One of the main ideas I got from this novel is that as the saying states “we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.” After reading the first two volumes of the novel, I felt like the main character Frankenstein was the true evil person for causing such misery in the monster’s life. At the beginning of the novel, we see how Frankenstein refers to his creation as devilish and malignant, but these assumptions were only made based off the monster’s appearance. How could Frankenstein know if the monster was indeed devilish if he had not taken the time to discover his personality? He automatically assumed the monster was bad because of his looks, but as we further read we get clues that he was not. The monster longed for a love and affection from someone like any other human being. After being rejected from society, he then began to feel negative emotions against humans for their bad treatment. He then searches for Frankenstein and demands a woman who will give him the love and affection he desires. He stated “You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being” (Shelley 156). All the monster wanted was to have someone at his side whom he could be with.
Although at the beginning I felt like Frankenstein was evil, I changed my view after reading the third volume because of the huge sacrifice he made. After the request for a female, Frankenstein was torn between two consequences that could rise from his decision. On one end, he could make the woman and make the monster happy or he could choose not to and live in fear of the monster’s vengeance. If he would have chosen to make the woman, he would have sparked the reproduction of the monster’s kind in the world. He realized this when stating, “a race of devils would be propogated upon the earth” (Shelley 174). In my opinion, Frankenstein chose to make the right decision because if he would’ve granted the monster his wish, he would have condemned the world to suffer from his mistake. Although innocent people suffered as a result of Frankenstein’s decision, he sacrificed them for the well-being of the rest of the human race. It was because of this that I began to feel compassion for him and no longer viewed him as evil.
From the reading, I understood that when we judge people based on first impressions, we can be wrong. I initially thought Frankenstein was evil, but after further analyzing his character I changed my mind because he sacrificed the people he loved the most for the well-being of the rest of the world.
In your blog post you mention that Frankenstein didn’t take the time to get to know the creature. However, because Frankenstein is telling this story after all the events have already occurred, his description and judgment of the monster is understandably bias. His harsh judgment of the monster by calling it fiend, even in the very beginning of the story, is a result of him seeing the monster murder his wife and his friends. However, you make a very good point. Frankenstein cruelty towards the monster, makes him seem evil, but by looking at him as the savior of the human race, by preventing the reproduction of “monsters,” he could definitely be seen as a hero. Yet, it is important to remember that by refusing to grant his wish, Frankenstein created this monster. Had he granted the creature’s wish, maybe we would be left with a colony of gentle giants
My opinion of Frankenstein also changed by the end of the novel. It was hard for me to sympathize with him at first because it was Frankenstein’s own ignorance that turned his creation into a monster. However, his decision to sacrifice his own happiness for the greater good of humanity also caused me to think more highly of Frankenstein. Additionally, at the end of the novel, Frankenstein finally admits to Walton that it was his own responsibility to to care for his creation and ensure its happiness. I think this realization shows a growth in Frankenstein, as he finally understands that it was his job to be a father figure for the creation.