The Destruction Of Self-Loathing In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

The maternal bond is considered the strongest bond two humans can have. Since birth, a child is enamoured with his mother, the gentle soul who brought him into the world. Nothing compares to a mother’s unconditional love, as she forms an inseparable and essential bond with her little angel. Of course, not every child is as fortunate. If the parent that brings an innocent child into the world neglects their duties, the child faces adversities. A satirical effect of parental neglect can be seen in the timeless tragedy Frankenstein, where the eponymous creator abandons his poor creation. The creation can be viewed as a young child because of his lack of understanding of the real world, naivety, thirst for basic knowledge and childlike temper.

The creature introspects, “Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant…I was, besides, induced with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even the same nature as man.” (Shelley 107) The creation’s self-loathing is a common symptom demonstrated by abused children (Hosier). Frankenstein’s creation suffers from arrested emotional development because of the abuse. Skills involving logical reasoning and decision making are not fully developed in the creation because of this hindered development (Tawzer). The creation’s psychological deficits, due to Frankenstein’s abuse, vindicate his rash decision making. Consequently, Frankenstein is more accountable for his creation’s misdeeds because he was a negligent and abusive parent. Several studies have documented the correlation between child abuse and future juvenile delinquency. Children who have experienced abuse are nine times more likely to be involved in criminal activities (Gold et al.). Therefore, the creation’s monstrous actions are in fact justifiable because of the psychological damages he faced from his creator’s abuse. An awful combination of the effects of child abuse cause an innocent creation to become a killer. Frankenstein is the real monster because the effect of his abuse destroys the joy of life for an innocent creation. Frankenstein’s apathetic nature also causes severe psychological damage to the

He conjures, “Could he be…the murderer of my brother? No sooner did that idea cross my imagination, than I became convinced of its truth” (Shelley 69). The creator does not analyze the facts or alternatives and instead assumes his own creation murdered his brother because it was the first thought that crossed his mind. As an extreme narcissist, Frankenstein believes he is always right and does not consider any alternatives. Although it may be argued that Frankenstein is correct because his creation did in fact kill William, his approach and thought process is still illogical and prolific of a narcissist. The unfit parent’s narcissistic personality disorder clouds his judgement and leaves him unable to think