Monstrous Vs Monster In Frankenstein

The Monstrous Vs The Monster Frankenstein closely examines the topic of humanity and what it means to be human versus what it means to be a monster. Oddly enough, none of the characters in Frankenstein are truly monsters, not even the creature Victor created. Merriam Webster's definition of a monster is “a strange or horrible imaginary creature that cannot be controlled.” Although strange and horrible, the creature is not imaginary. He is comprised of the parts of dead people that are stitched together, but they are still human body parts nonetheless. Except for his unusual eight foot height, he is no different from any other human. So why is he looked upon as a monster? Although it will seem redundant to state it: the creature along

The creature in Frankenstein is equipped with human qualities, therefore, he is human but his repeated acts of vengeance give him the characterization of monstrous. The idea that the creature is monstrous applies only to his actions, but even though he chooses to act this way, he is still human because he has human qualities and a human body. After the creature had been animated, he left Ingolstadt and lived outside the De Lacys cottage in a hovel. At first, he became accustomed to stealing food from the De Lacys to provide dinner for himself. After he learned that they suffered from poverty, the creature “...abstained and satisfied [himself] with berries, nuts, and roots...” (Shelley pg 78) then during the night, the creature “...often took… [Felix’s] tools...and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days” (Shelley pg 78). The

When he encounters Walton in his vessel after the death of Victor Frankenstein, the creature shows that he feels the all-too-human emotion of guilt. The creature said to Robert, “My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change...” (Shelley 164). The creature was trying to tell Walton that he was not born to be evil, that his heart was fashioned or made to be susceptible of love and compassion. The creature speaks to Walton like he did not want to kill Victor but felt he had to because it would form the “completion of...[the creatures]...demonical design” (Shelley 164). The creature feels guilty because he took the life of many people who were close to Victor thus making Victor and many others suffer. However, the fact that he does not show grief or remorse after Victor died displays his monstrous side. Also, the creature did not feel guilt after taking the lives of Justine and William who were innocent, but he felt guilty after killing Victor who is just as monstrous as the creature. This displays his monstrous form of being. After creating the monster, Victor exclaims “I had been the author of unalterable evils and I lived in daily fear lest the monster whom I created should perpetrate some new wickedness” (Shelley pg 62). Victor felt