The words “play toy” and “helpless creature” are a parallel with the creature that Frankenstein creates as Shelley is trying to show you the verity of the monster’s upbringing compared to Victor’s, as the monster also calls himself “helpless and alone.” This shows that although Victor and his creature are main contrasts with each other, they are bound to each other and most of their lives mirror each other as both were ‘born’ innocent and ‘helpless’. For example, Victor was treated like a “play toy” which then plays a part in Victor’s Social development (him thinking that he can become god by creating life and the ‘creature’ being his “play toy”) and that’s what he then created. He created his ‘child’ to be a “play toy”… what goes around comes around…
Whilst reading this book the creature also gives an account where he is describing himself to the cottagers saying: “up to this point my life has been withered to harmless” .The word “withered” simulates the imagery of the monster being a fragile living being, instead of a monster which has been left to rot without sunshine. In this case the sunshine would represent a loving parent. The plant (THE MONSTER) without a loving parent would rot and die. This is a contrast and parallel between Frankenstein and the monster. The monster is shunned away, even from his ‘birth’, as he was left to wander the world without any loving parents or any one to guide him. This reflects Frankenstein’s own selfishness to abandon his ‘son’/ creation. This also could relate to the nature Vs nurture theory as the “monster” was created through science and is turned away by man and Frankenstein.
The creature spends several months of his life in a “squalid hovel”. Shelley uses the words “squalid hovel” to describe the transformation from the city houses to where the monsters life began to where his life has led him. The setting reflects his own life as the people inside the cottage were born naturally and are living in a nice secure environment whereas he was born unnaturally so he must spend his life alone and in a ‘squalid hovel’.
When the monster gazes at himself he is disgusted with himself. With him referring to himself as having a “miserable deformity”. This goes a lot deeper when the monster is shunned away from the cottagers.
He becomes angry and vengeful, so "'from that moment I [the monster] ,declared everlasting war against the species, and more than all, against [Frankenstein] who had formed [him] and sent [him] forth to this insupportable misery.'" (Chapter 16, pg. 121)
Shelley is giving the reader a message that the way people are treated would effect them later in their lives and the way they were brought up could effect the rest of humanity.
During the time he observes the cottagers, a new character is introduced. This is deliberately done for effect to parallel the monster’s lack of knowledge, as she is taught lessons in English by Felix De Lacey. Safie is an outsider (Shelley makes it seem as if she is an immigrant or alien) and there is a similarity with the monster, both are exiles, not accepted and needing to learn a new language to be accepted.
Safie had been taught by her mother to “aspire to higher powers of intellect and an independence of spirit….” (CH14-p124) In a similar way the Monster also has ideas of improving his education when he discovers three books in the woods,
(CH15, p127 ) “these possessions of these treasures gave me extreme delight, I now continuously studied and exercised my mind upon these histories”.
One of the books is the story of paradise lost. Victor resembles Satan from Milton's Paradise Lost, in which Satan is an archangel punished for his vanity, arrogance, and thirst for forbidden knowledge. Like him, Victor attempts to take over God's role as creator. Mary Shelley is perhaps suggesting that Victor should be punished for his acts as she doesn’t show Victor in a positive light. It raises questions about what is natural and unnatural and highlights the struggle between science and God. It ultimately asks – What is human nature? Is it human nature to question God and go against him, as Adam and Eve also did?
The monster that Victor creates identifies both with Satan and with Adam.
The Monster was not born evil or with the intent to do harm and violence to others, but throughout the novel his emotions overtook his mind, and he committed diabolical acts against others. He compares himself to Adam when he says: “Like Adam I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence” (CH15p129) He goes on to say:
“Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition, for often like him when I viewed the bliss of my protectors the bitter gall of envy rose within me” (CH15 P129-130)
This shows his passionate hatred of man against him. He has been reduced to a low level, despite the fact that he has done nothing wrong. May Shelley makes the reader feel pity for the creature and makes you question your judgement on what is a monster.
The Monster secretly watches closely and is educated in history, politics and religion at the same time as Safie is tutored. The monster says,
“My days are spent in close attention that I might speedily master the language, while I improved in speech I also learnt the science of letters as it was taught to the stranger and this opened before me a wide field for wonder and delight” (CH13-p18) .
The words “close attention” shows that he craves knowledge and the words “delight” is deliberately put in by Shelley to show the parallel between the monster and Victor within their thirst for knowledge and attitude to education. The effect of this is the beneficial information that allows the reader to be able judge the characters and actions that follow.
To conclude, this book has many meanings and messages- I think some of the most important are: always have an open mind, things are never how they seem, be kind as everything has on a knock on effect/ what comes around goes around…ECT.
Despite the book’s age it still holds the same morals as they both applied back in the Victorian ages. When the revolution of the steam engine and the beginning of Modern day science was rapidly progressing, people were sceptical to these new ideas and most of them were beginning to question the old ways and were looking forward to a new future…
