It must feel horrible to be an outcast, especially when you do not understand that you are one. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Candy’s dog is an outcast to the men in the bunk house. The dog has multiple conditions which make it unwanted and unaccepted. Though Candy’s dog is not human it is still considered an outcast because it is old, smelly and suffering.
In the case of Frankenstein, people often act irrationally around him due to his freakish figure, leading them to attack and even shoot the creature. However, the creature isn’t truly the monster these humans view him as; he has emotions and feelings that are heavily affected. The creature believes he is “the miserable and abandoned, an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on, (Shelly 124)” leading him to view himself as the monster the humans see him as, becoming
In the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Shelley showcases the theme that people are inherently good. This theme is conveyed through the monster’s character because he can not be classified as either good or evil. This is crucial in the plotline because morally ambiguous characters are considered to be more like real humans. They have their own problems and are not perfect, so the audience sympathizes with those characters. The monster was raised in an environment that modified his moral integrity, which causes the audience to see his character in a different light.
Frankenstein’s Monster is not categorized as evil by his malicious behavior and is sympathized with due to his creator abandoning him and the role of nature versus nurture taken place II. Monster’s Nature and alienation A. Monster originally had an inquisitive nature yet gentle nature a. Information on the German family was “each interesting and wonderful to one so utterly inexperienced as [he] was” (105) B. With the rejection and alienation from society, the only interactions the monster experiences, he becomes full of hatred a. Rejected by De Lacey family by his looks and labeled a monster b. Tries to save a child but is shot by child’s father C. Reader may feel sympathy towards the Monster’s actions because the readers know that his true nature was not evil and he was misjudged III.
In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, both of the main characters undergo physical and emotional isolation. This enforced or chosen solitude causes Frankenstein to become over-ambitious and harbor secrets from his family and friends, leading to his demise. In the monster, isolation turns to misery, which causes him to become vengeful against his creator and all the world. Through these examples of total isolation, Shelley shows that when people have no connection to others in the world, their worst characteristics and flaws are brought out. Victor Frankenstein was the first character to show a major flaw while in isolation.
The use of the word monster in the book also correlates to appearance, and when the creature is called a monster, he feels forced to act like one. After being rejected by society because of his appearance the creature cries to Frankenstein, “Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust” (Shelley 93). This shows that the creature internalized all of the hate he received from his appearance, to the point where he viewed himself as a monster. When he internalizes all this negativity about himself that stems from his appearance, and begins to see himself as a monster, he then begins to behave as one.
Society is well-known for pushing those who are outsiders or strange away from society. This is prevalent to the examples in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein. The monster who was created by Victor Frankenstein who wanted to be the first to create life was appalled by the sights of the his creation. Frankenstein’s monster is judged based on his appearances and is often ostracized by society, just as anyone in modern day society can be shunned or pushed away due to their looks or how they think. The most outstanding example of ostracism that occurred throughout the novel is based on the monster’s physical features and structure.
In Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley addresses examples of social class and the way people interpreted it in this time period. Depending on the class the character is in, their life can take one of many different paths. Higher class people usually lead a better life whereas low class people, such as Justine, get caught up in the scheme and suffer the consequences of the actions of others. She also at times shows her own opinion on the social classes through the voice she gives her characters. Certain characters being placed in differing classes, yet still interacting with each other, leads to a deeper story and more interesting conflictions and relationships in the novel.
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, written in 1816, the monster is more human than his creator, Victor Frankenstein, because it exhibits stronger human qualities than Victor including: a desire for companionship and personal interaction, an ability to show compassion and grace to others, and has an imagination and intelligence. Throughout the novel, the Monster shows a human characteristic of longing for companionship and love. He even says that “Satan has his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but [he is] solitary and detested” (Shelley 93). Once the Monster realizes this, he flees into the woods, and begins observing a family that lives in a cottage out there.
The monster is spurned by society because of his horrific appearance, his body, alone and hated, unfit for the company of strangers, just as Frankenstein fears he is. He is miserable which makes the hatred grow, as he says, “all men hate the wretched; how then must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things!” In fact, this wretchedness and enforced isolation is the monster’s main character trait, parallel to the isolation being Frankenstein’s biggest fear. Now that Victor is in college, he does not have his family to fall back upon for affection.
To begin, there are obvious reasons as to why Frankenstein can be seen as a monster. The biggest reason, of course is because he literally created a monster. He brought to life a person who was dead. The monster he created was good at first. Things
First and foremost, the fictions teach us about the characters. In “Frankenstein” we are faced with a being created by a scientist. Both characters are shown as kind, misunderstood monsters, seeking knowledge. “The Outsider” creature sees no kindness, as the people run away from him. This is stated on CR27, “Scarcely had I entered...
Perhaps, if a human such as Frankenstein had accepted the creature, onlookers would have had an easier time welcoming someone with his appearance into their presence. Society’s false perception of what makes someone “normal” is what altered their first impression of The Creature. People had a hard time distinguishing the difference between mind and body, which resulted in The Creature’s undesired abandonment and a gut filled with hatred towards his creator. In contrast, Victor Frankenstein refers to his family in a positive way several times throughout the novel.
Throughout the novel Frankenstein a big part of this theme is in relation to the creature. The creature was created by Victor Frankenstein yet, being the one person who could have shown the creature the compassion that he desired Victor ran away from the creature in horror. Everywhere the creature went he wanted to be accepted, but the people would just see him for his countenance and run away, but they did not see him for what he was on the inside. Some would say that his hopes of being accepted were gone that is until he meet the cottagers. He found a family who he called his protectors and
Once the creature begins to go out on his own and learn about life and society, during his first interaction with other people he learns that he will be immediately judged based on how he looks. To start, when Frankenstein first sees the creature, he quickly runs away without any interaction and exclaims “no mortal could support the horror of that countenance” (Shelley 36). This interaction made the monster realize that even his creator could not avoid the habits of the society he lived in, and immediately ran away from him in fear because he didn’t believe he was attractive. Then after that, the creature still has enough hope to go into a village and meet other people, but he is immediately met with children that “shrieked” and one woman who “fainted” just at the sight of him (Shelley 74). In every situation where the creature attempts to interact with others, he is shunned immediately, before even being able to say a word.
