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Is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Justified?

409 Words2 Pages

People are not born with the mentality to kill—or are they? Human ambition and desires vary from one another, but for the most part, humans do not seek to commit atrocities. If they do, then who is to blame, the murderer or the ones who raised the murderer? In Mary Shelley’s novel, the main character, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, stitched body parts together to create a beyond hideous, vile-looking creature which caused Frankenstein to abandon him at sight. When the monster ends up killing Frankenstein’s beloved brother due to resentment, one can argue that the creature’s actions are justified (55). The murders and immoral actions of Frankenstein’s monster are justified because he did not have a parental figure, was neglected by the general public, …show more content…

Frankenstein’s monster are justified because he did not have a parental figure in his life. When he was first created by Frankenstein, Frankenstein bolted out of sight, thus deserting the creature into a world of the unknown. It states, “I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited, where I remained during the rest for the night, walking up and down the greatest agitation, [...] to which I had so miserably give life” (Shelley 42). Since Frankenstein was the one who gave the creature life, he was supposed to be a parental figure, as well as a person to look up to. However, Frankenstein’s daring escape from his monster shows he deeply regrets giving life to the creature in the first place. As stated in an article, Urie Bronfenbrenner And Child Development, “Bronfenbrenner's next level, the mesosystem, describes how the different parts of a child's microsystem work together for the sake of the child. For example, if a child's caregivers take an active role in a child's school, such as going to parent-teacher conferences and watching their child's soccer games, this will help ensure the child's overall growth” (Oswalt 1). If parents or important figures are able to be a part of their child’s life, then the child is more likely to have a better self-esteem. It was crucial for the creature to have a parental figure in life since parental involvement and teachings could have dramatically shaped his life, and saved the life of William Frankenstein. Therefore, the creature’s action of killing William Frankenstein is justified because the absence of a parental figure led him to commit bad deeds rather than

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