The monster

I wanted to talk about the monster in Frankenstein. There are several themes on Frankenstein—one of them is the victim and victimizer theme. I’m going to examine the role of the monster. Is he good or bad? Is he the victim or victimizer? First, I want to examine his creation. Another theme in the novel, the unnatural creation applies to the monster. He was not made by God nor woman—making him a monster. He was made by Victor, a scientist who was obsessed with the creation of life. After Victor saw the results of his creation, he was so terrified that he abandoned the monster. An interesting question to pose here is: If Victor knew that the monster he created was sympathetic and human-like except for his outer appearances; would he still have abandoned him? Nevertheless, Victor did abandon him and this traumatized the monster. At this point in the story line, the monster is definitely the victim of Victor’s obsession with the creation of life. Through the monster’s recounts, the readers become aware of the human-like nature of the monster. As the monster recounts his observations about the Delaceys, it becomes clear that the monster has emotions and sympathy, whether that be feeling guilty of stealing their food because they suffer from poverty or actually helping them out by fetching firewood every night. Like a creature without a father, the monster becomes very closely attached to the Delaceys. He sees how close the Delaceys are and begins to understand what a family is. The Delaceys are the antithesis of the monster’s existence. They are a family—they care for each other like a genuine caring community. On the other hand, the monster is alone. He is the epitome of isolation, much like Grendel was. Desperately needing companion, Victor decides to approach the Delaceys even though he has seen his horrible image. Assuming that the Delaceys will accept him for who he is and provide him with the companionship he yearns for, he approaches the blind man. Things go wrong and the Delaceys drive him off with violence. This is the turning point for the monster. Before this point, the monster was an innocent victim. But now, he has transformed into a true monster—one with a desire for revenge and blood. But now we have to ask ourselves: whose fault is it? The monster eventually ends up killing two people, both indirectly and directly. There are far and few instances where killing is justified, and this case is no different. The monster’s murders are in no way justified, despite the fact that he was constantly abandoned by society. However, his actions can all be traced back to his creation. It was Victor, not the monster, that decided to partake in the act of unnatural creation. Furthermore, Victor abandoned the monster that was lost and helpless in our judgemental and cruel society. So in this respect, I believe that Victor is the victimizer and the monster is the victim. Although the monster becomes more “monsterly” as the novel progresses.