Flat Characters In Frankenstein

What does it mean to have characters that change throughout the book, and have to adjust to certain circumstances, or characters that stay consistent throughout the entire book? Flat characters are two dimensional and stay the same throughout the novel, in contrast to that round characters are more complex and surprise the readers by their change in behavior and other aspects. Round and flat characters are used by Mary Shelley in this novel Frankenstein, to show a diverse range of characters. In this novel, the main characters are, Victor Frankenstein, Elizabeth Lavenza, the unnamed creature, Robert Walton, and Alphonse Frankenstein. In this novel, Victor is fascinated by life and

When the creature sits down with Victor and conversates with him about his journey he shows a controlled and developed side of him. When the creature is first introduced he is described as a devil and a nuisance to all of mankind. The creature grows and gets more educated, he learns to make fire which helps him in the long run. “It was morning when I awoke, my first care was to visit the fire” (Shelley 72), this quote shows the creature's sense of responsibility. The creature was oblivious to many things especially his surroundings, he learned to become more comprehensive and diligent to his life choices. He started out as a body with a child's brain that grew rapidly into a full functioning and understanding creature. “When Frankenstein is framed for the murder of Clerval, he realizes it is the Creature's doing”(Knarf), this quotes shows the level of thinking the creature put into making Victor pay for what he did. The creature grew into a revenge seeking figure that knew what he was doing. Another example of Mary Shelley using flat characters to support the story was including Henry Clerval. Henry is a self-educated man who was moral and physical support for Victor during his toughest times. Henry is a flat character because of his lack of surprise and development throughout the novel. Although Henry was a great support system, he did not have a personality change or any type of drastic modification

This quote explains that as a father Alphonse has responsibilities that he is accountable for that help in the development of his child Victor, and that is what he was doing throughout the novel. Flat character's job is to support the main characters and Victor's father was his supporting character. Mary Shelley added Alphonse to help show Victors background more, to help readers understand where he comes from. Alphonse gives a way of seeing where Victor comes from, in a sense of creating a more understanding view of Victor. As a flat character Alphonse shows no growth in his character, and he had one point of view in the entire novel. The concept of having round and flat characters in a novel is so that they can support one another. Having a minimal amount of main characters and an abundance of supporting characters like Mary Shelley illustrated in her novel Frankenstein, helps the story have a flow and a better focus. It is easier to understand the protagonist’s background and personality when they have supporting characters helping them uncover