Creature's Fall From Grace In Frankenstein

The first major aspect that leads to the Creature’s fall from grace is appearance. Victor works tirelessly in academia because he believes to have found the solution to generate life. Once Victor succeeds, the Creature’s demonic appearance mortifies him. Victor describes his work with disdaining imagery, stating, “I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then; but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motivation, it became a thing such as even Dante could have conceived" (Shelley 36). Although Victor successfully creates what would be his greatest academic achievement, he abandons his creation, showing that the Creature's ugliness is a prevailing factor for his isolation from civilization. According to Bridget Marshall’s

The Creature's demonic appearance forces him to retreat to the solitude of the woods, where he hides in a hut near the De Lacey’s cottage. He states, “…by my gentle demeanour and conciliating words, I should first when their favour, and afterwards their love” (Shelley 79). This is when the Creature is most happy because he has hope that others will welcome him. In his attempt to assimilate, the Creature begins to learn language and admire the concept of a family and forms the same human desires that people possess: a family, a companion, a home, and an identity. However, as he tries to interact with people, he learns that his ugly appearance prevents him from integrating into society. The elements of the Gothic are present here, as the Creature's isolation is a principal trope of Gothic fiction. According to Ashley Craig Lancaster’s text, “From Frankenstein's Monster to Lester Ballard: The Evolving Gothic Monster,” “…the Monster drifts away from society as a creature driven first by kindness, then by hatred, and finally by desperation, only to continue to live alone” (Lancaster 139). The Creature tries to be happy and gives a valiant effort to assimilate into civilization. However, his appearance does not allow