image that the creature is evil although the creature’s personality is pleasant. Also this is how Frankenstein sees the creature as Frankenstein should be a farther figure and towards the creature he should help the creature to learn about the world instead he is disgusted by what he has created also and only see what the creature looks like not how the creature is inside and so he believes the creature is evil.
One other way is the way that Frankenstein flees his creation “The miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtains of the bed; and his eyes, if they maybe called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out seeming to detain me, but I escaped and rushed down the stairs. I took refuse in the courtyard belonging to the house, which I inhabited.” This makes you feel sympathy towards the monster because Frankenstein should be like a father towards the monster and help him through the early stages of his life but instead he abandons him leaves him to survive on his own. Probably the monster feels frightened, and confused, as he is like a newborn baby unaware of anything also not knowing anything. Uneducated, Victor Frankenstein’s creation is forced to fend for itself, and find food, even he doesn’t know how to or what food is.
“I again went out in search of berries.”
Frankenstein’s creature also senses cold and is scared when it goes dark because no one has told him what coldness and dark are. Again this makes the reader feel sympathy for the creature. As he only has a cloak to keep him warm.
The creature feels, “It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half frightened, as if it were, instinctively, finding myself so desolate.”
In the next part of the story the creature discovers a villager and the creature tries to associate himself with other human beings, only to find that the villagers response is that they think he is evil and nasty. When the people see the creature they run away shrieking and crying and other villagers physically attack the creature. The creature doesn’t retaliate showing he has a good nature. This makes the reader feel sympathy for the creature because of the other people’s reactions to the creature presence.
“I had hardly placed my foot with the door before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted.”
Another way Mary Shelley makes you fell sympathy by the epithets the humans call him. They call him names like Wretch, Monster, demon, and ogre. This isn’t fair on the creature, as the creature hasn’t done anything to harm them all there are going from is what he looks like on the outside not from what he’s like on the inside.
Another one is the way the creature helps the humans who have been horrible towards him and he get punished for it “When suddenly her foot slipped, and she fell into a rapid stream. I rushed from y hiding-place and with extreme labour, from the force of the current and dragged her to shore. She was senseless, and I endeavoured by every means in my power to restore animation, when I was suddenly interrupted by the approach of a rustic, who was probably the person from whom she had playfully fled. On seeing me, he darted towards me, and tearing the girl from my arms, hastened towards the deeper parts of the wood. I followed speedily, I hardly knew why; but when saw me draw near, he aimed a gun, which he carried, at my body and fired. He’s done a good deed by saving that girl from the river only to be awarded by being shot by the girl’s partner. As well as feeling emotional pain he feels physical pain. At this point he vows revenge against Dr Frankenstein and the human race.
The reader will feel sympathy towards the monster because when he stumbled upon a village he lived in a hovel he learnt to love the villagers and even cut the wood through the winter for them. They were the only ones who he thought would love him but they horrified by him and hit him with sticks. This is when the creature first feels hate against humans and vows war against them, he describes the humans as ‘barbaric’
“The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of weapons”.
The creature leaves the village out of anger and hurt until he reaches a small cottage on the outskirts of the village. The creature seeks shelter in a shed next to the house. From this shed the creature is able to observe the family that occupy the cottage. At night the creature steals food from the family. The creature shows signs of kindness by helping the family by doing family chores, like searching for firewood. When the creature reveals him self to the family most of them retreat into the woods while some violently attacked him
“He dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick.”
The Victor Frankenstein’s creature explains how he could have easily torn him limb from limb but he didn’t because of his good nature.
