In agreement that Mary Shelly's novel, "Frankenstein" takes its
meaning from tensions surrounding the cultural concerns of human nature, its
potentials and limits and forces that go into the making. The following will
support this statement and tie traits from the book to today's society. Many
lessons are embedded into Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, including how society
acts towards the different. The monster fell victim to the judging of a a person
by only his or her outer appearance. Whether people like it or not, society
summarizes a person's characteristics by his or her physical appearance. Society
has set an unbreakable code individuals must follow to be accepted. Those who
don't follow the "standard" are hated by the crowd and banned for the
reason of being different. When the monster ventured into a town he "had
hardly placed [his] foot within the door before the children shrieked, and one
of the women fainted" . From that moment on he realized that people did not
like his appearance and hated him because of it. If villagers didn't run away at
the sight of him, then they might have even enjoyed his personality. The monster
tried to accomplish this when he encountered the De Lacey family. The monster
hoped to gain friendship from the old man and eventually his children. He knew
that it could have been possible because the old man was blind, he could not see
the monster's repulsive characteristics. But fate was against him and the
"wretched" had barely conversed with the old man before his children
returned from their journey and saw a monstrous creature at the feet of their
father attempting to do harm to the helpless elder. "Felix darted forward,
and with supernatural force tore [the creature] from his father, to whose knees
[he] clung..." Felix's action caused great pain to the monster. He knew
that his dream of living with them "happily ever after" would not
happen and with the encounter still fresh in his mind along with his first
encounter of humans, he “declared everlasting war against the species, and
more than all, him who had formed the creature and sent him forth to this
misery.” The monsters source of hatred toward humans originates from his first
experiences with humans. In a way the monster started out with a childlike
innocence that was eventually shattered by being constantly rejected by society
time after time. His first encounter with humans was when he opened his yellow
eyes for the first time and witnessed Victor Frankenstein, his creator, rush out
of the laboratory. Would this have happened if society did not consider physical
appearance to be important? No. If physical appearance were not important then
the creature would have had a chance of being accepted into the community with
love and care. But society does believe that physical appearance is important
and it does influence the way people act towards each other. Frankenstein should
have made him less offending if even he, the creator, could not stand his
disgusting appearance. There was a moment however when Frankenstein was moved by
the creature. He "felt what the duties of a creator towards his creature
were" and decided that he had to make another creature, a companion for the
original. But haunting images of his creation (from the monster's first moment
of life) gave him an instinctive feeling that the monster would do menacing acts
with his companion, wreaking twice the havoc! Reoccurring images of painful
events originating from a first encounter could fill a person with hate and
destruction. We as a society are the ones responsible for the transformation of
the once childlike creature into the monster we all know. The public doesn’t
realize that our society has flaws, and that they must be removed before our
primal instincts continue to isolate and hurt the people who are different. With
such a large amount of technology among us, some people may wonder why such an
advanced civilization still clings on to such primitive ways of categorizing
people. Victor Frankenstein, as he huddled in the corner of his room, with only
bed sheets to offer a hint of security, plagued himself with questions as to how
he could create such a catastrophe. A being of immense proportions, Victor's
life-long work, stood lingering over Victor's bed and the only thought repeating
in the creator's mind was how wretched it is... " His yellow skin scarcely
covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous
black, and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness; but these luxuriance's only
formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the
same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set..." (P.56) This
is the beginning of Victor's disclaiming attitude toward his creation and
consequently initiates the monster's condemnation to a life devoid of human
companionship. At "birth," the creature appears to not be either
violent or vicious, but unfortunately, the rejection by his creator drives it to
a life full of revenge. Rather than focusing this child-like hatred on Victor,
the monster hits its creator where it hurts; his loved ones. This originally
peaceful monster, now bitter and hateful, resorts to random acts of violence to
compensate for its mistreatment. At "birth," when the first spark of
life shot through the creature, there is an apparent natural love and respect
for the creator. Victor, on the other hand, fled in disgust at first sight of
" the miserable monster which I have created"(57)and hoped to never
see it again. But like a child, Frankenstein's monster returned expecting to be
accepted: " And his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His
jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his
cheeks...one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me"(57). Despite
the initial desertion by its creator the monster is longing for fatherly
affection. Victor again flees from the monster and this time it does not return
and disappears for almost two years. From this moment on, Frankenstein's monster
demands retribution for his banishment from civilization. The last appearance
from the creature revealed a loving and needy soul. But two years of loneliness
and solitude has turned the monster into "a depraved wretch, whose delight
was in carnage and misery"(74) as seen in the murder of William. The
creature, in contrast to his initial feelings, has exhibited anger and
frustration toward his situation. This beast, like a child, uses the most
available means of persuasion to get what it wants. But unlike a little child,
who may cry or whine for attention, the massive monster utilizes its unhumanlike
force to put the point across: "Nothing in human shape could have destroyed
that fair child"(73). Victor concludes that he himself is nothing but
"the author of intolerable evils"(88) and that he would live "in
daily fear lest the monster whom I had created should perpetrate some new
wickedness"(89). Victor, as well as the reader, has a strong intuition that
the monster will indeed commit additional monstrosities. William Frankenstein is
only the beginning. "Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that
instant did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly
bestowed"(132). The monster, now totally rejected by man, has reached the
point where life seems hopeless. Despite this, the creature does suggest a
remedy for its brooding melancholy; a mate. " I am malicious because I am
miserable...and you my creator should pity me,"(140) is the excuse used by
the beast and threatens to "work at your (Victor) destruction" and
"desolate your heart, so that you shall curse the hour of your
birth"(141) if Victor did not comply. Conscience overtakes Victor and he
refuses to complete the task, knowing full well the monstrous hell that awaits
him. This originally peaceful creature, Victor's conception, now vows to fully
unleash an unholy wrath on the creator's life because "revenge remains -
revenge..."(162). "...But remember, I shall be with you on your
wedding-night"(163). These words echo through Victor Frankenstein's head,
making him uneasy and spiteful towards the beast for being "the murderer of
my peace"(163). But a deeper meaning lies behind this statement by the
monster. The creature does in fact appear on Victor's wedding night, but he is
not the target, Elizabeth his wife is. The monster has administered complete
revenge on Victor by eliminating the creator's dearest love; "lifeless and
inanimate...her bloodless arms and relaxed form flung by the murderer on its
bridal brier"(189). This, consequently, is a parallel to the isolation from
love bestowed on the monster. Frankenstein's creation with its childlike
emotions emerged as a tender being with no malice of thought. But the immediate
feeling of rejection summoned anger in the beast that eventually wiped all joy
out of its creator's life. The monster, as birth, wanted nothing more than to be
satisfied and loved. Yet, after all revenge had been played out, the creature
felt a sense of fulfillment in accordance to its creator's misery: "I am
satisfied, miserable wretch! You have determined to live, and I am
satisfied"(196), and with its revenge complete is "soon borne away by
the waves and lost in darkness and distance"(215).