When a child is born, he knows very little. He can cry, make random noises, carry out essential life functions for his survival and eat. When Frankenstein "woke up" his creation, it knew how to stand and stare. We know this because it is all he is doing before Frankenstein runs away from its hideousness. In fact, the only thing that kept Frankenstein's creation acting like a child was its emotions. While the ability to walk and learn remained within his mind, the monster's mind was essentially a blank sheet of paper waiting to be drawn on when it came to his personality type. A child takes years before it can talk. This creature took only a few months. A child's development is vastly different than that of the monster's, but even if the monster is seen as a child whose purpose remains shrouded in mystery, should it be treated as such or should it be harshly treated since it is an anatomical abomination? When the monster is awoken by the lightning surge, it stands up and looks to its creator, Victor. Because Victor an away from his creation, very little is known about its initial actions. However, using textual evidence, one may conclude that it had the ability to walk, run, maintain balance, and use its arms for violence. Later in the story, one learns that it did not mean to commit murder. In fact, the monster says that he "Child, what is the meaning of this? I do not intend to hurt you; listen to me." (102) This means that its moral compass was developing but not to the extend of a law - abiding citizen. When children are born they are completely incapable of lifting their own heads, let alone committing homicide. This basic difference between human children and the monster are like a valley between the two; each having its o... ... middle of paper ... ...ences if a moral compass is not present in the one judging. In conclusion, the difference between the developmental period of a child and the monster are very different and carry almost no resemblance to each other. The fact that the monster has a childish mind makes no difference as to its treatment because it's figure was so horrifying, people automatically assumed he was a bad being and treated him as such. This is to be said about most judgments because many individuals seem to judge nearly everyone they meet, regardless is they know them or not. The United States Government even does this when looking for terrorist suspects. Whether this is a moral thing to do is up for grabs at this point. However, one should remember that no matter the appearance of another peer they should be treated with respect and grace simply because it is the compassionate thing to do.
We are introduced to Victor who is found by Robert Walton, now when Victor begins to retell his tragic story he gives us a general view of who he is, where he was born, and what has happened in his life. We then progress through the story and arrive at the rising action which is when Victor returns back to school after his mother’s death and sisters recovery of scarlet fever. Victor sets out to create a living thing upon his return and this is when it all goes down hill, he successfully creates the monster but he is horrified at the site of the creature he then runs like fearful gazelle leaving the creature/monster to wander (very smart Victor). Skipping ahead the monsters causes quite a bit of trouble and strangles a lot of people, and this is all caused by him not being provided with a connection with anyone. Now before he really starts his strangulation spree he spies on a family (the Delacy’s) that teaches him unknowingly how to speak, read, and of general human connection and relationships. This moment of distant watching and learning has left him wanting things even more, he then reveals himself the Father who is blind and he is kind to the monster when the children arrive they terrified and reject the monster. Throughout the tale of the monster is reminded of his indifference by others resulting in him
The boy only wanted attention from his father. The greatest depiction of Frankenstein’s gluttonous, self-indulgent negligence is that of his child’s first moments of life. It takes but a night to steer his creature to the path of destructive apathy. Frankenstein has no care for those around him, and should never have been given the secret to life, considering his lack of interest in family and his obvious disregard for the laws of nature, creating life; and of man, withholding information of a dangerous being. Victor abuses his son with words and neglect and then wonders why his creature acts out harmfully towards others.
In the book of Genesis, God is creating the world and eventually creates his children Adam and Eve. Like Adam, the creature in Frankenstein was created by another being, in this case Victor Frankenstein. As a creation, the monster has had no choice in his own development just like Adam didn’t. Frankenstein abandoned his creation and left it to fend for itself and cope with abandonment as it learns the workings of the world. This is similar to Adam’s excommunication from the Garden of Eden as he himself was cast away from God. The creation says, “Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed,” (Shelley 84) which shows how even though Frankenstein is the parental figure he has disowned the creation similar to the story of Adam. In the book of Genesis, as a result of God’s negligence as a parent, Adam acts in rebellion towards God. Likewise, the creature’s abandonment leads it to act in a malicious manner towards Frankenstein and other human beings. The negligence of the parental figures led both of their children to have eccentric behavior as they had to develop their own understanding of the world without any guidance from a parental
Victor, out of horror of what he had created leaves the monster in isolation. The monster describes what it was like, “It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half frightened, as it were instinctively, finding myself so desolate… I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept,” (Shelley 87). At this point the monster is just an innocent child, who in his first hours has faced abandonment and such strong emotions. However, he is pure, like most babies. While he looks like a monstrosity he shows himself to be anything but. His first encounters with humans are all very negative. A man runs away screaming just at the sight of him. Villagers pelted him with rocks and chased him away. This makes him very fearful of humans. However, when he comes across the De Lacey family in their little cottage he sees how peaceful they are and he regains some hope. “What chiefly struck me was the gentle manners of these people; and I longed to join them, but dared not. I remembered too well the treatment I had suffered the night before from the barbarous villagers, and resolved, whatever course of conduct I might hereafter think it right to pursue, that for the present I would remain quietly in my hovel, watching, and endeavoring to discover the motives which influenced their actions,” (Shelley 93). He is curious little
The monster is left to live his life with no help from his creator after being abandoned. While having the mind of a newborn, this is not easy for him. By not knowing right from wrong, he murdered Victor's loved ones in order to get attention. He never had anyone to teach him how to live life with dignity and respect. This is a major loss for a living being. The creator is at fault here because the monster does not know better. Victor should have taken responsibility by accepting, raising, and controlling the monster.
Victor’s lack of compassion and sympathy towards the monster causes him to become angry instead of guilty. His cruelness to his creation made the monster kill and hurt the people he did but “when [he] reflected on [the monster’s] crimes and malice, [Victor’s] hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation,”(Shelley 325). Without compassion Victor thinks that the only way to stop the monster is to get revenge on him, instead of just giving him the empathy and kindness that monster craved. Victor realizes that "if he were vanquished, [he] should be a free man...balanced by those horrors of remorse and guilt which would pursue [him] until death. ”(Shelley 731).
Monsters have always been depicted as some atrocious beings that were created to inflict fear into whoever it could, in anyway possible. Monsters vary from culture to culture but never do they vary in the havoc they wreak and the fear they inflict in some. Three authors have shown a more advanced definition of what society sees as a monster.Three greatly written novels “Parasites and Perverts: An Introduction to Gothic Monstrosity” “Gothic Realities: The Impact of Horror Fiction on Modern Culture” “Civilized Vampires versus Savage Werewolves: Race and Ethnicity in the Twilight series” show clearly the theories in novels that depict others as the monster.
When the monster was created, he was born in the world with innocence, as a defenseless being in the world. Even when Victor rejects him, the monster still seeks love from society and performs unselfish acts. He seeks the love of others. Longing for company, the monster stays in the cottage without revealing himself and watches the family that lives there. By watching them, he learned how to speak and read.
In the novel, Victor is raised up by two happy parents in caring and indulgence. He receives a sister, an education, affection, and a wife from his family. However, unlike Victor, the Monster does not have any maternal or paternal figure to care and teach him values. When the Monster first escapes from Victor’s apartment and enters into the forest, he lives like an animal. He eats berries, drinks water from the streams when he gets thirsty, and sleeps in anywhere. These actions illustrate the Monster’s natural impulse for needs of food and shelters.
Imagine an eight-foot-tall, misshapen human child. You might complain that this is contradictory - but do it anyway. Imagine some sort of humanoid being with the mind of a human child in an eight-foot body, green with a nail in its head if you want. This is what Frankenstein's creature is. Frankenstein's creature is mentally a child, and we see its evolution through traditional child development in the course of its narrative. But the creature is the only member of its species, and therefore its narrative can be taken to represent the history of an entire species - the creature's first experiences can be viewed as an amalgam of creation myths.
The Creature, Victor Frankenstein’s creation, is shaped into a monster through its experiences, instead of the nature of itself, which is more expected. Victor Frankenstein, on the other hand, is shaped into a monster because of his mind’s power-hungry nature. Victor treats his creature poorly and he himself becomes wicked. While the Creature also becomes wicked in the end, its actions are more justified because multiple people treated it poorly, causing the Creature to lash out. Even though Victor Frankenstein and the Creature both turn into wicked monsters, to some extent, only one of
of kindness was viewed. The child did not judge the monster on his appearance or is
In my Painting 2 class, which I took in the fall of 2012, my instructor Chris Finley suggested to me that I, being an aspiring and acting art teacher, apply my curricula to myself. So I thought back to my most successful lesson, “Aaagh! Monsters!” In that class, I asked my students, ages 5 through 8 year olds, to create a monster of their own. We did a little research into the monsters other people had created in books, in other appropriate visual media, and throughout history. I then asked them to tell me specific things about their monsters like their names, where they lived, what they ate, and so on, so that they could gain a better understanding of who or what their monsters were and be able to depict them more clearly. The children loved creating something new and distinctly their own. It was a success for me because, for the first time, I had parents coming to me to tell me that their child was so excited to come to my class that day.
The juxtaposition of the happiness and deep despair of the monster is only separated in chronology by the man shooting him. It is obvious that there is a cause and effect relationship between the shooting and the monster’s hatred for humanity. This hatred for humanity cannot be explained by nature because it contradicts the monster saving the little girl. Since nurture is about external stimuli shaping a person, one can directly conclude that monstrous behavior was a result of human interaction.
“ The real world is where monsters are”, Rick Riordan states in the movie, Lightning Thief. Many people consider monsters as wicked malicious creature who haunt or torture others. Although this is true, monsters can also be found within the souls. Modern day monsters can be found within people, in stores, and in the real world.