The Monster And Exile In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Roots of Evil People are not born evil, they are influenced by others and taught to hate. Through the experiences of their lives, people gain different outlooks and develop their own beliefs about the world. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, people view the creature as a monster because of his brutal nature towards Frankenstein’s family, but his original intentions are to help and care for others. Frankenstein’s creation is not as evil as Frankenstein is for abandoning his creation and allowing it to develop its evil mentality. Frankenstein’s failure to watch over his creation, the creature’s interactions with other people, the altercations between Frankenstein and his being, and the forgiving nature of the creature display how Victor Frankenstein is more of a monster than his creation.

It was a fact that the individual had the monstrous experience and as the society insulted and discarded him at each point. Frankenstein is expected to implement the certain behavior that is considered monstrous as a result the society is absolutely to blame in determining his behavior. The approach of the society as he was discarded and treated as a monster, he later became one. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, society repeatedly regards Victor's creation as a monster, at every point. Frankenstein is a novel having a close correlation to Mary Shelley’s own life experiences which can be seen in the revelation of Walton and Victor who share characteristics with Mary Shelley’s husband Percy Shelley.

“‘Shall each man,’ cried he, ‘find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone? I had feelings of affection, and they were requited by detestation and scorn,’” (Shelley, 20.11). Victor denies the monster humanity because he is appalled by his features, and that’s what makes Victor the true monster. He made early judgement on who the monster was before the monster could speak because he was terrifying, and society had made him believe that if it were different it was dangerous. Even when the monster promised to leave society forever if he were only given someone to love, to feel normal, the idea that anything outside their realm of societal norms being allowed to continue existing was just too much for Victor.

He is shown to have wisdom and knowledge in the book due to his experiences of journeying around the world. Although, the monster is a victim because the fault originated from Victor Frankenstein in the first place. (Storment) Overall, the monster is a victim because there is a lot of factors in play. First, the monster did not care at all because the creator or the people didn’t show any love at all to the monster. Secondly, he was abused by the creator and the people with their words and actions done to the monster.

"Believe me, Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone?" (M. Shelly 114). Therefore the daemon's nature must be loving and compassionate, but because he experienced a lack of nurturing, that he was expecting to receive from his creator, Frankenstein, this then caused the daemon to be monstrous and seek revenge upon his creator; therefore Frankenstein's pain was a result of his own failures. The character of Frankenstein argues that both nature and nurture influences the behavior of people through his actions against his very own monster and in turn the effect of those actions on himself. Frankenstein left the monster alone, and the monster reacted for seeking that Frankenstein should feel just as much loneliness and woe and he did by killing off his entire family.

The theme that passion can be destructive is shown through the creature, Victor's self destruction, and Victor and the creature’s passion to get revenge on each other. The theme of actions by passion can be destructive is first demonstrated by the creature’s passion for everything he does. In chapter sixteen of the text the DeLaceys just rejected the monster after he approached them. ”Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live?

He didn 't understand why people weren 't nice to him even though he was nice to them. The creature was mad and angry at Victor and decided to take his anger out on his family and killed every single one of them. Victor says “ He showed unparalleled malignity and selfishness, in evil: he destroyed my friends; he devoted to destruction beings who possessed exquisite sensations, happiness, and wisdom; nor do I know where this thirst for vengeance may end.”Victor was furious and wanted to destroy the creature once and for all. They both did very awful things to each other. Another similarity is that both wanted to do good for mankind.

Although he comes with friendly intentions, the Monster is treated violently and with contempt, essentially being forced into his alienation to survive and becoming the “monster” he is already thought of as a result. The Monster’s actions are a response to the treatment he has received from others, everyday villagers and Victor alike. With little known about his origins and no way to explain himself, there is no hope for the Monster to assimilate himself. This is present in other characters of the novel as well, for example, Richard Walton, who has self-alienated in order to gain distinction and knowledge. The Monsters origins and appearance develop these themes of alienation throughout the novel, themes that are further developed by other characters and play an important role in delivering the message of

Even to this day society is known to shun those who we do not see as equals. It is my belief that society is the true ‘monster’ in the novel, and that it is through our experiences and interactions with society that shapes us into the person that we become. Because of the creatures experiences with abandonment, abuse, rejection, and lack of nurture, the creature turns from an innocent soul into a murderous monster. Society plays a huge role in the destruction of both the creature and Victor. When Victor first leaves for ignostalt he believes that “he will be unfit for the company of man.” He feels this way because he has spent a majority of his life with his family, and his one friend Henry Clerval.

His appearance scares the people he encounters, and his only desire is love. Further in the novel, there are many situations where the Monster is the victim. Shelley uses words that provide imagery for her readers. Readers will think Victor is the antagonist. He realizes if he would show the Creature love, the Monster would not kill the people.

Perhaps the greatest similarity between Frankenstein and the Creature is their great hatred for one another. The Creature told Frankenstein himself that he " I declared everlasting war against the species, and more all, against him who had formed me and sent forth to this insupportable misery”(113). The Creature hates Frankenstein for not only creating him, but more so for abandoning him. Victor also hates the Creature, however for a different reason. Victor shouted in rage, "Scoffing devil!