The Creature: A True Victim In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

The Creature: A True Victim In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, what starts out as a critical rescue of Victor Frankenstein soon develops into an ominous story. As Victor shares the gruesome story of exploring the realms of life, a serious of awful events take place after Victor’s creature is abandoned and left to figure out life on his own. As Shelley writes her novel, she creates sympathy for the creature by giving him human-like characteristics, such as feelings. She also intrigues her readers by allowing them to make the decision on whether the creature is a victim or a villain. A victim can be defined as someone who suffers some loss while a villain can be defined as someone or something regarded as the cause of a problem, difficulty, or injustice. Even though the creature caused many problems throughout the community, it is evident that the creature is a victim because he is abandoned by his creator, shunned because of his appearance, and his desire for a mate is rejected. After spending nearly two years of putting together scrap pieces of human remains, Victor knew

One lesson the creature learns is that he “was not even of the same nature as man” (Shelley 102). Here, the creature begins to realize that he is the only one like himself. As read in chapter 11, the creature shares his first human interaction. “I had hardly placed my foot within the door, before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted. The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country,” (Shelley 90). In this quote, the creature explains what it is like to be seen by others. Later in chapter 15, the creature catches a glimpse of his reflection in a pool of water. Shelley shares how his own appearance makes him uncomfortable. He soon begins to realize what everyone shuns him because of his