How does Mary Shelly manipulate the reader's response to the "monster" During the course of her novel Frankenstein?

How does Mary Shelly manipulate the reader’s response to the “monster”

During the course of her novel Frankenstein?

Frankenstein is the story about extreme ambition bordering on obsession on the part of a scientist who wishes to create life from death. He feels good will come out of it but that doesn’t happen. The “monster” becomes bad and is cast off from society. He seeks revenge on Frankenstein’s family by killing them. Finally the monster dies along with Frankenstein. In the story we get points of view from both Frankenstein and the “monster”. We first hear Frankenstein’s and the reader forms the impression that the “monster” is bad. Later the “monster” tells his own story and the reader’s perception changes.

In the extract where Frankenstein brings the monster to life, Shelly creates an atmosphere of fear and horror; this makes the monster sound evil and aggressive and also makes the reader feel sorry for Frankenstein. In the first paragraph Shelly uses a technique called pathetic fallacy, this is where the description of the scene reflects the mood of the character. Frankenstein’s candle is “nearly burned out” and it is “dismally” raining outside. This creates an atmosphere of fear and horror. Frankenstein’s monster also does this as he is described as a “creature”. He has yellow skin with a shrivelled complexion; he has perfect hair and teeth, which only formed “a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes”. This also makes the monster sound evil and aggressive. In the third paragraph Frankenstein dreams that he is with Elizabeth when she changes into his dead mother, he sees grave worms crawling around her, this again creates an atmosphere of fear and horror but makes the audience feel sorry for Frankenstein. When Frankenstein wakes the monster is next to him, it holds out a hand “seemingly to detain” Frankenstein but he “escaped and rushed downstairs”

Shelly did not come up with the idea about bringing the dead to life by herself. Shelly’s husbands ex wife drowned and doctors attempted to resuscitate her using smelling salts, vigorous shaking, electricity and artificial respiration. Shelly also dreamed that she brought her own daughter back to life. All this would seem possible in the early nineteenth century as Galen’s experiments moved dead limbs with electricity. Also blood transfusions were taking place. This story also has relevance today as cloning is taking place.

Later in the novel the monster is telling Frankenstein his story, thus the ...

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Later in the novel the monster is telling Frankenstein his story, thus the narrator changes. The monster describes daybreak where he remembers, “a stronger light pressed upon my nerves, so that I was obliged to shut my eyes. When he wakes he describes himself as “so desolate” and that he “was a poor, helpless miserable wretch”. This makes us sorry for the monster and pity it. Shelly also makes the monster seem gentle and innocent by describing him like a baby. He first sees the moon and gazes at it “ with a kind of wonder”. He says he “gradually saw plainly the clear stream”. This shows he is growing and his vision is improving. The monster is “frightened” by the “inarticulate” sounds he makes whilst trying to imitate birdcalls. This makes the audience feel sorry for him. When the monster meets William, he does not intend to kill him. He says, “ I do not intend to hurt you”. William though is still very provocative and cries things like “ugly wretch” and “hideous monster”. This would hurt the monster very much as he doesn’t like being ugly and he just wants a friend. William also shows arrogance by saying “you dare not keep me”. When the monster kills William the reader doesn’t feel all that sorry for him, as he was provocative and arrogant towards the monster. It makes the reader feel even more sorry for the monster.

Now the reader’s perception of the monster has changed. We can look back at the earlier extract and see it in a different light. The monster, which horrified Frankenstein no longer, seems repulsive and aggressive. We now see that the monster is like a newborn in appearance. Babies have jaundiced skin and a “shrivelled complexion” as does the monster when Frankenstein describes it. It is also like a newborn in action. It has “one had stretched out” and its eyes were “fixed” on Frankenstein, we can now see this was the monster attempted action for an emotional bond.

Throughout the course of the novel, Shelly has manipulated the reader’s response to the “monster”. She has done this firstly by making it seem evil and aggressive. Later on in the “monsters” story, Shelly reveals the monster was in fact born good and innocent. The reader’s final perception to the “monster” is of sympathy. Frankenstein is now dead and the “monster” has one vast hand extended and his grieving his death. Walton’s perception reflects the reader’s own responses as he has a “mixture of curiosity and compassion”. The “monster” dies hating himself when he finally jumps onto an ice raft and floats away.

Chris Jones.