Mary Shelly uses pathetic fallacy to introduce the birth of the creature. “It was dreary night of November” implies cold & darkness. Use of pathetic fallacy at the beginning of chapter five prepares the reader for the events which follow. “Glimmer of half-extinguished light” creates tension as Frankenstein is about to reveal his work he’s been doing for nearly two years. “I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open” which clearly implies horror. And when he says “how can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe”, obviously reveals Frankenstein is facing the unexpected. “And I selected his features as beautiful—Great God!”-this quote further proves that his creation turned out to a horrible monster he never dreamt of. Mary Shelly further describes its horrific features with the clever use of language emphasizing horror. Punctuation and similes are used more particularly to create the effect.
In chapters’ six to ten, there is a lot of evidence that the doctor Frankenstein is the victim as the reader inspires the doctor’s thoughts. In chapter seven Frankenstein receives a letter from his father (in Geneva) informing him his Brother Williams’ tragic death. “William is dead!” & the quote “Victor, he is murdered” are evidence from the letter. It further explains how William was lost (after he went for hiding) & found dead; body lying near the house the next morning. “William had run away to hide himself, & that he vainly sought for him, afterwards waited for him a long time, but he didn’t return” is a quote from the letter explaining the incident. The letter continues how the locket William was wearing was disappeared and how Elizabeth accuses herself for the murder, as the locket was judged to be the temptation for the murder. All these facts add up to Frankenstein’s misery, as for no doubt he believes the creature is connected to this murder. “Alas! I had turned loose into the world a depraved wretch whose delight was in carnage and misery; had he not murdered my brother?” is a quote from Frankenstein.
To make matters worse Justine Mortiz (who served the family) has been accused for the death of William- as the locket was found with her (which William was wearing & judged to be the temptation of the murder). Frankenstein strongly believes that she’s innocent and thinks it was the creature’s plan. During Justine’s questionings Frankenstein mentions- “During the whole of this wretched mockery of justice, I suffered living torture” implies Frankenstein is suffering guiltiness. Not only the death of William he has got to grieve about but also the false person accused for the murder-when it’s his entire fault. Frankenstein is facing a dilemma: - Unable to tell neither the truth nor wanting poor Justine to be accused. Justine self-confesses a lie and faces death in the following chapters. This only makes Frankenstein’s situation worse as Shelly compares Justine’s innocent death being peaceful while Frankenstein alive with a heavy weight on shoulders.
As a reader it’s obvious to think that all readers would classify the last few chapters in Frankenstein’s narrative to be a victim causing him all troubles. But in my opinion I believe he’s both a villain and a victim. He is a villain who tried to control nature and ended up being a victim of it.
From chapter eleven Monster’s narrative starts. I was very anxious about reading the monster’s narrative from his point of view. The embedded narrative has been very effective so far, as it makes the reader read on and incidents mentioned before in the Frankenstein’s narrative become clearer. The first few chapters that leads monster’s narrative is about his different experiences almost as a baby: - who’s facing the world for the first time. The reader feels more sympathetic towards the characters experiences as he was abandoned by Dr. Frankenstein when it was created. The creature identifies birds and describe them as “little winged animals”, Places his hands on the fire to make himself warm, and burns himself “I thrust my hands into the live embers”, being unable to speak-“uncouth and inarticulate sounds” are some major points that made it sound almost like a baby. The quote “I hardly stepped my foot within the door before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted” shows the instant reaction from villagers to the monster. This become quite normal to the monster as it faces these reactions whenever it’s exposed to the normal villages. This makes the reader see him as a victim who has no relation whatsoever as his creator has just abandoned him.
Once, while he was on his refuge looking for shelter he ends up meeting a shepherd who instantly reacts terrified. The quotes “shrieked loudly” and “quitting the hut ran across the fields with a speed” proves his reactions. Some villagers even throw stones at him but he never reacts back (even if he could) as he only tries to be away from humans as possible. In chapter thirteen, the creature listens to the people in the cottage reading books about history and the world. The creature describes them as “wonderful narrations” as these stories teach the monster. “Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous & magnificent- yet so vicious and base?” says the monster. This quote is a rhetorical question and includes adjectives with contrast (good/bad) - Antithesis. Clearly shows the monster is confused.
A blind man called De Lacey from the cottage showed creature kindness as he couldn’t judge him by his appearance. “As I am blind, I am afraid I shall find it difficult to procure food for you” says the blind man being kind to the monster. Meanwhile the family was away and suddenly enters the house-one of the girls fainted and the father struck the monster violently with a stick. In another incident he got shot for saving a girl’s life as he vowed “Eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind”.
It is clear that monster’s extreme cruel experiences are stepping towards villain state. He often wonders how to direct himself as he tries to approach Frankenstein. “Cursed, cursed, creator! Why did I live?” is another rhetorical question with repetition and three word list. It clearly shows he is angry, miserable and confused.
There are other events that present monster as the villain. All he needed was companionship. He was happy to see a young boy near by, as the idea of the boy had lived too short a time to have imbedded a horror of deformity. But as “he placed his hands before his eyes and uttered a shrill scream” the monster was annoyed by this and tried to explain to him; but as the boy(William) cried out asking him to let him go- he mentions “My papa is a syndic – he is M. Frankenstein- he will punish you”- Monster gets furious. The quote “Frankenstein! You then belong then to my enemy- to him towards I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim” is a unique quote from the monster with evidence to be seen as a villain. He grasps the boy’s throat to silence him and the boy dies. I do not think he intended to murder the child until he found out the child was a relative of Dr. Frankenstein.
The monster sees the locket in Williams’ dead body, and gets attracted to the portrait of a beautiful woman in the locket: - Williams’ mother. He fled away from the murder and gets inside a cottage he finds Justine lying on some straw asleep: - while the monster tries to awake her to get some affection and remembers the responds he’s experienced before. He also fears that she might awake and find out his murder of William. He immediately remembers a solution from what he’s heard and learned from the cottage he dwelled before; and leaves the locket in her pocket and flees away. In this way the the monster becomes a villain as in later in the novel he kills Clerval and his wife Elizabeth for refusing his request of creating him a creature of his opposite sex (in chapter seventeen).
In my opinion I think monster was a victim of Frankenstein who tried controlling nature: - resulting a deformed monster. But as time past by the creature turned to a villain despite his extreme and cruel experience of a victim.
Surely Shelly wanted people to understand how a human could eventually become a villain of creating life (controlling nature) and become a victim of it as the nature (monster) controlled Frankenstein’s life- if the idea of giving life with the invention of electricity continued in 1816.