The Intensity Of My Wretchedness In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

The French poet Joseph Roux once wrote, “Solitude vivifies; isolation kills” (Roux). This is a comparison between the decision to remain alone and the desire for one's company as an outsider. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the central character, Victor Frankenstein, decides to create a new species, which results in the construction of the monster. This creature's physical appearance consists of “his yellow skin scarcely [covering] the work of muscles and arteries beneath.” (Shelley 48). Evident from his description, no living being desires to be around him. The monster spends a majority of his days longing for the company of another, which over time causes him to become angry beyond reason. He feels the need to take out his anger and get revenge

As Victor has obtained the love of his life, Elizabeth, the creature mellows his loneliness from afar. The monster's solitary continues and advances into a feeling of hate and anger towards Victor, and eventually the creature states, “Are you to be happy while I grovel in the intensity of my wretchedness?” (Shelley 173). This demonstrates the thoughts of the monster and how he views it as unfair that Victor gets to be optimistic about life while he spends everyday feeling miserable. Since a connection with others is not something that the monster can accomplish, he does not think that Victor deserves to feel what he cannot, so the creature seeks revenge by eventually killing all the people that Victor loves. When the two meet face to face, the creature explains to Victor that “[he] may die, but first you, my tyrant and tormentor, shall curse the sun that gazes on your misery” (Shelley 173). This exemplifies that the critical motive of getting revenge on Victor is as a result of Victor feeling joy, and not feeling isolated from

Being within the presence of others gives one a purpose, and when alone, most people, like the monster, feel as if there is no point in living. Although Victor and the monster had an aggressive relationship with each other, getting revenge on Victor became the creature's purpose in life. One could imagine that after the death of Victor, the monster felt even more alone, as he had absolutely no one. Dr. Fibus reminds us that “we need to feel that we matter and that our lives and actions matter” (Fibus). The monster feels that both his existence and his actions do not matter, which advances the lonely lifestyle that the monster continues to live. The byproduct of the monster being isolated and dissociated from other humans causes him to realize that he truly has no reason to be alive. This thought makes the creature not only enraged, but sorrowful. The creature’s emotions and actions in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein exhibit how when one is isolated from others, the feeling of loneliness can turn into anger and eventually cause one to live an irritable