Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Essay

While reading the novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelly and the excerpt “Problems of Perception” by Anne K. Mellor, I came quick to notice that most of characters in the novel judge the creature by his outward appearance and never gave him a chance to show himself good. As we all know, the creature turns out to be a vicious killer of the ones that are dear to his creator. I believe the creature is this way because he is always criticized and rejected by everyone and has never been accepted in mainstream society.

The Creature was not an ordinary person, matter of fact he was not actually a person at all. He was a creature derived from the parts of deceased humans found in the graves of a cemetery. He didn’t look like a normal person. He was gigantic, hideous and certainly did not fit into society. He was shunned, yelled at, shot at, and caused fear to many just because of his appearance. The Creature wanted nothing more than to be able to fit in and feel the love and happiness that everyone else felt. His hope to finally obtain what he yearns for so immensely was so strong until one day things took a turn. The Creature states, “I cherished hope, it is true; but it vanished, when I beheld my person reflected in the water, or my shadow in the moon-shine” (Grimly 103). In other words, the Creature’s hopes were high of finding a companion and living a happy life until he saw his reflection and saw how hideous and unlike everyone else he was. He finally realized how set aside he was from everyone else and that his chances of finding happiness in someone else were very slim. Because the sole reason for his unhappiness is his appearance and since he cannot control his looks I feel he cannot be held accountable for his own happiness. The only one to blame is Frankenstein because he made him look the way he does, and created the monster everyone sees him as.

Frankenstein continues to prove his label as a monster in the novel when he makes the sudden decision to abandons his own creation solely because of his physical appearance. The very moment the monster opens his eyes, to Frankenstein, “the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room” (Shelley, pg. 59). With no thought to what could happen mentally to his creation due to his abandonment, along with the lack of concern for what could happen to the people in his society letting a monster run loose with no guidance or love from it’s own creator, proves how much of a monster Frankenstein is. He leaves his creation to suffer the scrutiny of the judgemental society he lives in, explaining the root of his anger and the mental state the creature is in when he chooses to get

“Frankenstein’s creation is a wretched, evil creature, which deserves nothing but death”. This is a statement, we people, might make if we base our opinion of this new creation only and purely on his actions. Can the creature’s actions condemn him to a life of solitude and immorality? If we look at the situation more closely and with an open mind, we might indeed find ourselves connecting and even sympathizing with this wretched beast. How could someone consent of such evil actions? Well, the reader does not have to; all the reader has to do is keep an open mind and a soft heart. In order to understand how and why the full presentation of the creation’s character might entice the reader to sympathize, one must first look more closely at the actions seen as “evil” and the reasoning behind them.

In chapter twelve of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Frankenstein’s monster sees his reflection for the first time and is horrified by his own appearance, accepting that he is a monster. I was appalled when I read this because his demeanor in the previous chapters exemplified benevolence and curiosity, but never hostility or maliciousness. He is only deemed a monster based on his outward appearance when in reality, his knowledge is equivalent to that of a child. It is only when he accepts that he is a monster, when he is attacked in the woods, that he truly becomes a monster. Mary Shelley uses the treatment of Frankenstein’s monster to represent how society can have a big impact on how people see themselves.

Victor’s initial opinion of his creature’s outlook is horrified and disappointed, although he succeeds in his destination to create a living being from inanimate pieces. The disappointment is not only irrational, but also the spiritual damage left a permanent scar on his mind. Later on, the creature goes into a cottage, De Lacey is the only person who didn’t judge the creature’s monstrous outlook but he is blind. However, when the children see the creature, they “dashed him to the ground and struck him violently with a stick.”(124), and also Victor’s younger brother William also evaluates the creature as a “monster”, “ Ugly wretch”, and “Ogre”. (131). The children and William both classify the creature as a disgusting monster, and they treat him violently and differently because of his ugly physical features. Even though the creature was hateful and labeled prematurely as a monster and killer, he sees the goodness of the human heart and desires to learn more about the human race and their language. The creature fluids with pure soul since he does not attempt to hurt and harm anyone. However, people don’t accept him at all which it also criticizes the idea that beauty that

McKenzie Thomas Mrs. Squance CP English 22 October, 2014 The Monster Has Inner Beauty Throughout the novel, the creature created by Victor Frankenstein is depicted as a horridly grotesque giant-like demon. The monster is so foul that he scares everyone who he comes into contact with. But is the monster truly ugly?

Victor Frankenstein’s creature understands that he is indeed different, but is not evil from the beginning. The creature wishes to integrate himself to society, to be accepted, but knows that his physical irregularities make this very difficult. It is evident in the novel that Victor Frankenstein’s creation is the villain and everything is all really Frankenstein’s fault. Nevertheless, just because it’s in contradiction of the obvious stereotypical interpretation that big ugly thing is the monster, doesn’t mean that the logical counterculture method is correct. Mary Shelley is fond of associating Victor Frankenstein to God, with his creation of life.

Frankenstein is back to the role of narrator. He is bewildered and perplexed. The creature desires a female as his right. The latter part of the tale has enraged Victor, and he refuses the request. The creature counters that he is malicious because of misery‹why respect man when man condemns him? He is content to destroy everything related to Victor until he curses the day he was born. Gladly would he relinquish his war against humanity if only one person loved him. Since none do, he has to find happiness elsewhere, and he is pleading that his creator make him happy with someone to share his misery. Frankenstein sees justice in his argument. The creature notes his change in countenance and promises that he

Yet his actions remained the same; regardless of his looks his benevolent gesture stood. This comes to show that society judges character on appearance ignoring the action behind each individual. The creature showed more heart than Victor through his actions, yet he was the supposed monster. The creature was not born a monster, but was made, by his traumatic

As a result of this spurning, the creature commits three heinous murders and prompts the death of Victor. By the end of the novel, the creature realizes the depth of these actions. From there, he is able to contemplate what he has done and understand the evil in it. The creature laments that his heart “was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy” (241). However, when “wrenched by misery to vice and hatred,” he turned to violence (241).

Albert Einstein once said “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot.” Knowledge can be good because it makes one successful. Then, it can also be very bad such as a criminal being too smart for the police, he or she can keep committing crime. Too much knowledge is dangerous because it may harm many, which means that many die or get scarred for life because of one simple guy with an excess of knowledge.

In the Kenneth Branagh’s film, “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein”, it can be argued that either Victor Frankenstein, or the monster he creates is more frightening. The fact that the characteristics of the monster’s personality mirrors Frankenstein’s inability to control his own emotions makes both of them even more fear-provoking.

Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is designed as a gothic horror novel but deals with serious moral issues. Written in 1818, a time when breakthroughs and discoveries in the scientific world were common and often of great importance, the book shows how desire for knowledge entwined with humanity’s ability to quickly reject what seems ugly or that which they don’t understand, can unfold into a tragic tale with several fatal altercations. Whilst playing the role of a negligent God, Victor Frankenstein brings into existence a hideous being, which he rejects at birth, his creation lacking teachings of moral values commits murder.

Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein shows the life of an early scientist and the effects of uncovering a truth that has not been known or experimented by other scientist’s. The story of Frankenstein portrays mainly the characters Victor Frankenstein, Henry Clerval, Frankenstein’s creation, Captain Walton and Elizabeth Victor’s future wife and relative. When Victor animates a lifeless object he is horrified by the concept of what he had just done and how it looks. After running away Victor’s loved ones are affected greatly by his choices that he makes along the way, while also changing his relationship with his creation. Through his feelings of fear when approached by the monster, the trauma of multiple deaths and the arrest of Justin, Victor