Mary Shelley's Frankenstein- The True Wretch

A detailed Summary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein- The True Wretch

"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form?"

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein, who has spent two long years laboring in Ingolstadt to create this scientific marvel known only as "the monster," wrongly assumes that his creation is pure evil. Frankenstein reaches this conclusion without even allowing the monster to demonstrate his kind heart. Eventually, the monster goes on a mass killing spree because of Victor's detrimental psychological neglect. Victor's neglect is caused by his hatred of anyone who is unlike himself. Victor also disregards the monster's right to a true name, only referring to him using despicable names, such as "wretch," "thing," and "catastrophe." Thus, the monster's humane qualities, including compassion, loyalty, and intelligence contrast to the wretched traits of his creator, making the horrible references much more suitable for Victor.

Unlike Victor, the monster shows great compassion despite his appalling appearance. For instance, he demonstrates his love for others during his time spent observing Felix and Agatha while in the village. He wishes "to return to the cottagers,

In writing Frankenstein, Mary Shelly desired to show that it is possible for a man-made phenomenon to be more "human" than its creator. In view of the abundant contrasts between Victor and the monster, this occurrence is undoubtedly present. Although Victor ignored his creation's need for education, both morally and intellectually, the monster eventually surpassed him in both areas. Hence, the monster is simultaneously more human and superior to Victor, despite the fact that he was not created by nature.

Yet another example of the monster's humane qualities is his superior intellect and extraordinary level of self-awareness. In fact, he knows more about himself than Victor, who had studied the monster's features for years in order to create him. The monster teaches himself to hunt, read, and communicate without the proper maturation process, which Victor should have supplied in the first place. "This reading puzzled me extremely at first, but by degrees I discovered that he uttered many of the same sounds when he read as when he talked. I conjectured, therefore, that he found on the paper signs for speech which he understood..." (98) While observing De Lacey, the monster uses his powers of induction in order to teach himself to read and speak entirely from scratch. It also becomes apparent that he has gained a superior understanding of written and spoken communication skills. Because he has shown his proficiency in mastering the French language, it becomes apparent that the monster is in possession of an intellect much more advanced than that of Victor.

demonstrate guilt for the deaths of his loved ones. Frankenstein instead lays all bl

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Approximate Word count = 1113
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels