The monster of Frankenstein is a
controversial creature: he is furious, full of hatred and commits hideous
crimes and inflicts horror and grief upon Victor and his family. However, it is
worth noting that he is not born with such qualities. Since his first moments
in life, the creature witnesses fear in the eyes of his creator, who flees
directly after beholding his loathsome appearance in the dark laboratory. After
wandering off the woods, alone and with no knowledge, the creature is faced
with scorn and violence from the villagers. Because he cannot understand their
behaviour, the monster draws him back to the woods and lurks there.
So far the monster’s experience with humans
is not pleasurable; therefore he keeps his presence secret in the cottage near
the village. By watching the cottagers closely, the creature acquires knowledge
of how to read and speak. Furthermore, by examining the physical appearance of
the cottagers and noticing his, he is able to recognise his hideousness, and,
is therefore, able to understand the human violent attitude toward him. Soon,
he starts to feel affection toward the family for their love and appreciation
toward each other: “the gentle manners and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them
to me; when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I
sympathized in their joy”.
After spending a deal of time with this
family, the creature attempts for acceptance but he is faced with the same
attitude of refusal. Also, when he saves a girl from drowning, his hideous
appearance provokes fear and a man starts shooting at him. By this, the monster
changes, he explains his cruelty: “I am malicious because I am miserable. I am
not shunned and hated by all mankind? ... If I cannot inspire love, I will
cause fear”.
In his early times, the creature is shown
full of emotions and affection. And because of his loneliness, he longs for
companion: “if any being felt emotions of benevolence towards me, I will return
hundred and hundredfold; for that one creature’s sake I would make peace with
the whole kind!” When Victor destroys the female companion, the
creature is filled with immense anger and evil.
Like Victor, the creature has two sides: he
is good and evil at the same time. At the end, he regrets his crimes and while
his evil side is apparent that of his creator remains concealed due to egotism.
~~~~~*~~~~~

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