Human Nature in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

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Human Nature in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

In the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, the relationship of external apperence and internal feelings are directly related. The creature is created and he is innocent, though he is seaverly deformed. His nature is to be good and kind, but society only views his external appereance which is grotesque. Human nature is to judge by external apperence. He is automatically ostracized and labeled as a monster because of his external apperence. He finnaly realized that no matter how elequintly he speaks and how kind he is, people will never be able to see past his external deformities. Children are fearful of him, Adults think he is dangerous, and his own creator abandons him in disgust. The creature is treated as a monster, therefore he begins to internalize societies view of him and act the like a monster.

Man by nature, judges people and things by their appearance. If a person is pleasant looking then they will be given more of a chance to express their internal self. If they are ugly, or cosmetically deformed, they usually aren't given much of a chance to show who they really are. Grotesquely ugly people are sometimes thought of as monsters, and are ostracized. Many cosmetically inferior people are afraid to go out into society. Mankind seems to be fearful of the unfamiliar and unknown. People are afraid of what they do not understand. Deformaty is something that most people can not comprehend.

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophy, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endevoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! - Great god! His yellow skin scarcely...

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...ves for my destruction. Shall I not hate them who abhor me? I will keep no terms with my enemies. I am miserable and they shall share my wretchedness." ( the creature, page 97)

Here the creature tells Frankenstien that he is the fallen angel. This means that he believes that Frankenstien could have done a better job raising him. The creature indicated that he was born good and virtuous, but lonliness and misery due to the alenation he receives from mankind, have made him feel like a monster. Society sees him as a monster and makes him feel like one, so now he will begin to act like one. The creature then begines to tell Frankenstien the tale of what he has done and hoh he has managed to survive the past few years.

Bibliography:

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. Norton Critical Editions. New York:

Norton, 2005. Print.

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