Introduction
Mary Shelley, born Wollstonecraft, was the daughter of philosopher and political writer William Godwin and famed feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. Her early childhood was fraught with one sad event after the other and could therefore account for her starting an affair at the age of sixteen with Percy Bysshe Shelley. Although married at the time Shelley gave Mary all of his attention and they eventually ran away together. No consideration for anyone else here. In her life Mary faced a lot of loneliness and alienation, her mother died when she was born, her half-sister committed suicide and she lost three of her children while they were still very young. Her marriage was full of infidelity and heartache and finally her husband was taken away from her by death. In life we cannot foresee the future therefore we should endeavor to do right by everyone and not create monsters that will come back to haunt us.
It could be argued that the story of ‘Frankeinstein’ resembles aspects of Mary’s life. Victor Frankenstein created a monster or rather a living being but instead he encounters a hideous creature that made him sick at the sight of it. The confusion affected his brain. Mary recounts what it is like to be an infant “It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my being / all the events of that period .indistinct / A strange multiplicity of sensations” (11. 1). She is as confused about her life as the monster and its creator are confused about discovering each other for the first time. Mary ran off with Percy Bysshe Shelley when she knew that he was still married. She gave no thought either to her father’s feeling on the matter. She showed no sympathy to anybody’s feelings but her own.
Body paragraph #1
The creature runs away and Victor remains ill for almost two years. During this time he thought that the monster must have met its ill-fated fate. While he was preparing to return home he learned of his younger brother’s death and that devastated him. Justine their adoptive sister was accused of the crime but Victor did not believe that she had committed the crime. His gut feeling told him that the monster was alive and must have done the wicked deed. Victor felt guilty and travelled into the mountains to be alone with his thoughts but there he encountered the creature. It recounts to Victor the misery and loneliness it was going through because it was not like other human beings. The monster had accidentally killed William. All he wanted was to be his friend but he rejected him.
The murder of William was not intentional. The creature wanted a companion and friend. But the mistake William made was to reject it. It hated rejection. When William screamed the creature said “child what is the meaning of this? I do not intend to hurt you; listen to me” (15.27). There was a struggle between them. William called it a monster, an ugly wretch “You wish to eat me and tear me to pieces” (15.29). Of course the monster was only looking for someone to accept him for who he was. The monster grasped his throat to silence him he did not wish to hear any more rambling on about his creator Victor Frankenstein. He held him too tight and accidentally killed him.
We must understand the creatures need. One basic need of a human being is the need to belong. We all yearn for family and acceptance. William rejected him. He was also shot by the father of a little girl whom he rescued from drowning. For all the good he has done for humans he was only treated badly.
Body paragraph #2
The creature realizes that he was created different from his master and therefore knew that he would not be accepted by human beings. The monster therefore asked for a soul mate, one that looks like himself, one that he could relate to. That wish should not be an unreasonable one for his master to understand since he had abandoned his loving family for a life of scientific quest. He was reluctant in granting this wish thinking that if this monster is so destructive then with an accomplice they would create mayhem. The creature had killed Victor’s friend and some of his family members. He could not understand the reason for its master not understanding the feeling of loneliness and also doubting its promise of staying away if he could only be given a companion. At this point we have to understand Victor’s reluctance here. The creature was really becoming malicious.
Victor began making a companion for the creature when he saw the sad look on his face but something tells him that he was making a mistake so he destroyed it. The creature lets out a howl of disappointment and grief when he saw the one thing that could have brought him happiness being destroyed. He said to Victor, “you are my creator, but I am your master.” (15. 5). The creature also threatened victor “I will be with you on your wedding night” (20.16) At this point victor should understand the creature’s feelings. After all he has felt loneliness before. The creature becomes the victim at this point because his only chance of happiness is destroyed. Victor’s decision is selfish. He should sympathize with the creature because he has been rejected more than twice before he has no right to deny him the happiness he could have had with his companion.
Body paragraph #3
The creature was incensed by Victor’s treatment of him. He murders Victor’s best friend, he murders his wife and the rest of Victor’s family. Victor’s decision not to create another creature was not understood. He was an experiment gone wrong and therefore could not be replicated. While we sympathize with him we cannot allow little monsters to take over the world. He was created from a lab experiment therefore it was not intended for him to have a soul or any feeling. I guess something happened; he came in contact with human beings. In the forest he was able to observe a family and how they live. He learned to read and write and in his pocket he found Victors journal of his experiments and how he was created.
Victor created something that was only an experiment and not something that was meant to be classified as a human being. The worst thing that could happen is to discover the unpleasant evidence of ones existence. He was fed up with the way Victor was treating him. The creature had gone into hiding and if Victor had not gone looking for him he would perhaps vanish from sight never to be seen again.
Rebuttal
Victor has lost so much that we should feel sorry for him. Victor went after him because he has done so much wrong by killing all of his family. Victor’s creation was only his love for and his dedication to science that made him work on experiments to create life. This hideous creature’s idea of wanting to exist with humans made him turn on Victor. Henry was Victor’s best friend. He went through a lot of stress when he was suspected of killing his friend. He killed Elizabeth out of revenge and selfishness. Victor could not have a female companion if he could not give him one. Victor has lost everything because of his creation. We sympathize with Victor, he has lost everything and now he is on the verge of dying from a broken heart. Since the creature could now read and write, and understands everything about his existence from reading the journal, he could be more giving. Victor could have destroyed his own creation but he did not.
Conclusion
When man ventures into the unknown he should be prepared for the consequences. Victor took responsibility for creating the creature without thinking of the results of his actions. Man was not meant to create life. Experiments can be for the good of man and it can be for the evil. Here this creature turns out to be an evil to it maker. The creature blames Victor for creating him without giving thought to his feelings and Victor blames him for being cruel and showing up his true colors – that of being a monster. All of the events in the story seem to connect with the author’s life. She could be termed unfeeling and uncaring by her family for running away and interfering in a marriage. She and her husband, they have created a monster that destroyed them.
References
Introduction to Literary Criticism. A blog for Vanderbilt English 117W course.
http://introductiontoliterarycriticism.wordpress.com/category/frankenstein-the-novel-vs-
the-myth/
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 06:51, Nov 14,
2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/mary-shelley-9481497.
Shelley, M. Frankenstein. Retrieved from web November 14, 2014
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/frankenstein/summary.html
Storment. S. (2002). Frankeinstein: The Man and the Monster.
http://public.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/frank.comment3.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/frankenstein/canalysis.html
