The main characters of a story are usually the individuals who have the greatest impact on the plot and development of the book. This is only partially true for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, as a certain side character greatly impacts the story’s development. Set in a variety of countries throughout Europe, the novel revolves around the story of Victor Frankenstein and the tribulations he faces after his humanoid creation, the Creature comes to life. Victor’s abandonment of this creation is the initial spark that influenced the creature to pursue a path of devastation. While this spark is the source of the creature’s flame, it needs fuel to reach its peak form. This fuel comes in the form of Felix De Lacey, who is necessary to the story's development …show more content…
After multiple denied attempts to communicate with the Turk, Felix visits him through a grated prison window and expresses his compassion towards the prisoner. The merchant offers marriage to his daughter to Felix in exchange for his help. The plan that Felix creates to free the merchant ultimately works but results in the aggravation of the French government, who eventually imprisons Felix’s sister and blind father. The compassionate nature of Felix is further bolstered as he endeavors to free his family from prison, but unlike his last jailbreak, he fails. Felix’s foundation as a person is to aid his surrounding friends and family in addition to righting the wrongs of others. As he listens to the tragic story of Felix and his family, the Creature learns “to admire their virtues and deprecate the vices of mankind” (Shelley 15). These roots of compassion are planted in the Creature, which further develops his desire to be helpful to and accepted by the human race. While Felix may show compassion to those he holds dearest, he is more than willing to show bellicosity in times of …show more content…
He follows his plan without a hitch and has a conversation with Felix’s father, who is not afraid of the Creature as he is unaware of his peculiar appearance. Their conversation continues until the Creature notices the sound of the cottagers approaching the door, stirring him into a panic as he latches onto the hand of the old man. As Felix enters the house, he is startled by the horrid display of a giant creature clinging to his frightened father, compelling him to separate the creature from the old man with “a supernatural force” (Shelley 15). Felix then begins to strike the Creature “in a transport of fury” (Shelley 15), and causes the Creature a great deal of suffering and sorrow. These violent acts carried out by Felix scare the Creature away who later the next day overhears him speaking with the owners of the cottage. As Felix speaks about how his “wife and sister will never recover from their horror” (Shelley 16), the Creature is met with great sorrow and later departs as he feels Felix and his family “had broken the only link that held me to the world” (Shelley