Cruelty In Frankenstein

Only those who have read Mary Shelley’s famous novel Frankenstein know that the commonly used name “Frankenstein” is the name of the doctor who created the monster, not the monster itself. However, what if calling the monster “Frankenstein” is an attempt to unveil the deeper secrets of the book? An attempt to show that although the creature exhibits many of the physical attributes of a “monster”, he may not be the true monster in the story. Victor Frankenstein spends years creating life without thinking about what he will do with the creation. When it comes into the world with the innocence of a baby, Victor abandons it, leaving it to face the cruel world on it’s own. The creature’s rejection from his creator and society causes him to to kill

Since the story is presented in Victor’s perspective, he may not appear as a cruel human being. However one must keep in mind that all his thoughts are biased and frown upon the creature. He never gives the creature a chance to prove himself as innocent and instead abandons him on sight: “... breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room…” (49). Victor abandons years of research and labor and a being of his own creation based on physical appearance. This doesn’t seem cruel since the monster is “of a gigantic stature… eight feet in height” (44) and hideous when compared to human beings. It is human nature to be fearful of such abnormal figures. Yet the mental state of the creature was that of a baby’s: innocent, naive, and curious. Just like any baby, the monster gains his senses for the first time and observes the world, especially the duality of it such as fire: “How strange, I thought, that the same cause should produce such opposite effects!” (101). A being so naive poses no threat and should be fostered regardless of physical

He spends years trying to achieve one of the hardest challenges in science: creating life. He is selfish and only thinks about fame and not the possible outcomes of creating a powerful living being. After the first encounter Victor tries to sleep and wakes up to the creature towering over his bed: “His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks… one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs” (49). Victor doesn’t think rationally and sees this as a threat from the creature, thinking it is trying to “detain” him. However the creature has no reason to harm. All he can do is be grateful for being created. He grins and stretches his hand out in embrace only to be met by rejection. Only someone with a cruel heart can abandon such innocence. The creature later asks him “‘Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?’”(131) Victor and the society both turn away from the creature. Both judge the monster solely based on physical appearance and turn away from it before it has a chance to show its true nature. But it is Victor’s responsibility to take care of his creation instead of leaving it to face the world by itself: “Yet you, my creator, detest and spur me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us. You purpose to kill me. How