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Essay on The True Villian in Frankenstein

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Mary Shelly wrote the Gothic tale Frankenstein. In the novel, who is the true villain, the Monster or Victor Frankenstein? Which character do you have the most sympathy for?

Mary Shelly wrote the novel “Frankenstein” using gothic techniques.
Nearly 200 years after the book was first published in 1818 the readers still debate about the real villain of the story.

Victor Frankenstein could be the hero of the story; the reader sympathises with him when he suffers the loss of his mother, his brother William, wife Elizabeth, his father and friend Clerval. This extreme suffering that Victor goes through is a characteristic of romantic heroes. Also as Victor is narrating it emphasises the suffering that he goes through. We also feel …show more content…

The fact he also has no parents is reflected on that he has no name; a child’s name is normally given by their parents. This makes the reader feel sorry for the monster as it emphasises the fact that he has been abandoned by Victor and has no parents. The theme of alienation is carried on throughout the story and can be seen in the point of the De
Lacey’s who are thrown out of France. The monster is also alienated by the De Lacey’s who reject him even though helps them out as he grows to love them. He is rejected as Felix, Agatha and Safie return and see him with the old man. This rejection and alienation makes the reader feel sorry for the monster as it is purely prejudice of his looks. The readers see the monster as very calm as he restrains his anger when he sees Victor and doesn’t harm him. Also his language is very eloquent and persuasive he compares Frankenstein to God saying that Victor is his, “natural lord and king” and that he ought to be Victor’s Adam.
The monster flatters Victor and uses rhetorical questions to get
Victor thinking so that he would listen to his story and this is all after he is threatened and insulted by him. Also the monster regrets what he did to Victor this shows that he has feelings and a conscience. The reader feels for the monster because of the use of embedded narration, which allows the readers to see the story

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