Frankenstein Essay: For whom should we feel more sympathy

towards, Frankenstein or the monster?

"Frankenstein," also known as the modern Prometheus was written by Mary Shelley who was born in
1979.
The context of "Frankenstein" is vast and varied; these contexts could be seen as questions and issues that
perplexed Mary Shelly and people of her time. Shelley was aware of the advancing technology and the
industrial revolution of the time that expanded interest in alchemy and electricity and incorporated this
uncertain development in her novel. She raises issues of the treatment of the poor and uneducated and issues
of liberty and equality. She also lived in a time of great social, political, and personal revolution and hers was
the time when industrial Revolution gave rise to a new class in society; the working class. These influenced
her to write her views on how the laboring class should be treated in her novel.
"Frankenstein" is a story of a man by the name of Victor Frankenstein, who in his obsession for
Knowledge creates a monster, overwhelmed by his own arrogance and want of being a creator of life.
However, horrified at the result, he turns away from his creation leading to destruction of the Monster, his
family, and ultimately, himself.
"Frankenstein" is a typical novel in the gothic genre and is subtly romantic; themes of obsession, revenge,
isolation and the supernatural are introduced through the use of these genres. They are all fully explored
throughout the novel. Subtle hints of romantic themes include issues of nature vs. nurture, want of too much
knowledge and the extents of human emotions. These themes are the issues that are raised during the book and
what is explored through the use of characters and settings.
There are many social and political issues that influences the novel of "Frankenstein" It was written at a
time of Industrial Revolution, development of science and when uncertainty was present as to the limit of
science, and a time where the revolution gave rise to the middle working class. This was the time where
great emotional and social development was present where issues of equality and liberty were at large.
English upper classes were also fearful that the French Revolution, where labourers rebelled against
aristocracy, might influence workers in their own country.
The development of the character of victor was vastly influenced by the revolution of science and industry;
in that time there were great breakthroughs in the area of science. This caused men to start challenging God's
knowledge and authority. The idea that a man could infuse the spark of life in to a being was becoming
increasingly real. Galvani, an Italian physicist conducted experiments of running electricity through dead
animals and noticing how it made their muscle jump. This mixture of scientific uncertainty, challenging god
and increased availability of resources brought the character of Victor to life and is what made Shelley
develop the character of Victor the way she did. For example, he studied and showed great interest in alchemy
as a child, "I chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa", he was fascinated and provoked
by electricity of a storm "we witnessed a most violent and terrible thunderstorm" and grew up to love science
and created a living being, defying god and accomplishing an impossible scientific feat.
As these scientific and political issues developed Victor, the social issues along side Victor developed the
Monster.
Mary Shelley lived in a time when there was great social development and where many issues were up in
the air. Present during her life were great political upheaval with regard to equality and justice and raised
issues of freedom and the right to a good quality of life even for the most insignificant and poor. Further
example of this is how development in factories led to conflict between the working poor and their employers
and as a result, town life at the time was dangerous. However, even the countryside offered little relief from
this; farmers had to make do with small plots of land significantly unlike the large landowners.
It can be clearly seen that these issues influenced the development of the Monster; the Monster
distinctively raises issues of equality, justice and treatment of the disadvantaged as he suffers injustice,
inequality, and appalling treatment. The development and the later stages of the Monster's life also raises
issues of nature vs nurture and how society can influence a person so strongly and acutely that they are
obliged to turn from their nature and convert in to something unfamiliar and strange.
The issues of the time were not only used for the development of the Monster but for example, the
development of the Delacey family who were influenced by these issues as well. The family can be seen as
being influenced by the matter of the pronounced gap between the rich and the poor since they were
originally rich but fell to the lowest of the poor, "Their food was coarse".
Shelley constructs her novel about many things that concerns her directly; the treatment of the poor,
uneducated, and included her own views of how the labouring class should be considered. This can be seen in

the character of Justine Moritz and her unjustified sentence; she raised issues of justice at the time, the name
Justine could be word play on justice. Shelley, using the down fall and imprisonment of the Delacey family
because of their assistance towards a Turkish merchant and also through the development of Justine, suggests
that the government has too much of a powerful negative influence and that charges for crimes were too
easily implied, without a proper trial and comprehensive evidence.
A further example of Mary Shelley's thoughts influencing the plot is that she believed in an ideal society
where people aided each other and the more fortunate helped the less fortunate, the character of Justine is the
best example as she was treated equally and with love by the Frankenstein family.
As the scientific and religious issues developed along side the social issues in the world, it is as though
Frankenstein and the Monster are two distinct halves to one entity, each half compensates for attention from
the other and for the chance to be the ruler of the other half, very much like the two parts of the developing
world. However, in the end, this competition reduces both beings to ruin, a subtle hint that if we do not try to
live in harmony, it may just be the end of society.
Political/social issues and Shelby's opinions on them were not the only influence on Shelley's novel, but her
own personal experiences directly affected the story line also. For instance, Mary used her own experiences of
her own childhood in to the writing of Victor's background, Victor's mother Caroline is his step mother and he
has a half and an adopted 'cousin' Elizabeth. Mary Shelley also came from a family of a stepmother and half
siblings and Mary's mother shared interest in helping the poor. This is probably the reason that the treatments
of poor and uneducated are a central issue of Mary Shelley's book. In addition, both Mary and Elizabeth's
mother died during childbirth.
"Frankenstein" was written during a period where the gothic genre had started to become extremely
popular. Gothic novels look and prioritize on the mysterious and the supernatural.
In "Frankenstein", mysterious situations are explored to lead to Victor's creation of the Monster: the
murky circumstances from which Victor researches, experiments and use limited: and new modern technology
for uncommon intentions. She explores the supernatural nature of raising the dead and the macabre essence
of victors work which is probably unknown to most readers, and cause us to question our views on Victors
use of dead body parts for scientific experimentation.
Gothic novels also tend to take place in dark and foreboding locations, including old castles, dungeons,
cathedrals, and towers, hence the title: gothic architecture. "Frankenstein" is set in places in Europe where
readers will not have had much experience and the way Shelly incorporates the arctic region in the tale will
take the readers to regions where the readers will not have any knowledge of. She also added a further
element of gloom by setting Victors location of research as being mysterious and isolated.
This idea of dark settings is closely linked to the use of the weather in gothic novels. Mist is very common
and used to obscure obvious views of object and buildings, reducing visibility and increasing the feeling of
apprehension and terror. Storms frequently go alongside important events, as flashes of light are a great way to
accompany revelation, a sudden light in the centre of utter darkness is a much more terrifying, way to reveal
something rather than a gradual and predictable revelation. Shelley uses this device fully in chapter 7 of the
novel. Victor is returning home with the news of William's death heavy on his mind and he catches glimpses
of the Monster through flashes of lightning, revealing and causing him to believe that the Monster was the
murderer William, this sudden realization is much more exciting than a bland disclosure of information. This
use of weather could be seen as pathetic fallacy as during various points in the story, it is often stormy, cold
or in other ways very negative in regards to weather when the Monster is around. This could be interpreted as
a warning that something terrible is going to happen which builds apprehension in the audience and gives
them a vibe that the Monster is horrific, this is another very common convention of the gothic genre.
Shelley introduces more elements of Gothicism such as isolation, supernatural occurrences, the obsessive
who can be related to Frankenstein and the monster and make them contrast with the pure and innocent
characters such as Elizabeth. A common character element that is very obviously present in "Frankenstein" is
the idea of a solitary character bound by secret guilt, which perfectly links to Frankenstein. He strives to kill
the Monster for the good of others but can't help suffering under the thought that he created and unleashed
this horror on to the world and it is he that caused the death of his loved ones, "I had committed deeds of
mischief beyond the description horrible". Shelley make makes most of the literary devices presented by the
terrible image of raising the dead to enhance the strange emotions that "Frankenstein" provokes on to it's
readers.
The gothic genre also typically involves an outsider, that moves along the edges of society. While society
always seems normal in its nature, the outsider is a contradiction of this normality, driven by strange and
destructive longings, which can be fulfilled in society. When everything seems sane, he is insane, while
everyone seems to be bound by legalities, he opposes all laws of nature and he is too horrible beyond
description while everyone else seems to be bound by the norm. He is an opposing being that goes against
everything that governs nature. Obviously, the Monster fits these descriptions perfectly, rejected by society,

he travels far areas of the north, lingers in caves and seek a mate; compensation to his loneliness. He is
gloomy and melancholy. Shelley uses these horrific gothic images effectively to reach new heights of terror
and sympathy. Despite these ideas of the Monster being an outsider and a complete outcast, this Monster
seem to form a link between the mortal world and the supernatural world, a typical gothic feature. The
Monster appears to have a kind of psychic connection between himself and his creator because the Monster is
forever where Victor is present moving with amazing speed while Victor after him in close pursuit in the
North Pole, psychic communication is another convention of the gothic genre as it is mysterious and
unpredictable. Thus, Mary Shelley uses many possible conventions of the gothic genre to create and develop
memorable characters and settings and hence an unforgettable novel.
The great change caused by the Industrial Revolution encouraged many people to move to cities and this
influenced people to see the world very differently; they started to see nature as beautiful, powerful, and
perfect.
Previously, law, order and religion vastly inspired Literature but during the time of Shelly, many writers
got concerned with nature, human emotions, compassion for humanity, freedom of the individual, romantic
heroes and their rebellion against society. Writers began to put their own feelings, emotions, and thoughts in
to their writings, and Mary Shelley a definite one of them. The things that seemed inhuman and standardized
in life was also a key influence and something that many writers experimented with, this caused for romantics
to think about the rural natural life versus the modern conventional life. Therefore spontaneity and acting with
extremes of emotions instead of commonsense was greatly encouraged. Thus books became, increasingly
addressed to the common class, and became more about addressing their problems and striving to relate to
them directly rather than existing for the sole enjoyment of the upper class.
The romantic era introduced a new spirituality, it effected the people in such a way so that they started to
want to experience life and not have to live it to study it, the sought extents of emotions, no matter good or
bad, striving to harness it and seek ways to learn and use the knowledge for either bad or good. This was a
common romantic issue.
Victor Frankenstein is a man of great ambition, his flaw is his pride and he rushes in to something, the
consequence of which he is not prepared for, he fulfils his ambition and realizes, he has made the biggest
mistake of his life. Just before his death, he tells Walton to "seek happiness, avoid ambition" The Industrial
Revolution is the cause of this paradox, it is created by the fact that he constructs a being to help society but
it turned out to be the undoing of society and himself. It is in reaction to people like Victor that the romantic
period was born. Victor says so himself in the quote "seek happiness and tranquility", this shows he has
realized his mistake and has turned a romantic man himself. He had a belief in science which is the opposite
of romanticism, he believed that he could conquer nature and god but realized that nature cannot be beaten
and he turns to it for help as can be seen after Justine's trial" he hopes that the nature of Chamonix valley can
restore and refresh his tortured soul, a typical romantic thought. Depression and despair were also both
popular topics of romantic writers. Extents of emotion and also the restorative and healing powers of nature
comes through when Shelley describes the scenes of heights and majesty that transport the soul to another
place and time. This helplessness of Victor's struggles against nature makes us realize the power of nature
and helps us understand the reason for the rise of the romantic era and the basis on which the romantic era
was conceived.
Henry Clerval is the romantic character in this novel and is a strong contrast to Frankenstein; study of
language and nature delights him. He is always filled with emotions and is very innocent in his character. He
is almost like nature himself, as he offers comfort and happiness to Victor through his company and his own
field of studies.
The Monster is born as a romantic, but because of the society's treatment towards him, he becomes an
anti-romantic and a gothic character. The romanticism in his character enhances the way we feel about the
change that occurs over him, making us feel more sympathetic. He can be seen as the romantic hero, due to
the way he is rejected by society, he is chased away from any location he happens to stumble on to. Shelley
attempts to illustrate how the less fortunate or disfigured souls who live on the edge of society are rejected by
many people living within conventional societies. He is not at fault for what has happened to him and Shelley
draws great sympathy due to the misunderstanding directed towards the creature. The Monster has all the
connections with romanticism, seen in the way he seems intimately connected with nature; his temper being
connected with the weather, far surpassing in physical capabilities and intellect of any normal person, the way
he loves and longs for nature and also in the way that he seems represents both the good and the bad in
mankind.
Shelley shows such a beautiful contrast between Frankenstein and the Monster, it is as if they form two
halves to a whole. Frankenstein rejects nature throughout his life and was forever trying to conquer it but he
himself got destroyed and fell to the mercy of nature while the monster was desperate to become part of
nature but was rejected by the nature of society and became an anti. It is almost as if Frankenstein poured

everything that he is not in to his creation. Romanticism enables us to experience and develop characters in
great depth, enhances our understanding of characters, and aids us in sympathizing with them.
This juxtaposing yet harmonious combination of the two genres makes the book interesting, diverse and a
delight to read. "Frankenstein" starts with letters of Robert Walton describing his meeting with Frankenstein.
His narrative makes this story really stand out, it frames the entire story by setting up a major premise for the
tale to take place in. This technique is extremely effective because of the way it eases the reader in to the
whole story and adds a subplot, giving the main story texture and richness; this framing method is extremely
successful because of the way that it builds suspense right from the very beginning. By being introduced to
Victor first after his chase of the Monster compels the reader to want to find out what happened. By using
Walton as the overall narrator to whom the story is told to, Shelley can easily begin the flashbacks of victors
life, enabling the reader to feel more involved and significantly increasing the enjoyment of the story by
creating an illusion that the story is being told directly to them, they become part of the story. This technique
significantly enhances the thoughts and feelings of the audience in reaction to the tale.
Victor's narrative is the most important and takes up much of the novel's volume; it is what informs the
reader of his experiences. It reveals to them the plot of the book and allows the reader to divulge into the story
and gain a clear understanding of the account of his life. It is also through Victor's narrative that we hear our
third narrative voice, the monsters.
This third narrative gives the audience the other side of the story, giving a complete understanding of the
whole tale. When they first thought that the Monster was nothing but a hideous, vile and evil creature, this
part of the story makes it clear that the Monster is an emotional and intellectual being. This narrative is like a
revelation where all issues and questions become clear.
This separate structure devoted to each character helps us develop a good understanding of each of the
individual characters and helps us evolve with them individually which also aids us in comparing and
contrasting them. It encourages the reader to collate the narrative perspectives by getting the audience to
know and understand the characters at a great depth and provokes the reader to get more emotionally
attached to the characters.
Victors final narrative helps us journey with him through pains and toils which we would not have
experienced with the Monster. A gothic addition to the tale as it gives us a (full account of Frankenstein in his
current state.
Walton also plays a part at the end of the novel, he allows us to compare him with Victor, as he is also
eager for knowledge and longs for recognition of his scientific discoveries. It is also through Walton that we
learn how Frankenstein has changed and matured in to a more romantic character from a very self obsessed
and scientific one and shows that he has learned from his mistakes and that he is a good person through
dissuading Walton from being like him. The final letters of Walton, which is the last change in perspective,
closes the frame in the novel and Walton's version of the story presents some validity to the tale by
mentioning that he has seen Victor's letters and the Monster.
All in all, the structure of the book enables the reader to enjoy the book in more depth by beginning it's
story through framing, allowing us a deeper understanding of each individual character and enabling us to
compare the characters and grow emotionally attached to them. The structure allows the audience to piece
the story together, makes the narrative more interesting, adds validity and creates a situation in which the
reader can easily understand and relate to each perspective of the different characters and augment our
satisfaction and understanding of the great novel.
There are many reasons that support why we should or should not sympathise for Victor. His life is a
journey of pain and suffering and his very existence itself could be seen as a cause for sympathy.
First, his childhood, the description of his childhood is very idealistic and fortunate, he was brought up by
devoted parents that loved him as well as each other. His parents adopted Elizabeth who becomes
Frankenstein's cousin and playmate and he sees her as a gift for him. He says that he "received as made to a
possession of my own", though his childhood are described as very happy times, there are subtle hints through
the passage that suggests that he was overshadowed and lived in the limelight of the beautiful Elizabeth. He
says that "Elizabeth was of a calmer and more concentrated disposition" which suggests that she was
preferred over the quick-tempered and intense" Victor. Subsequently, as he grows up, he describes himself as
being solitary and alone at school, but Henry Clerval becomes a lifelong pal. He describes his childhood in
this way, "no human being could have possessed a happier childhood than myself this extreme and very
emotional description highlights the true joy of his childhood but also accentuates the devastation that occurs
later in the novel as his radiant childhood contrasts greatly to the pain he has to endure later in his life.
Elizabeth, his 'cousin' catches scarlet fever, which arouses his concern, but she is saved by the tender love
of Victor's mother, but she in turn dies from the effort, it is as if a candle light was lit in darkness due to
Elizabeth's survival, only to be snuffed out by the death of Victors mother. Victor's descriptions of his feelings
subsequent to his mother's death are very moving. He comments on this act as the "most irreparable evil" and

the way he expresses, "whose very existence appeared part of our own have departed forever" illustrates the
truth that Frankenstein saw his mother as part of himself and that a part of himself had died, the audience
can't help being sympathetic towards him. Some of his sadness is revived by Elizabeth and later, Mr.
Waldman his teacher at university of Ingolstadt, which lessens to a degree, our sympathy towards him as
Elizabeth consoles him and Mr. Waldman encourages his study. These happy times overshadow the lack of
compassion shown my Mr. Krempe who tells Frankenstein "really spent your time studying such nonsense?"
and informs him that he must begin his studies anew, this creates sympathy as his passions are ridiculed and his
obsession seen as a waste of time. Unlike Mr. Krempe, Mr. Waldman is like a kind and reviving spirit, his
name stands for a forest, which Shelly uses to play with the idea of nature as being a place to revive the spirit.
This does not make us feel sympathetic towards him but it helps the audience relate to him and feel with him.
Compassion is created for him in a different way in Chapter four, he is labelled as being obsessed with his
dark and new area of science, he shuts off contact with the outside world and even loses touch with his
family. Audience feels solace towards his isolation and for him being so obsessed in such dark macabre work.
He says that he "collected bones from charnel houses" as if in a trance, readers feel sorry for the way that he
has almost been taken over by his work, lost control and the fact that his work is also taking over his health.
The fact that his obsession to create life and become a human god is actually corrupting his own body creates
a dark sense of irony, which many readers will appreciate and feel for Victor about. In chapter five, he suffers
one of the worst moments of his life. He succeeds in completing his work but is utterly devastated at the
result, he doesn't even know how to describe his feelings, he exclaims "great god" when trying to describe
the monsters features, the way he blasphemes shows his lack of respect towards religion and his horror at the
result of his work. His description, a combination of beautiful and horrible features such as "lustrous black
hair and "straight black lips" forms a horrible image in the audience's mind and restrains the audience from
judging his irresponsible and rash actions too harshly. He declares that "Breathless horror and discuss filled
my heart" this use of powerful metaphor also help put in to context the true horror of his work. In
consequence, he is left in a distressed mental state, falling asleep in an effort to forget about his creation,
however he has a horrible nightmare concerning his mother, which shows how contorted his mind is because
of his evil and obsessive work. Readers cannot help feeling empathy towards him as his passion of his life has
turned out to be a waste, his greatest disaster, and the cause of the deterioration of Victor; a character that the
audience has grown emotionally attached to during his development and work. Despite that, there is also
confusion created by victors actions, he abandons his creation and is delighted when he and Henry finds his
Monster gone when they return from their work, it conveys the message that Victor is irresponsible and
slightly diminishes the sympathy created for him.
When victor realizes that his Monster has gone, he has a fit of joy, this sounds great when read but carries
an underlying message that something is not quite right as he has a "fit" of joy, it is not quire natural. An
impression that something is wrong is aroused, and this thought is confirmed when Frankenstein falls down
in a fit saying, "I imagined that the Monster seized me" This shows clearly the true devastating extent of his
mental state and reveals that his joy could not have been true joy, and sympathy is created for him and his
diminished health due to his work and toils. After his creation of the Monster In chapter six, there are not
many obvious causes for sympathy but there are some doubtlessly there. Frankenstein receives a letter from
Elizabeth but he is fatigued even when writing a reply, this illustrates his diminished physical state, a definite
cause for sympathy. It is also created by the fact that he has to hide his work from his family; he has to keep
something so troubling and torturing a secret, disenabling him to gain any sympathy from his family or
friends. In chapter seven, Victor hears news that his brother William is dead, another wave of despair washes
over his already tremendous load, the way Henry says "are you always to be unhappy?" puts in to context
how much suffering Victor has endured so far. He also hears that he's beloved Elizabeth is in distress that
further increases his sadness and sympathy that is created for him.
On his journey back, he glimpses sights of the Monster thus adding terror and guilt to his overflowing
casket of emotions, he believes that the Monster is the murderer of William and starts to blame himself for
the death of his beloved brother. This passage shows that the Monster is now a real threat for Victor; it is a
turning point in the book because previously, Frankenstein had been unaware of the whereabouts and the
doings of the Monster but is now in immediate danger and under threat. He is feeling this mixture of terror
and guilt which amounts to a further degree when he reaches his home and witnesses the sorrow of his family,
this equally augments sympathy created for the family and even more towards Victor because he is feeling
guilty for all the occurrences and the consequences of the happenings. The fact that the monster was able to
find his family through some kind of psychic communication builds the Gothicism in this tale and further
amounts to the terror felt by victor.
To make matters worse for Victor, Justine, who Victor had got to know in Elizabeth's letter as a loved
woman in the family and one who possessed qualities "which promised to render her life happy" is accused
of the murder. Victor now is suffering living torture as he says that he is "the cause" for all that has happened

because of his actions. Since Justine has confessed a lie for the death of William, Victor feels himself
responsible for two deaths and grieves on their graves. In the beginning of chapter nine, the way he describes
Justine as "resting" and him being alive but in despair and remorse suggests he would rather have died, the
thoughts of how he ruined so many lives tortures him, he cannot sleep or rest and sinks to a deep depression.
His suicidal thoughts are supported by the fact that he considers plunging "in to the lake". The depth of his
despair is expressed clearly to the audience by the way he labels himself as "an author of unalterable evils"
he also sees himself to blame for the mourning of the family, especially Elizabeth, he vocalizes she sees
injustice as part of the world and she is no longer the same. Victor hopes that no more lives will be lost,
Ironically, his misery will only amount to an even further degree and it is also ironic that Victor thinks about
ending his life when before his creation of the monster, he was desperate to create life.
Though this is the beginning of his miseries, it might be considered as the worst since he is completely
foreign to these new events/emotions and responds to them more sincerely than he does in later incidents.
This attitude is seen very clearly in chapter ten; ironically, he goes to the mountains of Montraunt to revive his
tormented soul, he is among icy and glittery peaks and in a very cold climate, a symbol for isolation and the
scenes is set for events to come, this is a clear example of pathetic fallacy. In his meeting with the Monster,
Victor uses various language techniques to describe the Monster; his thoughts of the Monster include "rage"
and "horror" and describe the Monster as a being of "unearthly ugliness" revealing him as being a "sight too
horrible for human eye." His use of alliteration and imagery help the words portray the image of the Monster
to the audiences mind and help the words and description stick in the audience's heads. Frankenstein
addresses the Monster as a "Devil" and "vile insect" using these metaphors illustrates his attitude towards the
Monster and the true horror of the monsters form. These powerful metaphors further build the image of the
Monster in our minds and allow the audience to empathise with Victor-and understand his hatred for the
Monster. Victor also uses accusing tones towards the Monster exclaiming "you have made me wretched" and
"you have left me no power" this repetitive use of accusing tone and techniques further increases the sense
that everything is the fault of the Monster's and help us to further empathise with Victor. He conveys his
strong feelings towards the Monster by springing on him saying "his rage without bounds" and describes
himself as being "impelled by all feelings which can arm one being against the existence of another." This
presents to the audience the uncontrollable emotions of Victor and the magnitude of his hatred towards the
Monster. This meeting with the Monster causes more empathy with Victor than sympathy, as you cannot
really pity someone who is in rage with another, but this passage allows the audience to get the full picture of
his emotions and the reasons behind his hatred towards the Monster.
Next point in the book when sympathy is created for Victor is in chapter seventeen where the Monster
threatens him to create a mate. This passage tells of Victor weeping bitterly. Sympathy is created for him by
the fact that he is being forced to create something, which has already caused him endless sorrow and
diminished his health to an unbelievable degree. He exclaims to the sky saying "let me become nought, but if
not, depart and leave me in darkness" he gets across the true intensity of his despair and the depths of his
sorrow.
When he departs to create the second Monster, he has to hide the true nature of his work and invent a
whole travel episode; he has to hide his dark labours from his own family. He is also torn by the fact that there
will be dire consequences for his family if he failes to keep his promise to the Monster. This makes plain how
helpless the situation that he has created is. He is also so distraught, that he is not even cheerd by the scenery
of his journey, there is a lack of romanticism thus an increase in Gothicism, and this creates sympathy for
Victor. Sympathy is further created for him when he meets Henry Clerval, the happiness of henry only
accentuates the way Victor broods and draws attention to the true horror of Victors situation. Victor is also
suffering from the fact that he has to hide his true plans from his best friend and this causes him to plunge in to
further depression when he is required to part ways with Henry.
Victor has to suffer from his work in solitude with no one to share and sympathise with his toils, this
illustrates the real atrocity of his situation. His work on the second Monster is traumatic and one that causes
much sympathy, some times, he works feverishly and at some, he does not work for days, it is as though he is
possessed by an indecisive devil. His mind and heart are in a state of confusion, his body is restless and
nervous, and he himself debates weather to "finish the Monster or destroy this creation" and it becomes
evident that he has powerful feelings for finishing his work. He reveals that he "looked towards it's
completion with a tremendous and eager hope, which I dared not trust myself to question, but which was
intermixed with obscure foreboding of evil, that made my hear sicken in my bosom." This rather long extracts
causes the audience to sympathise, and provokes them to think how terrible it must be to long to finish a
painful piece of work for good but know it may end in disaster. The "desolate and appalling landscape", the
horrible nature of his work together with the despairing fear of meeting the Monster makes this part of his
life a truly abhorring one and one that demands a lot of sympathy from the audience.

In chapter twenty, upon seeing the Monster, he has a fit of anger and guilt and tells the Monster he will not
continue and the Monster makes a threat. This chapter makes the Monster sound selfish and self-obsessed
which makes Frankenstein sound worthy of more sympathy. The audience will feel this towards Frankenstein
and also feel apprehension as to what will happen to him because of his actions, he has put the wrath of the
Monster upon himself, making him sound very hopeless and incompetent.
Victor is then filled with fear, nervousness and is desperate to get off the island, he clears up his lab, a work
which he describes as being one he shuddered to perform and when on sea, he experiences near death and
is utterly lost for some time. He is filled with depressing thoughts, such as "sea, it was to be my grave" and
describes himself as being "so despairing and frightful." He fears that he will die but then he sees land and is
filled with "hope and joy" but when he arrives, he is treated in the most impolite manner and is left in a state
of confusion and anger, this series of events builds up the audiences sympathy and apprehension for what is
to come. In chapter twenty-one, Victor finds that not only Henry Clerval has died, but also he is being
accused of the death. This is a serious strike to the innermost depth of his heart; he says "I gasped for breath,
how can I describe my sensation on beholding it?" This conveys the message that Frankenstein was very close
to Henry and draws to attention the true intensity of his loss. He then becomes gravely ill and passes months
near death: "the human form could no longer support the agonies that I endured," this brings to light the
immensity of his suffering. The ironic twist is that both Henry and Victor wanted adventure for pleasure and
relaxation but it turned to be tragedy for both of them "you travelled to seek happiness, but a fatality seems to
pursue you and pour Clerval" This irony only intensifies the sympathy created for Victor.
Victor is now a wretch of a human being, having worked to create a second creature and enduring the toils
of a prisoner, he is described as being a "shadow of a human being," Victor has drastically changed because a
"fever night and day" threatens his "wasted frame" and his father fears that the journey back to Geneva may
prove to be too much for Victor. The reader now not only sympathises for Frankenstein and his condition but
for his loss of a lifelong and virtually only true friend. He again has suicidal thoughts, asking himself "why
did I not die", the intensity and quantity of sorrow and despair he has suffered has the audience wondering,
how long will he last and is it right for a human to be feeling and experiencing all this? This chapter is another
that is filled with content that creates sympathy for Frankenstein.
Chapter twenty two is one where Frankenstein is filled with sorrow because he believes himself unworthy
of sharing intercourse with other humans, he is having to hide everything from his father and is tortured in
between family loyalty. The cause for sympathy for Frankenstein here is the mental battle that he is having to
fight with himself and the despair he feels when he thinks of the insanity that posses him, he is not only mad
but it is aware of it also. He "neither spoke or looked at anyone" and sat bewildered, alone and isolated.
He experiences further pains as Elizabeth is murdered and his father dies in consequence. He then talks more
of suicide and he "fell senseless on the ground." He is overcome with grief and falls "in a state of utter
exhaustion." Victor now dedicates himself to the destruction of the Monster. Sympathy is caused by the
traumatic events that he has to endure and the true horror of what he has devoted the rest of his life to: the
destruction of his own creation.
Victor than starts the abominable journey. There are many aspects of the journey that creates pity for
Victor; the length of it, the toils and miseries involved, the nature of it, the fruitlessness and that fact that the
Monster doesn't seem to be suffering much and mocking and playing with Victor. This influences the
audience to feel abhorring thoughts towards the Monster while feeling sorry for Victor. Victor is also on the
edge of madness and is truly obsessed, his insanity is shown by the way that he fancies his dreams as being
real life and real life a nightmare. His obsession is clearly seen by the way he says, "I pursued my path,
towards the destruction of the daemon" "as the mechanical impulse of some power of which I was
unconscious." He also cries for joy when thinking he has closed in and is close to the destruction of the
Monster, this reveals just how much his mistakes and work of his life has diminished him to barely a human
being, living only to seek revenge. This is a great cause for sympathy, and the fact that he is seeking to
destroy his lifelong work, obsession and study makes the matter even worse. Walton is passionate towards
Victor and he has deep feelings about Victor and feels a great sense of sorrow for the loss of such a "glorious
spirit" and Walton's sorrowful and sympathetic views towards Victor further enhances the audience's
sympathy towards Victor.
Victor's life is a roller coaster of despair and horror with splashes of romanticism to make the tale remotely
bearable. His story allows the audience to get very emotionally attached to him as it is an account of his life
told by himself which allows him to express all his personal emotions and feelings to a great level. The
connection that Victor created in his story accentuates feelings that the audience receives in his times of great
emotions and thus our sympathies towards him. Mary Shelly used traits of gothic and romantic genre and
issues of her time to an exceptional extent to put together such an interesting, compelling and controversial
character; the key to the success of creating such a great book that deals with so many issues and raises many
more that are very relevant today.

Despite all the factors that contribute to creating sympathy for Victor, Shelly successfully balances our
views on who to be more sympathetic towards through the Monster's narrative.
Everything goes wrong for the Monster from the start of his being, he is hated by his author from the
moment he is created and is described by him as a "wretch" and "a catastrophe" Victor abandons the
Monster from the beginning of his existence. The Monster then leaves the laboratory, confused and new to
the world and finds himself not welcome and rejected from society from his first steps. He is forced to flee the
city and villages where he is shunned, being only just created, he is utterly new to his body and the sensations
that he feels, giving the audience a sense of his adolescence and creates pity for him. This sympathy is
magnified when the audience learns that the Monster has to live in the forest alone where food and shelter is
scarce, and being a newborn that he is, should have been provided with these necessities of life. He leaves the
forest to search for food and shelter but finds himself feared and attacked by whoever beholds him, but being
new to the world, he does not let it trouble him too seriously and takes pleasure in the nature of the forest.
He discovers and describes the Delacey family and grows fond of them, "adopting" them in a way, which
allows him to, observes and feel love, but the barbarity of his previous treatment from man prevents him
from approaching them. Readers cannot help feeling for the Monster, his rejection and his naivety, "miserable
from indecency of the season, and still more from the barbarity of man", and for the unfortunate situation that
the Monster, by no fault of his own has been thrust in to. This growth in affection for the 'Monster
accentuates the sympathies felt for the Monster later. When the Monster learns of the poverty of the family, he
stops stealing from their stores and decides to live on berries and roots of the forest and aid the family by
collecting wood and relieving them from various other chores.
He yearns to learn speech and the science of letters and delights in the nature of his surroundings, this
presents to the audience that the Monster is a maligned creature who is worthy of understanding and relating
to. His careful observations and his emotions and feelings of the family as seen when he says "my thoughts
became more active and eager to discover the notices and feelings of these lovely creatures" reveal to the
audience the human qualities of the Monster's mind and help enhance the sympathy felt for him when he
feels sorrow. This sorrow is exemplified when the Monster observes himself in the pool, he says that he
"admired the perfect forms of the cottagers" but was "terrified when I viewed myself he describes his
features as unbelievable that it actually belonged to him and that he was filled with "bitterest sensation of
despondence and mortification." Readers are obliged to feel for the Monster's fair mind being contaminated
by the truth of his features but he ends this chapter in happy meandering thoughts and says he saw the future
as being gilded by bright rays of hope and anticipation for joy." These happy thoughts and anticipation only
heightens the disappointment and the sadness he feels in future events.
Throughout chapter 13, the Monster takes advantage of lessons in English and literature from the cottagers
to Safie, and the journey of his education helps the audience gain a better understanding of the Monster,
relate to him, and become more emotionally attached. His description of his education and his emotions as
seen when he says "these wonderful narratives inspired me with strange feelings, had man indeed at once so
virtuous and magnificent and yet so vicious and base." Shows how intricately in tune he is with his thoughts
and how similar he is to the human being, but not only that, these series of education shows of his intelligence,
making it easier for the audience to connect with him.
These lessons educated him not only of the nature of human beings but also how different he was from
them; it caused the Monster to question his own creation. He realizes that he is different and does not fit in to
society and this thought terrifies him, "was I then a Monster, a blot upon the earth" "agony these reflections
inflicted." Not only do his wonderings and reflections create sympathy for him but also the intelligible way
these thoughts are explored. They are perfectly rational and easy to understand and aid us to sympathise for
him. It is also the very plainness and palpable nature of his pondering that gains our sympathy, he asks himself
" where were my friends and relatives" "No father" and "What was I?" The way the creature is deprived
from these most basic of knowledges and necessities enhance our feelings of pity towards him. His
intelligence, logic, and very human language help the audience to apprehend him.
The Monster begins his own education very much like Victor, reading books and notes he found in
Victor's jacket. He further demonstrates his intelligence by telling of "feelings that sometimes raised me to
ecstasy, but more frequently sunk me in to the least of dejections" He talks of how he "sympathised with and
understood" but discovered himself as being strangely different from the characters in his books. Raising
again question like "who was I, what was I, whence did I come? What was my destination?" the Monster's
inability to answer these questions engages our pity for him. He discovers papers of victors work and is
sickened, saying "hateful the day when I received life" and "my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid"
and he goes on to compare himself to Adam and Victor to god.
God was a perfect creator and he made Adam in his own image but the Monster learns of his "accursed
origins and how his own creator detested him. He also describes Adam as being far different from him as
Adam was "happy and prosperous, guarded by care of his creator; allowed to converse with and acquire

knowledge from, beings of a superior nature." Having knowledge of Adam, a perfect version of himself
plunges the Monster in to despair and agony, now fully aware of what he deserves but cannot have due to the
irresponsibility of Victor. He even considers Satan as being a "fitter emblem of my condition, for after, like
him, I envied the bliss of my creators." Another important issue is his lack of "eve" His want of a mate has
been proboked by his readings of Milton, he laments; "no eve soothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts, I
was alone" This is a central concern for Shelby's novel. It is a necessity of life that everyone and everything
pair with a mate of the same species. However, where was a mate for the Monster? For Shelly, this was a
troubling thought. The Monster's laments compel readers, it gives the Monster pathos, the reader is
acquainted to his thoughts and concerns and this encourages the readers to see that monster as a pitiable
being and a character that has the right for some empathy. This passage makes aware to the audience the true
extent of the Monster's grief and raises antipathetic emotions towards Victor and his actions.
The Monster then tries to win over the family, seeking consolation for the miseries caused by his recent
discovery; he is hoping that the family will accept him for his qualities as a being rather than his features.
His hopes are raised when the old man speaks to him words of kindness and the Monster responds, saying
"you raise me from the dust by this kindness." but his hopes are helplessly destroyed when Felix wrenches
him from his father and beats him, the Monster "overcome by pain and anguish" refrains from retaliating
and leaves the cottage. This induces the audience to feel sympathy and admire the Monster for his selfcontrol in his terrible situation.
Chapter 17 is a part of the book where most of the Monster's pitiable motions are expressed and terrible
events occur. He first refers to Victor as a "cursed creator" this use of alliteration gives the title ring, though it
is rather crude, it sticks in the readers mind, conveying how hateful the Monster is of his creator and aids the
audience in empathizing with the Monster. His thoughts are also suicidal as shown when he exclaims, "why,
in that instant did I now extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed?" getting
across his misery. He also describes himself as being "like a wild beast" the simile helps the audience to
visualize the extent of the horror the Monster is experiencing. The Monster further labels himself as being the
only one in pain and distress and says, "There was none among that existed who would pity or assist me." He
now experiences a changing point in his attitude towards humans, when before he admired and loved them;
he now questions why he should feel kindness towards his enemies.
When he discovers that his cottagers are leaving, he again experiences a turning point, he feels anger and
revenge fill his heart, but his nature prevents him hurting a live being and so his anger is turned on inanimate
objects and he burns the cottage. This is understandable to the audience as it is the location where he
learned of his differences and was rejected from what he desired the most, the origin of his miseries. As he
flees, a terrible thought crosses his mind: "every country must be equally horrible", this lack of hospitable
environments he can go to seek comfort causes pity for the Monster and also prevents audience from
judging his actions too harshly.
He heads towards Victor and on the way, he is again a victim of injustice, he saves a girl from death but is
rewarded and thanked by a shot from a gun. This of course raises sympathy from the audience and makes
them very understandable to his raging emotions. He talks of how the pain of the wound was augmented by
the ingratitude of the infliction and describes the breeze and sunlight and all other joy as a mockery that
"insulted his "desolate state" and made him feel more "pitiful", and that he was "not made for the
enjoyment of pleasure." These painful and grieving feelings makes him desperate for comfort and try to teach
a child boy to feel affectionate towards him, owing to the fact that the Monster believes that the infants mind
would be untainted from prejudice but he is insulted even by the little child, his last desperate hope. This and
his learning that the child is one of Frankenstein's family results in him flooding with revenge and strangling
the child. This horrible deed may lessen the audience's sympathy towards him but he says he did it to "silence
him" as the child was shouting words "that carried despair" to his heart.
The readers cannot help but feel sympathy towards the Monster as he describes his confusion of emotions,
revenge, hate and contemplation, but there was still compassion in him as seen in the way he desired
affection from the sleeping Justine. However, sympathy is not created for him here when he describes the
fiend within him and how she should receive punishment for him being robbed all that she could give him.
This selfish and outrageous reflection with his use of his education for mischief makes the audience aware of
the Monster's evil and desperate side and significantly diminishes the sympathy the audience feels for the
Monster. This further emphasizes Shelleys concern with using knowledge for good or evil, with the monster
clearly demonstrating the latter.
When the Monster meets Victor, he is verbally attacked, named with things that are rather ridiculous like
"devil" and "vile insect", this portrays Victor as being narrow minded and shallow. Victor is also seen to have
not much control over himself and he springs on to the Monster in an attempt to attack but the Monster has
no intentions to fight him, the Monster gains our sympathy for his self-control, understanding, and
acceptance of such outrageous behaviour. This chapter reveals the Monster as being reasonable and more

human than Victor who uses metaphors, similes, and vile language to a full extent in order to insult the
Monster and portray him as an abominable being. Even when his creator seems so detesting of him, the
Monster says "I am thy creature"; this shows the monsters humanity and his worth that in a way, diminishes
victors status. The Monster also accepts Victors accusations gracefully and does not retaliate, in complete
control of his emotions as opposed to Victor who is clearly a slave to his own feelings. Monster is seen as the
one trying to calm Victor, when the Monster should rightfully be mad at Victor for all the suffering he has
caused, he also is seen to be more reasonable as he says "do your duty towards me and I will do mine
towards you" while Victor is overcome by his hatred for the monster. This gives the audience a sense that
though Victor is the creator, the Monster has superiority, is a higher being, and gains the audience's
admiration and sympathy. The way the Monster threatens Victor can be interpreted in various ways. You
could see him as being greedy and a being that will do anything to get what he desired, even kill. Or he could
be seen as a being that is desperate for consolation from his past miserable pains and desires this small but
significant relief. Sympathy can be created for the Monster if you interpret this situation in the second way.
Throughout the next few chapters of the novel, the audience only receives Victor's point of view, not
acquiring much emotions and thoughts from the Monster, so any contact with the Monster himself is through
Victor's eyes and therefore terrible. The deaths of Henry and Elizabeth are a good example of his biased
view.
The only real major contact we get with the Monster is when Victor destroys the mate for the Monster.
This situation also can be interpreted in many different ways but the one that creates sympathy for the
Monster is that we see Victor Frankenstein as being small minded and selfish, destroying a potential form of
happiness for his creation just because of the fact that he detested the labour and could not control his
emotions upon seeing the Monster. The Monster must be feeling despair beyond any he had felt before
because he has had a chance of happiness but it was destroyed before his very eyes and thus would be feeling
powerful rage towards his creator, so it is quite understandable if you consider the Monster's side of the story
when the Monster seeks his revenge.
Throughout the chase towards the arctic, again we only witness Victor's narrative voice and the audience is
influenced to see the Monster as a vile and evil creation that deserves to be killed. He is seen to be mocking
Victor for his toils, which diminishes the audience's sympathy towards the monster.
It is at the end of the tale and through Walton that we learn of the Monster's suffering and miseries
throughout his flight. He describes his murders as being painful for him to perform and his regret is shown by
the way that he seeks pardon from Victor. The way he describes himself as having "pitied Frankenstein"
illustrates the good nature of the Monster and reveals to the audience that he only did those terrible deeds
under the influence of his intolerable emotions. This is a significant point where sympathy is felt for the
Monster. It is further felt by the fact that even now, the Monster is deprived from sympathy right to the very
end. He is accused of being a wretch that laments over the victims of his malignity, and even when he
defends himself, explaining that it was "not thus," he is still hated and abhorred by Walton. The monster
labels himself a "fallen angel" that he has become a "malignant devil" but explains that even the devil has a
host which he can turn to for aid and comfort, he describes himself as being worse off than the devil, an
enemy of god and refers to himself as being utterly alone. The Monster builds a horrible image, saying that
death is his only consolation "where can I find rest but in death?" These terrible yet moving images, described
vividly by the Monster shows us just how much he deserves our sympathy and that he is a creature of worth,
an honourable being yet torn apart by pain and grief, truly, a fallen angel.
Mary Shelley has used romanticism incredibly well to create a character so worthy, so interesting and so
unusually and subtly noble, to make the novel one of extreme interest, concerned with intricate detail and one
of great depth in many ways.
Shelleys intention was to represent the two characters in such a way that she balances the quality and
quantity of sympathy created for both Frankenstein and the Monster, she frequently uses moment that
creates lots and small amount of sympathy throughout both characters narratives to create an active and
interested reader. Her idea of Frankenstein and the Monster being equal is clearly established in the way she
presented their similarities throughout the tale. Victo started his own education through books and so did the
Monster, Victor had many valuable elements of his life torn away and the Monster experienced similar pains.
The way she uses this mirror image strengthens the fact that she intended both the Monster and Frankenstein
to be criticized and felt for; conveying her feelings that nothing in society is perfect.
Victor's life is considerably longer than the monsters; therefore, there is more evidence of cause for
sympathy during his life than his creation's life. However, Victor brought about his misfortunes and cause for
sympathy upon himself through his bad decisions and choices during his life, he expresses this himself "learn
my miseries and don't seek to increase your own." As can be seen, the quantity of cause for sympathy for
Frankenstein is great, but the quality and the context in which these causes are based are almost unworthy.

On the other hand, the Monster has misery and toils thrust upon him from the start of his being through
no fault of his own, he is given no choice while Victor had many, and when the Monster tries to make the
right choices in the few times that he has the opportunity, he suffers more pain. This is shown in the way that
the Monster aids the Delacey family in their poverty but is cruelly rejected from them and the way he
restrains from harming any member of their family even when treated so ruthlessly by those he had come to
love so much. Another example is when the Monster saves the girl from drowning but is shot, presumed
that his intentions were to harm her.
It is through these examples and other events that reveal that the quantity of cause for sympathy for the
Monster may be less than Frankenstein, but the context on which these causes are founded are of far more
worth and magnify the sympathy created for him. It is through this interesting layout and variety as to the
intensity of the tale that Shelley strikes this amazing balance between Victor and the Monster and shows that
both are to be pitied. Her representations of the characters are like an even scale with large mount of lead on
one side and a smaller amount of gold on the other. Shelley makes the story interesting by varying the
intensity of the points where sympathy is caused. For example, we feel more sympathetic towards Victor
when, he suffers the death of his lover Elizabeth and says "I still hung over her in agony and despair" and the
Monster is portrayed in a very antipathetic way. However, during the Monster narrative, we feel more
sympathetic towards the Monster when he is cruelly rejected by the Delacey family and exclaims "cursed,
cursed creator, why did I live?" The Monster's horrendous situation encourages the reader to forget all
sympathy towards Frankenstein and look at him as an irresponsible, arrogant and a self obsessed man, who
does not know how to deal with the consequences of his actions.
It is through this journey of great and small causes for sympathy for both characters that equilibrium is
created as to the amount and intensity of sympathy caused. Shelley concludes the story with the destruction
of both characters, both are miserable and both believing that death is their only consolation to their toilsome
life as one had lost everything and the other never had anything to lose, which ends the story with the
audience feeling sympathetic towards both characters. To conclude, Shelley's intention was that both
characters were to be pitied equally in the end, but the story is filled with moments of intense and negative
pity to make the tale engaging and allow it to create an active reader. This shows that she used context and
content efficiently to create this new and-daring yet effective balance between the two main characters.
Shelly made great use of themes and issues present during the time of the creation of Frankenstein. These
include invation of technology in to modern life, knowledge for good or evil, the treatment of the less
fortunate and the powers of nature in the confrontation of inorganic events.
She addressed each matter in this tale but some may be seen as not fully explored or responted to, this
provokes thought in the minds of the audience. For example, how much learning can a man obtainwithout
risking himself or others; these are the questions that has no obvious answer and encourages the reader to
think for themselves and influence them to partake in further thoughts in these areas. She has influenced the
reader to deal with their actions or suffer the consequences, to treat everyone and everything fairly, and to
think about what you want to do before actually doing it.
Using these issues, themes and the plot of the book, Mary Shelley has influenced me to sympathise with
both the Monster and Frankenstein, she has shown that they both have equally strong arguments as to why
they deserve our sympathy and both also has reasons as to why we shouldn't sympathise for them. I
personally feel that she has achieved an uncanny level of precision in forming a stability between the two
main characters of this Novel.
Many issues presented in the book are still very relevant today in the twenty first century. For example,
Shelley was concerned with prejudice, discrimination, and treatment towards those that are less fortunate.
However, there are still great amounts of prejudice towards those that go against the conventions of the
"normal" way to live, and towards those that are less educated and less wealthy. Shelley was also concerned
with advancing technology and their application, and this can be seen today in the controversy on the area of
using scientific advances for fertility treatments and cloning. The way it goes against nature and the way it is
hostile to the rights of every human being, like Frankenstein and the creation of his Monster provokes much
contraversy in modern society. This further leads to the issue of defying god and his authority with
technology, which is very large in this present day where all are trying to explain everything with science,
another issues that Shelley was fully aware of and explored throughout the book.
Shelley covered, explored and was aware of very universal and undying issues, she was very aware that
these issues originated from the development of humans and that further development of humans will lead to
these topics enduring and regenerating as well as modernising. She chose issues that will address and relate to
audiences of her time and audiences for future generations come, making this novel a truly timeless piece of
work.