Physical Appearance In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Regardless of one’s personality, there is a significant amount of prejudice that is based off of physical appearance and this is a prominent issue. For example, whether or not one is too thin, too fat, too short, or is too tall. This problem is displayed in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein with the scientist Victor Frankenstein’s creation of his monster. ‘The monster’ cannot escape from the inevitable judgment from society that is solely based upon his physical appearance.
Page 43 in Frankenstein first gives credit to the idea of social acceptance and physical appearance. Caroline Frankenstein visits the humble home of a peasant man and his family, and she finds that one of the five children, a little girl, of the household is unlike the rest. In fact, the first wording for Caroline’s assessment of the situation is that “there was one which attracted [her] far above all the rest.” It goes on to say that the girl “appeared of a different stock.” She was thin, fair, and had golden hair and blue eyes. The narrator, young Victor Frankenstein, goes so far as to refer to her as “of a distinct species, a being heaven-sent.” All of this praising description occurs at just a glance upon the little child, even before she has spoken a

Here, Frankenstein describes his creature and his own reaction to what he has accomplished. Again, before the subject of description has spoken a single word, Victor makes a judgment upon it. He describes the monster’s features with negativity, speaking of his “watery eyes,” “yellow skin,” and “shriveled complexion.” He claims “horror and disgust” consumed his heart at the realization of what he had done, and he says that the creature was “ugly” before it had been completed but, once finished and given life, was “a thing such as even Dante could not have