Who is the Monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Who is the monster in “Frankenstein”?

        Arguably, the most famous piece of Gothic literature surely would be “Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus”. The highly acclaimed masterpiece was conceived by British novelist Mary Shelley in the summer of 1818 when she was aged just 19 years old. “Frankenstein” tells the story of a “monster’s” life via a contemporary issue of advancing science in a secular society.
        There are many ideas and reasons behind the novel as to what possessed a teenage Romantic, a movement of people who believed in natural beauty, into producing such a chilling tale. The first one, obviously, being the importance an element of parental guidance is. Shelley never had a parental icon in her life because her mother died during childbirth (due to septicaemia), and she never really found a bond with her stepmother. Therefore, she delved into writing, literature and studying works of philosophers – self teaching in other words. This is a main factor we understand as the novel progresses. Another idea why Shelley wrote this novel is because she was pregnant at the time of its making, and she understood the importance of nurture and affection for an offspring (due to not having one herself).
        Shelley married a fellow Romantic, Percy Bysshe Shelley, who has also been dubbed “the ‘finest’ lyric poet in all the English language”, and this seems to have influenced her into writing the novel too. It was Bysshe Shelley who brought the young novelist to join the Romantic Movement, which audaciously revolted against the scientific rationalization of nature. This is another idea stated in the book. Romantics also emphasized the importance of trepidation, horror and awe which is noticeable quite frequently in the novel.
        The final obvious idea for the book came from Mary Shelley’s, her husband’s and a companion, Lord Byron’s conversation which was based on the topic of galvanization and reanimation of dead corpses.

        The novel begins, set in the late 1700’s, with a series of letters from scientifically ambitious explorer, Robert Walton. In these letters he ensures his sister of his well being and increasing confidence for the task at hand – being the first man to reach the North Pole.
        Upon his voyage he encounters a man whose “limbs were nearly frozen, and his body dreadfully emaciated by fatigue and suffering”. Later this man is revealed to be the real protagonist, Victor Frankenstein.
        Frankenstein, a Genevois, then recounts the tale of his life. He was also a scientific prodigy, obsessed with creating life. Fused with all his knowledge of studying natural philosophers and a burning desire to be at the forefront of mankind, he set out to create life. Intended to be beautiful by reanimating decomposed corpses, the “monster” was born by being shocked into life with electricity. This links to the idea of the novel being titled “The Modern Prometheus”.
        Prometheus was a Titan, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to “people” he had fashioned from clay. This parallels Victor’s actions in that he took on the role of God by attempting to create life itself.
        The “wretch” is instantly rejected by Frankenstein who then seeks revenge by becoming a savage murderer. The creature accidentally kills Frankenstein’s brother, William, and frames Justine, a fellow adoptee of the Frankenstein’s, by placing the locket which William was holding in Justine’s pocket. The locket contained a photo of William’s mother. Frankenstein reencounters his creation but still refuses to empathise with the nameless creature by declining his plead for a companion. The creation then kills Victor’s close friend, Henry Clerval. The murder of whom Frankenstein is then accused of before his wife and sister, Elizabeth, is brutally murdered.
        Frankenstein’s father later dies from the grief of so many losses which stirs his determination to destroy his creation, leading to his inevitable death near to the North Pole. This is how the book is seen as a warning about not to interfere in areas which should be left untouched by science.

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        Despite many brutal killings by the creature seen in the book, who initiated his rage? Therefore, I will consider who the greater monster is in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”.
        My personal definition of a monster, before reading the novel, was a stereotypical, large, deformed atrocity with vulgar, violent mannerisms and a thirst for evil.
        Oxford dictionary defines the term “monster” as; ‘a large or frightening creature, anything huge’, and, coincidentally enough, ‘a cruel or wicked person’.
        All three of these definitions are seen in the novel. The first definition being the creature, as he induces fear and hatred into those who see him, “breathless horror and disgust filled my heart”. These are the words of Frankenstein as he sees his creation for the first time.
        The second definition, “anything huge”, is seen quite frequently because this relates to the idea of Romanticism, where the thought of natural beauty inspired awe into the viewer. “The sight of the awful and majestic in nature had indeed always the effect of solemnising my mind and causing me to forget the passing cares of life”. These words of Victor Frankenstein convey the idea that he, himself, could be a Romantic.
        However, the last of the definitions, “a cruel or wicked person” is seen on almost every turn of the page...

        There are many characteristics and actions which Frankenstein performs which could be classed as monstrous. The first being the way he briefly leaves his family for the University of Ingolstadt, shortly after the death of his mother and whilst his sister is still ill. “My departure for Ingolstadt, which had not been deferred by these events, was now again determined upon.” This shows that not even the death of his own mother can distract him from his thirst for knowledge.
        Another ugly factor of Frankenstein is his neglect of everything except science. He “soon became so ardent and eager, that the stars often disappeared in the light of the morning whilst [he] was yet engaged in [his] laboratory.”
        Frankenstein often shows his disrespect for the deceased throughout the novel. He acquired rotting corpses from graveyard, which he saw as “merely a receptacle of bodies depraved of life, which, from being the seat of beauty and strength, had become food for the worm”. After this horrifying attitude towards the deceased, he then created his objective.
        Whilst making the creature, which was “intended to be beautiful”, Frankenstein makes a major error by playing the role of God and creating life. The era in which the book was written was a highly religious society and God was the all powerful creator. However, science was rapidly moving forwards during this era and the idea of God being the root of everything was being questioned. “I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life”. This quote shows that he thinks he has mastered creating life and probably thinks of himself as a God, as well as being very egotistical. Therefore the society in which he lived would have disapproved of his actions.
        After the creature is brought to life, Frankenstein immediately discards it, calling it a “wretch” and not even naming it. Frankenstein describes his “shrivelled complexion” very negatively before it was even given the chance to speak. “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; ... his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.” Frankenstein talks of his feeling after creating the “monster”. “I felt the bitters of disappointment; dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were now become a hell to me”. This quote illustrates that Frankenstein, retelling the story, believes he should be sympathised with. Also, Shelley’s vernacular when describing the creation conjures an image in the reader’s mind that it is, in fact, a monster. However, this later contradicts itself when we hear the creature’s side of the story.
        After abandoning his creation, Frankenstein tries to destroy all evidence of it, and denies its existence, which is effectively like a parent abandoning an offspring. Frankenstein’s actions relate to a verse from Coleridge’s ‘Ancient Mariner’.

                                “Like one, on a lonesome road who,
                                 Doth walk in fear and dread,
                                And, having once turned round, walks on,
                                 And turns no more his head,
                                Because he knows a frightful fiend
                                 Doth close behind him tread.”
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        This verse shows that having seen what he has created once, he never wants to see it again. However, the quote “Because he knows a frightful fiend doth close behind him tread”, tells the reader that the creature will be stalking him, but Frankenstein doesn’t know this at the time.
        We understand that the creature is following Frankenstein later in the novel when he re-encounters his creation on a glacier in Arveiron, and after still refusing to sympathise with his creation, is given the task to “create a female” for the “fiend”, so it “can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for [his] being”. Frankenstein reluctantly agrees, even after stating that he “will never consent”. Frankenstein believed that creating a partner for his “monster” would be extremely terrifying and because their “joint wickedness might desolate the world”. Frankenstein soon destroys his work in progress because he is in angst about events which might occur. However, he doesn’t justify this reason to his creation, which later kills; Henry Clerval, Frankenstein’s close friend and William, Frankenstein’s brother.
        Frankenstein throughout his life was very self-confided, this causes the death of the aforementioned close relations. After William is killed and Justine is accused of his murder, (due to being framed by the creature after it placed a photo of William’s mother in Justine’s pocket) Frankenstein denies all knowledge of his death, knowing full well what occurred. This shows that he is willing to endure the deaths of blood relations for his own personal gain, or he doesn’t want to admit failure. The way he disrespects human life for personal gain links to the start of the novel, with the letters from Robert Walton. In these letters, Walton claims that “nothing can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man”, showing that he will sacrifice anything to see his objective succeed, which is what Frankenstein does.
        Still, Frankenstein continues with his secrecy, even when it comes to his most beloved relative, his wife-to-be, Elizabeth. When she asks him “What is it you fear?” He replies calmly with “this night, and all will be safe, but this night will be dreadful, very dreadful.” He doesn’t explain to Elizabeth what makes the night so “dreadful”, which shows his reluctance to talk to his loved ones about issues that are troubling him. Elizabeth, unaware of the dangers, is killed instantly at the hands of the creature.
The fatalities of; William, Frankenstein’s brother; Justine, an adoptee; and Elizabeth, Frankenstein’s wife prove to be too much for Frankenstein’s father to handle. “He could not live under the horrors that were accumulated around him ... and in a few days he died in my arms.”
        These are some of the examples of the monstrous qualities which Frankenstein possesses. However, despite the killings being committed by the monster, were they at the hands of Victor Frankenstein?

The creation leads a very unhappy life from the second it was created, and we don’t even understand this until we hear its story. “I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch.” These are words of the creature recounting having just been created. We understand from this point on that the creation is the unlikely character, first seen as the antagonist, who deserves the reader’s sympathy more.
        Its rejection by the public was caused by its hideous deformation. I believe this happened because the era in which the novel was set, as I’ve already mentioned, was highly religious. The creature states that “God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring after his own image, but tells that his form “is a filthy type of [Frankenstein’s].” I believe that it was the creature’s dissimilarity of God which led to the public’s hatred for him.
        After this incident, the creature realises he can’t live among others and travels to live in a “hovel” in the forest, gaining sustenance from a nearby cottage. He continually helps the inhabitants of the cottage, but not to their knowledge. “I often took his tools, the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days.” This quotes show just how selfless and compassionate the creature can be, despite previously being seen as a vicious murderer, but is still treated badly by people. It is here where he understands the qualities of man, however, it is here where questions his own existence among humans. As he admires the cottages, he passively learns and displays altruism when he realises the cottagers are growing hungry because all their food was rapidly diminishing. “When I found that this inflicted pain on the cottagers, I abstained, and satisfied myself with berries, nuts, and roots, which I gathered from a neighbouring wood.” Later on, the creature meets an old man from the family, who is benevolent towards him as the man can’t see the creature’s physical deformity due to visual impairment. However, the man’s family soon return and the inevitably the creature is driven away as soon as he is seen.
        The succeeding chapter is quite significant on the creation’s behalf. We begin to sympathise with the creation, largely due to his dialect when depicting his struggle through life to Frankenstein. We are made to feel sympathetic for the creation when he talks about how he has passively learned the qualities of man. “Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous, and magnificent, yet so vicious and base?” This quotation shows that the creature himself has grown to understand the immovable natures of man and is thus questioning his own existence. Whilst conversing with Frankenstein the creature attempts to reason with Frankenstein and states “Thus I take from thee a sight which you abhor. Still thou canst listen to me and grant me thy compassion.” This quote shows that the creation is willing to forgive Frankenstein, whilst still being casted off by him. This grabs the reader’s sympathy as he shows a desirable quality of human nature – empathy. The creature shows empathy again when asking for a female. He states “If you consent, neither you nor any other human being shall ever see us again”.
Frankenstein destroys his half-constructed bride, which infuriates the monster and drives him to kill Frankenstein’s wife-to-be. The creature was, in fact, driven to this because he previously stated “Have a care: I will work at your destruction, nor finish until I desolate your heart, so that you shall curse the hour of your birth”. Therefore, Frankenstein has made his bed and must lie in it, figuratively speaking.
        The creation later accidentally kills Frankenstein’s brother, William and frames Justine for his actions, leading to her execution. This again leads to the previous quote in which the creation promised to “work at [Frankenstein’s] destruction.”
        Subsequent to Frankenstein’s “speedy ruin” and inevitable death, the creature learns to sympathise with his creator and realises he cannot live without him. “Blasted as thou wert, my agony was still superior to thine: for the bitter sting of remorse will not cease to rankle at my wounds until death shall close them forever.” This quote shows that despite being treated very badly, the creature feels an unconditional love for his creator, and I think this is still relevant in a modern society. Since that, occasionally a parent and child might fall out, and negligence might be shown towards one other. But behind the meaningless words and threats there is always a complete amount of affection, but can just be rarely shown. I think that this also takes hold of the reader’s sympathy, because the creature confesses having always loved his father and didn’t realise what he had until it was gone.

After analyzing the events which occur in the novel I have found that the ‘monster’ is not as he seems upon first impressions which Frankenstein depicts us with. The creature certainly was not treated fairly. However, this was, in fact, due his visual appearance. Frankenstein’s behaviour towards his offspring was unquestionably monstrous, and he was, throughout the entire novel, incredibly fixated on his first feelings from when he initially saw his creation. He never even attempted to nurture the life he created, let alone give it the second chance which the deformed human offered him. The creation then was treated unfairly by the public based on first impressions and I believe the novel is a stereotypical “don’t judge a book by its cover” story
Also, I believe Frankenstein’s actions relate to a quote by major Swiss philosopher, and a large influence on the French Revolution, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Rousseau specifically attributed moral failings to the lack of a mother's love. Without mothering and a loving education "a man left to himself from birth would be more of a monster that the rest." It shows, that Frankenstein, being very secluded and self confided became a monster and was the root cause of multiple deaths.
        We, as readers, are made to sympathise with the creation, owed to Shelley’s incredible use of language whilst the creation is talking about his struggle through life. When he speaks of what he has endured whilst attentively dealing with it, makes us understand that the creation is an intellectual, altruistic, humane (despite the killings) being, and the creations calm nature clutches the reader’s sympathy. Contrasting this, as we are sympathising with the creation, we feel a growing hatred for Frankenstein because of his malicious etiquette. I believe that this shows that the real monster in the novel is, without doubt, the creator and not the created.
        Shelley portrays a lot of her life in the novel, largely through the creature. As I’ve already said, Shelley never had a mothering icon and never really bonded with other relatives. This is very similar to the creature’s struggle through life, in that he is neglected by his father and other people around him and left the society so he could fend for himself. Also I believe she shows herself through the creature when the reader understands that he has taught himself how to read, write and live, which is what Shelley started from a young age.
        I believe Shelley wanted people to learn multiple messages from her novel, and I am sure there is a plethora of hidden meanings and morals. However, I have discovered the following: The book is shown as a warning to show the dangers of obsession, and how rushing into uncertain and unexamined areas can cause great jeopardy. I also believe that it shows appearance isn’t reality, and just because someone looks bad doesn’t mean they are a bad person. This can also relate to a modern day society. In that just because a person has come from an undesirable background, it doesn’t mean they are bad people. Another important message, I believe, is the relationship between God and man. God grants us with life and in return we are supposed to appreciate it and worship him. However, when someone tries to imitate his actions, the relationship becomes unstable and dire things can happen, as they did with Frankenstein. In conclusion I believe the main message which Shelley was trying to portray was the horror of childbirth. Mary had 4 children, 3 of them dying in infancy. Therefore she tried so hard to create life and ending up with far from what she wanted. This is very similar to Frankenstein in that he toiled and enslaved himself to create life, and the result being far from what he expected, but he inadvertently created a being which is modelled on a perfect human. Not visually of course, but morally. Yet he was never given the chance to show it, which I believe links the 19th century to today. People have biased opinions on other people who may have an unsteady background or appearance, which shows again the immovable natures of man – “powerful, so virtuous, and magnificent, yet so vicious and base”.

Connor Gallagher