Frankenstein The Romantic Hero Analysis

“The Monsterous Hero”
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley shattered the mold of typical horror novels written during the Romantic period and revolutionized the next generation of horror writers. Shelley’s unique use of Romantic elements such as supernatural components, dualism, spontaneous creation, individual thought, and innocence illuminate important aspects that help determine the romantic hero. Specifically, a romantic hero is identified as one that opposes established standards, faces rejection by society, and is the center of his own existence. Although Victor and Walton both have some characteristics of a romantic hero, the monster is the ideal romantic hero.
Unlike the monster who is isolated due to his grotesque nature, Victor is not the

The monster exhibits defining characteristics of innocence throughout the novel with his continued attempts at becoming a part of society. For example the monster displays his innocence when he is searching for food and “devours the remnants of the shepards breakfast”( ch. 11). Because the monster has not been taught how to act in a socially acceptable way the monster does not realize many of the things he does are wrong. The way the monster acts in the novel has everything to do with his youth and innocence. Victor’s youth and innocence is different from the monster’s. Victor is innocent in that he did not know what negative consequences there would be from creating life. However the monster 's innocence surmounts Victor’s because Victor’s innocence only comes from him not knowing the consequences of creating the monster while the monster is completely innocent and was not helped by anyone. In other words, the monster’s innocence and youth can make him seem “ With a gigantic form he has only an infant’s mind --- no knowledge, no experience.” The monster, since the very beginning, had no parents or anyone in his life other than his creator Victor to teach him the basic foundation of maturity and common sense. Moreover, the monster is the product of science not through natural reproduction but through the blueprints of a young ambitious scientist who created a monster “ far beyond the usual bounds of reverie.” The monster 's innocence and supernatural qualities further addressed why he is the romantic hero in the