Frankenstein: Who Is The True Monster?

4 Pages 938 Words

If you were to ask people who Frankenstein is they would probably describe a tall, hideous monster with bolts sticking out of its neck. But long before Boris Karloff’s portrayal of the monster, there was a novel by Mary Shelley entitled Frankenstein. In her novel, the monster is shown as child-like and uneducated. But what really makes someone a monster? Who is the true monster of Mary Shelley’s novel? A monster is defined as “One who inspires horror or disgust” and this is seen throughout the novel.
Though Frankenstein’s creature disgusts the townspeople and they are afraid of him, it is Victor who is the true monster of the novel. Victor is so engrossed with his search for the “secret of life” that he locks himself in his apartment and does not want to be bothered. Once he discovers this “secret” he creates a horrible monster from random body parts of others and gives it life. He then abandons the monster because he feels guilty for making it and he fears what the monster might do. He even went so far as to wish his monster was dead. He shows his disgust when he says, “I beheld the wretch—the miserable monster whom I had created” (43).
But, by creating the monster shouldn’t Victor also accept the role of father or mentor? He should have helped the monster grow intellectually, and help him become more like a civilized human. Instead, the monster is abandoned by his creator and left confused. He has to try to integrate himself into society, but, is only shunned universally because of his hideous features. This causes the creature to want to get revenge on Victor. He went about this by killing Victor’s brother, best friend, and wife. This hatred that he has inside of him is learned through the actions of the other people towards him.
The monster shows that he is able to teach himself by watching other people. In chapter twelve, he tells about watching his neighbors and trying to figure out why...