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The Influence Of Actions In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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T.F Hodges once wrote, “What surrounds us is what is within us.” Hodges implies humans are impacted by their surroundings, especially their thoughts and actions. This concept is prevalent in the book Frankenstein, as Mary Shelley uses death and pain to influence her characters’ actions. Using these events, Shelley proves that individuals change through their experiences. As Victor loses his friends and loved ones, he loses his humanity, therefore supporting the notion of experience shaping an individual’s personality. While telling Walton about his experiments, Victor says, “If my incantations were always unsuccessful, I attributed the failure rather to my own inexperience and mistake, than to a want of skill or fidelity in my instructors” …show more content…

After discovering the DeLacey family is having problems keeping their house warm, the monster “took [Felix’s] tools, the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days” (Shelley 102). This action shows that the monster sympathizes with the cottagers and actively tries to remedy their problems. Furthermore, the monster also tries to help others, his reward being the person’s pleasure. However, these actions took a sharp turn after saving a girl from drowning: “I had saved a human being from destruction, and, as a recompense, I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound” (Shelley 133). As he tries to save the girl, he is shot by another person, causing him to lose trust in humankind. Due to the monster being shot for trying to help, the monster soon becomes wrathful and wants retribution on those who scorned him. Soon after being shot, the monster’s prior emotions give way to “hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind” (Shelley 133). As a consequence of the experience, the monster loses all positive feelings about mankind and becomes vengeful. Similar to Victor, the monster becomes focused on taking revenge and loses his humanity due to these events. As the monster undergoes these

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