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The Role Of The Creature In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: More Human than Not

The creature that Victor Frankenstein created in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is misrepresented by pop culture today. Many view the creature our culture knows as “Frankenstein” as an ugly and mentally challenged monster. Instead, if one will examine the creature portrayed within the pages of Frankenstein, it is easy to see that the perceptions of the creature are misconstrued. The creature is very human like in spirit and processes the same basic needs that all humanity shares. Victor Frankenstein created the creature to be humanlike and complex, “I doubted at first whether I should attempt the creation of a being like myself, or one of simpler organization; but my imagination was too much exalted by my first success to prevent me to doubt my ability to give life to an animal as complex and wonderful as man.” (Shelley 32). Victor spent countless hours trying to perfect the human form and make his creation …show more content…

The creature lacking love sees himself as a monster, “Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?” (Shelley 93). As the creature continues to face rejection, he becomes the (humanly) monster that Victor’s negligence creates by killing those who are closet to his creator. The murders that he commits are a direct result from being shunned by society and his creator. The creature’s emotional anguish caused him to snap and proves that he has a very complex human mind. Frankenstein succeeded in creating a human, but he “made” him a monster by depriving and failing to care for his most basic human needs. A reader of Frankenstein comes away with a very different image of the creature than what is accepted by society. The creature becomes human-like to most readers and while his monstrous crimes are not excusable; they are

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