Category In Frankenstein Quotes

To try and categorize something that does not yet exist is impossible, and in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, categorizing the existence of Victor Frankenstein's creature is no less troubling. Throughout the novel the creature is described to the reader from the point of view of Victor, but to only consider this perspective would be wrong. Through the murders of William, Henry Clerval, and Elizabeth, Victor can only see the creature as a creator of chaos and not as the creation that he should have helped assimilate into human society. Frankenstein’s creature must thus take matters into its own hands and work towards being accepted by both Victor and the rest of society. Unfortunately, the creature’s failed attempt in assimilating only causes grief

Although Victor knows that the creature is responsible for the death of William, the creature cannot fully conform to that categorization. This is due to the fact that the creature is in a position where the laws of society do not necessarily apply to it, due to the life and death boundaries that it is balanced between. The laws of society can only apply to the living as the law enforcers would not consider the dead of being able to commit the crimes of the living. This is evident in the fact that a deceased criminal will no longer be obligated to serve their criminal sentence. Because the creature is an amalgamation of dead people brought to life, the laws of the living are not inherently established in the creature. Just as a parent is expected to instill values and the foundation of a moral compass in their children, it would have been Victor’s responsibility to familiarize the creature with the laws of the living. It is also unclear how a monster such as the creature could ever be convicted for a crime, considering the fact that it is much stronger and faster than any living man. It is also important to note that, just as the creature’s existence is a blurred boundary between dead and alive, its political boundaries are just as blurred between good and bad. The confusing, blurred boundaries that make up the existence of the creature are what make it difficult to place it in any category. In this case, not even the accurate description of criminal can fully grasp the identity of creature, effectively pushing its nonconformity even