Sympathy In Frankenstein

In the 1818 edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, we follow the story of a scientist, Victor, who creates a being from the body parts of dead animals and humans. Victor learns that playing God comes with consequences when the creature comes to life and is not what he imagined it to be. We as the readers learn how the power of uninterrupted knowledge can corrupt a person and how neglect can lead someone to commit unfathomable crimes. Mary Shelley tests her audience’s morality and lets them decide whom they think deserves pity and who they think is to blame for the destruction that takes place in her book. Shelley makes it apparent throughout the novel that she sympathizes with the creature more than she does with Frankenstein and encourages

People do not sympathize with him because he is a good person but instead because of the grief he dealt with. From the very beginning, Frankenstein dealt with the loss of his mother which inspired his idea to create a living creature out of inanimate objects. He then dealt with the murder of his brother and the death of Justine both of whom died because of his actions. Leading to a burden he could never get rid of and would soon accept to be his own fault. In chapter 8, Frankenstein says, “Thus spoke my prophetic soul, as torn by remorse, horror, and despair, I beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts.” Later on, his best friend is murdered, then his wife, all because of the creature he created. In the end, his father dies from the heartbreak of losing his loved ones. When Frankenstein created his creature, he had no idea how disruptive it would be to his life. He slowly lost every person he had ever loved in his life and he had to deal with the guilt of it being his fault. It is easy for readers to sympathize with Frankenstein because many people have lost a loved one just like he did and cannot imagine the pain of losing their whole

The creature directly killed three people, but Frankenstein indirectly killed five people. All of these deaths and the terrible life of the creature could have been avoided if Frankenstein hadn’t abused his knowledge of science. In chapter 4, Frankenstein warns the reader, “...how dangerous is the acquisition of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.” Frankenstein chose to play God but decided he didn’t like what he made. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, he blames his issues on the thing that didn’t ask for life. The creature defends himself saying, “I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity… you, my creator, abhorred me… shall I not then hate them who abhor me?” Victor made a creature that knew nothing of life and turned him into a monster that would kill his family. The creature was driven to madness and deprived of human interaction because of Frankenstein’s own selfishness. Frankenstein is so paranoid that the creature is trying to kill him; he can't protect the ones he cares about most. Even as he is dying all he cares about is destroying the creature. He never redeems himself for his past mistakes while the creature on the other hand shows