Frankenstein’s Monster is not categorized as evil by his malicious behavior and is sympathized with due to his creator abandoning him and the role of nature versus nurture taken place II. Monster’s Nature and alienation A. Monster originally had an inquisitive nature yet gentle nature a. Information on the German family was “each interesting and wonderful to one so utterly inexperienced as [he] was” (105) B. With the rejection and alienation from society, the only interactions the monster experiences, he becomes full of hatred a. Rejected by De Lacey family by his looks and labeled a monster b. Tries to save a child but is shot by child’s father C. Reader may feel sympathy towards the Monster’s actions because the readers know that his true nature was not evil and he was misjudged III.
As the monster finds himself desiring a companion, he is seized by the idea that children are “unprejudiced and have lived too short a time to have imbibed a horror of deformity” (Shelly 143). The creature’s intentions were to ‘adopt’ the child that was playing in the field where he had come to rest. In the creature’s attempt to talk to the child, he discovers that the young boy is Victor’s brother. When the monster realizes that the little boy is related to Frankenstein, who he wants to make as miserable as he is, the creature kills him. By killing the child that he wanted to ‘adopt,’ the monster continued the cycle of neglect by becoming a battering parent.
But Frankenstein’s attitude towards his creature changed, when it was finally alive. It was the moment he has been waiting for years and now he was appalled. “I felt bitterness of disappointment: dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space, were now become a hell to me; and the change was so rapid, the overthrow so complete!” (36/37) And so he leaves his being alone – leaves his kid alone because of his “inability to tolerate extreme ugliness” (Bann
If children lack guidance they can also tend to lash out and go down dark paths and this is what happened to the creature. When the monster goes to look for his creator he stumbles upon a young boy who says he is Frankenstein's brother who he then viciously attacks and kills out of hatred for Frankenstein. This shows how Frankenstein's unethical abandonment and lack of supporting his creation caused the monster to resent his creator when then in turn led him down a dark path. If the creature had the right guidance then he could have been everything that Frankenstein wanted but instead he was a product of his own environment and since he was treated so badly without anyone to love or care for him he turned
The Duties a Parent Has Towards Their Children What gives humans the right to create life? Moreover, what responsibilities does a parent have to his child. Multiple philosophies have been formulated that address this question; communism and Christianity being two of the most prominent in the western modern world. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses Frankenstein’s monster to convey her belief that a parent's most basic duty to their child is to be present in their live while caring and nurture them. She does this through a multitude of literary devices.
Memories of a Monster Frankenstein’s monster is usually considered a monster of inconceivable malevolence, but it seems as though Mary Shelley believed there was more to his story in the novel: Frankenstein. Bioengineering plays a key role in this question, so does the type of upbringing given and the psychological aspect cannot be forgotten. This Nature vs Nurture topic makes for an interesting discussion on raising children in modern america, which is why I feel strongly about this question. The question is; was Frankenstein’s monster corrupt from his creation, or was he taught to be malicious? Was his creation a bad egg from the start, or was he spoiled as time went on?
Frankenstein’s creature initially shows no signs of ill will or malice when first encountering human beings (Shelley 72-73). On the contrary, through careful observation he is able to learn more about human society and personal relationships. He begins to admire the close connection between the people he observes and respects their virtue. This, however, makes him realise what he is missing. Observing the love and affection between others only increases the effect his own solitude has on him.
Once the creature begins to go out on his own and learn about life and society, during his first interaction with other people he learns that he will be immediately judged based on how he looks. To start, when Frankenstein first sees the creature, he quickly runs away without any interaction and exclaims “no mortal could support the horror of that countenance” (Shelley 36). This interaction made the monster realize that even his creator could not avoid the habits of the society he lived in, and immediately ran away from him in fear because he didn’t believe he was attractive. Then after that, the creature still has enough hope to go into a village and meet other people, but he is immediately met with children that “shrieked” and one woman who “fainted” just at the sight of him (Shelley 74). In every situation where the creature attempts to interact with others, he is shunned immediately, before even being able to say a word.
Up till this point there is a clear battle that she is trying to make with this chaotic relationship between the creator and the creation. While, towards the beginning, we are exposed to the idea that self-teaching is something of being positive, the end result seems to show otherwise. From Victors own choices of what he pursued he unintentionally created something evil while the monsters unavoidable choices of learning resulted in him discovering himself as a person with deeply rooted emotions. This idea is deeply tucked away once when we see this shift of roles. Because of Victors choices in life his creation becomes furious and destructive.
Frankenstein : Psychology of Parenting When a child is created and brought into this world, it is the parent’s responsibility to nurture, guide, and teach he/she how to develop and strive socially, mentally, and emotionally in this world. Human beings have to be taught everything. Without someone teaching them right from wrong and how to survive, they could end up feral. It is the parent’s responsibility to teach their child socially and morally to help them survive.
Despite the Monster’s physical appearance, Frankenstein had created himself his own child who relied on the only person he knew – Frankenstein – for guidance. Instead it was denied and violently repelled. Doctor Frankenstein would later say of his creation, “I had turned loose into the world a depraved wretch, whose delight was in carnage and misery.” Frankenstein did have the opportunity to demonstrate love and compassion to the Monster. Instead he runs away, in response to the abnormality of his creation.
Perhaps, if a human such as Frankenstein had accepted the creature, onlookers would have had an easier time welcoming someone with his appearance into their presence. Society’s false perception of what makes someone “normal” is what altered their first impression of The Creature. People had a hard time distinguishing the difference between mind and body, which resulted in The Creature’s undesired abandonment and a gut filled with hatred towards his creator. In contrast, Victor Frankenstein refers to his family in a positive way several times throughout the novel.
Parental guidance is fundamental in the development of a child; without a role model, one might find it more difficult to experience traditional development. Throughout someone’s life, social and emotional development are critical to becoming a functioning adult. The idea of social and emotional development includes the evolution of oneself to reach the fullest potential and be able to efficiently express, manage, and understand emotions. Although, many species go through social and emotional development. While in most animal species, the goal isn’t to become a functioning adult but is to be successful in reproduction; they still experience social development.
In the story Victor Frankenstein pushes the limits of knowledge making a creature that horrifies him, driving Frankenstein to abandon it and leave it alone in the world. The creature goes out and sees people who he believes will accept him because “the gentle ass whose intentions were affectionate, although his manners were rude, deserved better treatment than blows and execration” (Shelley 81). In this statement, the creature shows the reader that everyone, no matter who he or she is, deserves to be treated kindly. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the creature, and the world is cruel to him causing him to “[declare] ever-lasting war against the species, and, more than all, against him who had formed [the creature], and sent [him] forth to this insupportable misery” (97). The creature longs to have friends or people who love him, but since the people judge him on his outside appearance and do not take the time to know him, they cause him to become a monster.
Throughout the timeless tale Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the Creatures choice of brutality instead of kindness comes as a result of others alienation towards him. As the Creature begins to tell his side of the story he remarks, “I discovered also another means through which I could assist their labors,” showing his heart was indeed admirable; he continues, “I often took his tools… and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days.” (Shelley 79). Before encountering the cruelty of others, his heart is in the right place. He stands as a protector and an unknown friend to the people of the cabin.
