Traumatic Responsibility In Frankenstein

1Johnston, Josephine. “Traumatic Responsibility.” Frankenbook, 30 Apr. 2018, https://www.frankenbook.org/pub/traumaticresponsibility/release/3#:~:text=In%20Frankenstein%2C%20Mary%20Shelley%20explores,his%20creation%20for%20the%20creature's. “Prejudice in Frankenstein - Themes - AQA - GCSE English Literature Revision - AQA - BBC
Bitesize.” BBC News, BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8hf82p/revision/4#:~:text=Prejudice%20and%20its%20effects%20are,and%20alone%20in%20the%20world. Tylehmann. “Shelley's Emphasis of Social Acceptance in Frankenstein.” Tyler Lehmann, 19 May
2017, https://tylehmann.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/shelleys-emphasis-of-socialacceptance-infrankenstein/#:~:text=The%20monster%20of%20Frankenstein%20is,horrors%20depicted%20in%20the%20novel.

The Bible tells us that “man looks on the outward appearance, but
God looks at the heart”( I Samuel 16:7), and therein lies the flaw that determines the course of the whole story. As Shelly intended, all of the characters in Frankenstein ultimately act in keeping with their appearance. Victor’s cousin Elizabeth, who is beautiful by all accounts, also has a beautiful and loving personality. Concerned for his wellbeing, Elizabeth writes Victor a letter that helps relieve his anxiety over having created his creature, and later she also agrees to marry him.
Frankenstein’s little brother William is sweet and innocent as he is comely. Enjoying life to the fullest, he is a ray of light in the dark story, and in the Frankenstein family. Tragically, both
William and Elizabeth fall prey to the fury of the rampaging beast because of their connection to Victor. The monster seems to fulfil Frankenstein’s initial fears as it coldly and carefullycalculates the death and destruction of everything he loves. Powerful and intelligent as it is
3repulsive, it knows how to hit its creator where it hurts. But was that the way Frankenstein made it, or the way he made it become?
The monster’s first experience as a living being was to watch its creator flee from

The creature’s first instincts, which were not those of a murderer, led it rather to explore its new world. Under the cover of night, it roamed the countryside. It experienced joy at being alive. It found delight in listening to the songs of the forest birds. It desired to be loved, and to use its skills to help others. But as far as others were concerned, it was help they could do without. Shunned everywhere it went, the monster was met with horror and hostility. This taught it that strong emotions could be delt with through physical violence, and when its sorrow at being rejected turned to anger, that is what it did.
After the deaths of most of the book’s character, the ending of Frankenstein, which is depressing and quite unsatisfactory, sees the last of the prominent players meet their bitter ends. Considering the events leading up to it, one cannot help but wonder: could it have gone any other way? Perhaps so. All of Victor’s sorrows began when he “discovered the cause of generation and life”, and tried “bestowing [it] upon lifeless matter” without stopping to