Monstrosity Frankenstein Essay

Humanity, Monstrosity and Prejudice: An Analysis of Frankenstein’s Monster Throughout the entirety of Marry Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein’s creation, the Monster, is described as something wretched, monstrous and as something inhuman. By the end of the story, many of the Monster’s actions are those of an evil and monstrous being, but he definitely was not a monster from the start of his life. What began as a curious, innocent life form eventually over the course of his life turned into a truly wicked monstrosity. This essay argues that the Monster’s actions were the direct result of the prejudice shown against him due to his appearance. Before the events that occurred between the Monster and the De Lacey family, the Monster was

When summarizing his first encounter with a human to Victor he says that “His appearance, different from any I had ever before seen, and his flight, somewhat surprised me,” this shows that he, before the events that would follow, was more surprised and curious about humans than anything else. What set the Monster off on a dark path filled with hatred and a thirst for revenge against Victor for creating and abandoning him was the rejection he faced from the De Lacey family. His cottagers, as he called them, were the first people he had the chance to care about; just from observing them he learned human language and the importance of family, community and love. The pain he felt after being rejected even by the people he loved is perfectly encapsulated in his cries of anguish “CURSED, CURSED CREATOR! why did I live?,” the despair that followed this rejection is a sort of turning point for the Monster’s

This prejudice based solely on the Monster’s appearance is what truly broke him and made his “heart sink within me as with bitter sickness”. The Monster’s initial plea of “Why did I live?” showcases him questioning the purpose of his existence. The constant rejection from society makes him ponder whether living in a world that shuns him because of his appearance is worth living in. These feelings and questions develop into anger and a desire for revenge, the Monster saying “I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants, and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery.” This marks the first time he wanted revenge and reveals the dark trajectory his feelings take. The passage concludes with the Monster’s longing for destruction of his surroundings: “O! what a miserable night I had! I, like the archfiend, bore hell within me.” His yearning to “tear up the trees, spread havoc and destruction around,” mirrors the chaos inside of him brought about by the constant societal rejection he faces. The Monster, calling himself an archfiend, shows how prejudice can turn a curious being into one filled with despair and anguish, and eventually into a malevolent and vengeful