Mary Shelley - Frankenstein Question 2

19th Century Novel Essay
Mary Shelley - Frankenstein Question 2
Many critics have commented that the creature is, ultimately, a character with whom we sympathise. How far do you agree?
It is very easy for us to sympathise with Frankenstein’s monster yet as the story progresses we must take into account his murderous nature as his thoughts become committed to revenge. From the creatures ‘birth’ Shelley creates the impression that he is a child requiring care and guidance however due to his appearance he is rejected by every human he encounters which in turn leads the monster to seek vengeance on his creator.
When the creature describes his first moments after his creation he is portrayed to the reader as a naïve, forlorn child. It is important to note that during this time the creature is unaware of his own size which when combined with the childlike approach he has to the world allows the reader to view him as a small lost child rather than a bumbling monster. With the image of a child alone in the wilderness, deserted, Shelley manages to evoke sympathy from her readers from the very beginning of the passage. Shelley cleverly writes this part of the story from the creature’s point of view which also allows the reader to connect with the creature by allowing us to hear his thoughts and experience his emotions first hand. The passage explains how the creature is inexperienced and frightened so much so that when he tries to make a sound he scares himself into silence. This is when the reader truly begins to sympathise with the creature, he has been abandoned by his parent figure and must now survive on his own. What reinforces this feeling of sympathy towards the creature even more so is the fact that so far the reader has only experienced the story from Frankenstein’s perspective and since his thoughts toward the creature are a mixture of angry, hatred and disgust the readers are likely to adopted this judgement; however when the creature’s tale is revealed the...