How Is Frankenstein Different From Others

As the creature in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein comes to see how others perceive him and takes action based on that knowledge and his original reaction, he demonstrates a parallel between the growth of his character and the character and path of Satan within John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Through the realization of how one is perceived by others, influences one's opinion of oneself. In Frankenstein, the creature comes to realize how he is seen as different from others and how different he actually is. Through this observation, he observes that: “Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded (Shelley 105).” He knows that others will not accept him and that he will just go on being unhappy and alone while everyone else has

As the creature begins to react to how others view him, he observes “Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition, for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me (Shelley 139).” He is envious of those around him because they are accepted and are able to have good experiences. He wants the same amount of goodness and companionship in his life as they all do. As he is not accepted into society, he does not get the same privilege. Like the creature, Satan also is envious of others. In lines 507 to 509 in book four of Paradise Lost, it states: “The happier … shall enjoy thir fill / Of bliss on bliss, while I to Hell am thrust, / Where neither joy nor love, but fierce desire (Milton 73).” Satan longs for the happiness and enjoyment that others feel, but as he finds this is not possible in hell, he is left full of desire and envy. He is envious of those above him with more power or ability to fit in with the considered goodness and normalcy. The creature is also saddened by his situation as seen through this encounter with Felix: “He dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick. I could have torn him limb from limb, as the lion rends the antelope. But my heart sank within me as with bitter sickness, and I refrained. I saw him on the point of repeating his blow, when, overcome by pain and anguish, I quitted the cottage, and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel (Shelley 145).” He could have caused sadness for those whom he loved but was rejected by, but he didn’t. Observing the reactions of his ‘protectors’ to his appearance caused him more unhappiness in addition to his envy. Satan also has different ways that he appears to react in Paradise Lost. One of these can be seen as he (and his companions) decide how “best we may / Compose our present evils, with regard / Of what we are and where