Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein illustrates that not only education, but love, is a necessity for development. Victor Frankenstein’s monster comes to life with an adult body, but his mind is more similar to that of a baby’s. After Victor brings his creation to life and flees with terror at the looks of the monster, the monster is left to his own devices. He is eight feet tall, with superhuman strength and the appearance of a giant man, but has no inkling of how the world works. He even relates to Victor later that he cried to himself: “I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept” (Shelley 106). At the time of relating this story to Victor, the monster …show more content…
After learning all that he can from observing the family and reading books, the monster attempts to seek affection from others. He finds great disappointment when he is cast out once again by the cottagers. In reflection of his unfortunate event, he tells Victor, “Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous” (Shelley 103). The monster is obviously not at a loss of education, but is depleted of love. He uses his knowledge from religious books that he has read to compare Victor to his father; he should be cared for by Victor, “but I am rather the fallen angel”. Victor has failed to give the monster a good life, even though he gave the creature life in the first place. The monster also highlights that all he needs is love in order to be a good character. He tries to do good things, but eventually is forced to return the same treatment that he has received. Without being cared for, he can not function in the society that he was brought into. He can learn everything possible about the people around him, but he is not accepted by them in the first place. With this, he can not become the person that the world expects him to be, and he resorts to dangerous