Frankenstein is one of the most well-known horror stories in literature. It tells the story of a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who creates a creature from pieces of dead bodies and brings it to life. The creature is initially happy to be alive, but he soon realizes that he is ugly and rejected by society. He turns to Frankenstein for help, but Frankenstein abandons him. The creature then sets out to get revenge on Frankenstein by killing his loved ones.
While the creature may be seen as a monster, there are some who believe that he is actually a sympathetic figure. These people argue that Frankenstein’s creature is not evil, but rather a victim of circumstance. They believe that if Frankenstein had treated his creature with compassion and love, the creature would not have turned to violence.
This debate over Frankenstein’s creature is still ongoing today. Some people see him as a symbol of horror, while others see him as a victim who deserves our compassion. Whichever side you may agree with, Frankenstein’s creature is one of the most complex and fascinating characters in literature.
Victor Frankenstein, a character in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, wanted to bring life into the world; he hoped that his creation would one day murder its inventor. The Creature may be seen as either innocent or guilty. According to popular belief, the Creature is guilty since he set fire to a home, drove Justine to suicide and murdered three others. However, after reading close attention to the text, it becomes clear that Victor Frankenstein’s creature is not guilty.
The first reason why Frankenstein’s creature is not guilty is because he was never given a chance to live a normal life. Frankenstein created him and then immediately abandoned him. The creature was left alone to fend for himself in a cruel world that did not accept him. He was forced to sleep in the forest and eat berries and roots just to survive. Frankenstein had all the power in this situation, and he used it to torture his creature.
The second reason why Frankenstein’s creature is not guilty is because he is ignorant. The creature did not know that killing people was wrong because he was never taught. Frankenstein never took the time to teach his creature about morality or how to live in society. The creature only knew that he was different and that people were scared of him. He did not know how to interact with people or how to make friends. Frankenstein is responsible for the creature’s ignorance, and therefore, any crimes that he commits are on Frankenstein’s head.
The third reason why Frankenstein’s creature is not guilty is because he was provoked. The creature only turned to violence when he was rejected and mistreated by society. He was constantly ridiculed and attacked whenever he tried to reach out to people. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when Frankenstein refused to create a companion for him. The creature had been nothing but obedient up until this point, but Frankenstein’s rejection was too much for him to handle. Frankenstein is therefore responsible for all the violence that the creature commits.
He was born into this world as a blank slate, never grew past the emotional maturity of a kid, and was continually rejected throughout his life, causing him to do the things he did. Although the Creature went on to commit crimes later, he was not innately bad. Victor’s creature was brought into this world with a child-like innocence. He was abandoned at birth and left to learn about life on his own. Victor “ran away and darted down the stairs” after seeing his creation for the first time.
Frankenstein abandoned his Creature, leaving him to fend for himself. The Creature never progressed past the emotional state of a child. Frankenstein never showed love or concern for his Creature and instead only viewed him as an experiment. This is evident when Frankenstein says, “I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Frankenstein, 59).
The Creature represented everything Frankenstein ran away from including his own flaws which are seen in the Creature’s outward appearance. Frankenstein was disgusted by what he created, not because of who the Creature was but because of who Frankenstein saw himself as.
The Creature was rejected throughout his whole life, which caused him to do the things he did. Frankenstein’s Creature committed crimes because he was never loved or nurtured. He was constantly rejected and ridiculed by everyone he came across. The only person who showed him any kindness was an old blind man, but even that was taken away from him when Frankenstein destroyed the man’s cottage.
The Creature had every right to be angry with Frankenstein and the world. He was created and then abandoned by his creator, constantly ridiculed and harassed, and had no one to show him love or compassion. Frankenstein is responsible for the creature’s actions because he created him and then abandoned him without any guidance or love.
Victor, on the other hand, did not do any of these things; he refused to accept responsibility for his creation. “I was a poor, helpless, sorry wretch who knew nothing and could distinguish nothing; yet I sat down and wept as feeling agony overwhelm me on all sides.” (106) When the Creature was born, he had no idea what was going on. He couldn’t tell good from evil. The only sensation he could feel was sadness when rejected by his own creator. Victor was the first to try to take away the Childlike innocence of the Creature.
Frankenstein abandoned him, leaving the Creature to fend for himself in a world that he knew nothing about. Frankenstein is fully responsible for the actions of his Creature.
The creature had done nothing wrong, yet Frankenstein treated him with nothing but cruelty. Frankenstein acted as if he were disgusted by his own creation and felt that the Creature should have been killed at birth. Frankenstein never gives the Creature a chance to learn or grow. The Creature is constantly running away from Frankenstein out of fear of being rejected and hurt again. He does not know how to behave because no one has ever shown him how. All Frankenstein ever does is punish the Creature for things that he cannot help.
In conclusion, Frankenstein’s creature is not guilty of any crimes. He was never given a chance to live a normal life, he was ignorant because Frankenstein never took the time to teach him, and he was provoked into violence because of the way that people treated him. Frankenstein is ultimately responsible for all the crimes that the creature commits.