Consequences Of Creation In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

In the story Frankenstein, a man controlled by science creates a being without thinking of the consequences that would come with his creation. Throughout the story there is the argument as to who is more human, Victor Frankenstein or his creation. As the plot progresses, you can see the humanity in Victor, but you also see his creation become a monster. In the beginning, Victor sees his creation as one of the wonderful thing’s science brings to life, but when creation is animated, his realization of the mistake he has made sets in. The creation is not evil at first, it is the abandonment, isolation, and cruelty he faces that turns him into a monster. Both of the characters shows sides of evil and destruction, because they slaved to each other.

Even though Frankenstein’s creation was made from human body parts, his “form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance” (Shelley 93). The creation is not a human being. He is lacking an important key ingredient. A soul. Frankenstein pieced together a being from science. He was not brought into the world naturally, but handmade. Along with a soul, he lacks understanding. As the story goes on, Frankenstein’s creations wanders around the world searching for answers. Along the way he comes across a family, whom he learns many things from. After time spent watching them and how they live their lives, he starts to want to be apart of it. When his attempt to join society is ruined, he becomes angry because of the prejudice from one man that represents the judgement from all man to him. The more he exposes himself to society, the more he “wished to tear up the trees, spread havoc and destruction around” (Shelley, 97). The monster does not care about anyone’s feelings except his own. His feelings towards all of humanity and Victor Frankenstein fuel him to do bad things. When the monsters goes to Frankenstein’s home, he makes one last desperate try and approaches a little boy. When he discovers that the little boy is related to Victor, he kills the boy without a second thought. After killing the child he “gazed on [his] victim, and [his] heart swelled with exultation

He only saw the way they were frightened by him and instead of continuing to try to approach this problem from a different way, he only grew angry. The monster is a monster because he chooses to be that way. After his own realization that society will not accept him for the way he is, he chose instead to live with hatred as his motivation. His misbelief that no human will ever see him as anything less than hideous guides him to believe that if he “ cannot inspire love, I will cause fear” instead (Shelley, 104). The monster is choosing to be the way he is, he did not have to kill, he is intentionally becoming the monster that Frankenstein thought he already was. The monsters excuse is,“ I am malicious because I am miserable”, he thinks it is acceptable to be the way he is because he is too miserable to be any other way (Shelley, 104). Along the way, after learning of his creations journey of knowledge, Frankenstein does feel some sympathy towards the monster. So much that he considers creating another being like him to keep him company. Frankenstein contemplates this idea, but in the end he can’t create another monster because the guilt of creating another monster haunts him. When the monster learns of Frankenstein’s choice, he is furious. This decision leads to the death of Victor’s wife, the night after their wedding. Even after taking everything away from Frankenstein “a grin was on the face of the