The True Monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Literature often works as depicted act of betrayal. Many people, friends, and family may portray a protagonist, but they will likewise be guilty of treachery or betrayal to their own values. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, there is acts of betrayal between Victor Frankenstein and the monster. In the Novel Victor Frankenstein is a betrayal of life itself because it should be given naturally and not created by a scientist man. The monster is actually the one who is majorly betrayed, he may look like a hideous dangerous monster on the outside but, not one within himself.

Both Mary Shelley and Graham Greene develop terrifying images of a monster. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley portrays a grotesque, deformed demon that wreaks havoc on the common populace, and Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock depicts Pinkie, a blood-thirsty teenage mobster. Both are made evil by their horrific past circumstances: while the monster is constructed in a laboratory, Pinkie lives in poverty. Societal prejudices then amplify their evil desires. Despite their similar circumstances, the monster and Pinkie have differing feelings about companionship and express different levels of guilt, attitudes which reveal that the monster is more pitiable than Pinkie.

The depthlessness of society is represented throughout by selfishness and fear, as well as retaliation. Early in the novel, a scientist named Victor Frankenstein treats his creation worse than anyone. He does not give the monster a fair chance, before he knows anything about the monster he regrets creating artificial life. Victor sees his monster and is astounded by him at first, then, triggered by appearance and early observation, hates his creation and only sees evil. Frankenstein says, “I never saw a more interesting creature: his eyes have generally an expression of wildness… he is generally melancholy and despairing” (Shelley 51).

This thinking quickly changed when he realized no one would ever accept him. When society completely ostracizes an individual, they not only feel alone but they feel the need to express their feelings through revenge. The monster shown in Frankenstein is an example of how feelings of rejection can inspire feelings of hatr... ... middle of paper ... ...ty. They are created to explain the unknown and promote a sense of community among some cultures. The evil that is created, from a certain situation and anonymity, can be forgiven and also stopped by the promotion of heroism.

She uses light to symbolize his happiest times and darkness to represent when he’s feeling bad. The monster is a distortion of the monsters people can become. The monster killed Elizabeth in the novel, but when you really think about it, the real monster was Victor because he created the monster and he chose to abandon home. He didn’t give him any guidance, he left him all alone in a horrible and cruel world. Distortions in Frankenstein served to show humanity in a grotesque way, it served to show humanity in its true colors.

As a result, the monster can be described as the epitome of the fact that isolation from family and society leads to a pathway of evil and hatred. The catalyst to evil and hatred is isolation from family and society. Shelley successfully proves this in many instances with different characters. With Walton, she showed how his emotional isolation was letting his excessive ambition get the better of him, which ultimately would have resulted in evil and hatred. She evidently proved with Frankenstein that isolation leads to a terrible fate; that being his monster destroyed his family which resulting in him falling onto the roads of evil and hatred by dedicating his last days to seek revenge against the monster.

The monster that Frankenstein creates has kind-hearted morals, but because society harms him based on his hideous appearance. Because of his treatment, he transforms into a murderous monster, pointing to the destructive power of societal criticism. Society rapidly judges the monster and forms opinions based on his outside appearance rather than his internal intentions. After creating the monster, Victor reflects on his work: “How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe...His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath...formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion and straight black lips” (Shelley 55-56). Victor’s description of his monster takes on a negative perspective.

Frankenstein wanted so badly to play God but when he had finally gotten what he wanted his disrespect for others took over and made him the ultimate villain. He stole what his creation needed to survive, love, acceptance, and an authority figure. Ultimately, it is Frankenstein’s selfishness that brings down not only his own self, but that of his creation as well. Despite Frankenstein's very violent nature and the actions he took within the book people judged Frankenstein before even getting to know him which eventually made him even more mad. Frankenstein is referred to as a monster, yet throughout the novel the reader is made aware of the compassion and morality that Frankenstein has.

Because a true evil being would attack without hesitation. Because of his deformity, people automatical... ... middle of paper ... ...e all the evil things they have done. When he goes to Victor's coffin, the creature does the opposite of what a evil being would do. He grieves over Victor despite all the horrible things the creature has done to Victor. The creature even feels guilt over the innocent people he has killed and the torment he put his creator through.

One part in the novel that displays this is when the monster speaks its true feeling towards victor and talks about how “unfeeling [and] heartless” he was for “[casting] [it] abroad” after giving “It” “perceptions” that the world was a “[passionate]” and understanding place (pg 229). Because of this, the monster went in the world thinking that “it” would be accepted. When he failed to connect to the humans, he automatically blamed Victor for his perils. Like when a parent helps a child with their homework but it ends up being wrong, the child then blames the parent for it. Another example is when the creature murders Victor’s younger brother William.