Cover In Frankenstein

Many people have heard the saying ‘never judge a book by its cover’ but what they do not realize is that the opposite of this happens all the time. Very frequently, people tend to assume things about others based on their looks, whether it's their outfit, hair, makeup, etc. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, society ‘judges a book by its cover’ by assuming the monster is a bad guy, who only wishes to harm people, but actually just wants a friend. The ostracizing of the monster in Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein seen through incidents with Felix, William, and the portrait of the lovely woman reveal the central theme of the negative effects that judging someone based only on appearance can have.

The fascination with outward appearance

The monster sees William Frankenstein in the woods, and has intentions of becoming his friend, thinking that a child so young could not possibly have prejudice against him. He thinks that if he can grab hm and tell him how lonely he is, he could finally have a friend. He grabs William as he walks by and says he does not intend to harm him, but as soon as William sees the monster's face, he cries "Ugly wretch! You wish to eat me and tear me to pieces. You are an ogre" (Shelley 122). William threatens to go tell his father, but the monster, desperate for a companion, says that the boy "must come with" him (Shelley 122). The young boy becomes angry, calling the creature a "hideous monster" yet again (Shelley 122). This interaction causes the monster to become so fed up with others being so mean to him based on his appearance that he kills the child. Even a young child assumes the worst out of the monster because of his appearance, showing the influence from older people around him, because he learned the habit of judging based on looks from them. This relates to the central meaning of the work because it demonstrates the value of beauty to society. Many people assume characteristics of others solely based on how lovely or hideous they appear, but they do not take the time to know the innate character of the

The monster sees a picture of "a most lovely woman" in the young boy's pocket after he is killed (Shelley 122). He "gazed with delight" upon her beautiful features fondly, but soon became enraged (Shelley 122). He remembers that he is "forever deprived of the delights that such beautiful creatures could bestow" because he is so ugly (Shelley 122). He ponders that if the woman in the portrait could see him, she would be disgusted and not want anything to do with him. He realizes that no one will ever treat him like they treat her because of the importance of appearance in society. Because he is not good-looking, he will not receive the same respect or kindness that a pretty person would receive. This reveals the central theme that judging people based on looks causes negative things to happen. The monster was ostracized by society every time he came looking for a friend, and resulted in violence and murder, but if he had been accepted and welcomed, peace would have been