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Jenna Rock
Ms. Albrecht
Advanced Composition
11/10/14
The Faults of Society that Caused Destruction
Almost never does the outward appearance of something reflect that of the inner, and
almost always are things treated as if that were so. Frankenstein, a book by Mary Shelley,
develops many ideas that touch on possible flaws within society, such as the inclination to judge
solely based on appearance and the consequences of manipulating nature. In the book, a
cowardly scientist creates a large, petrifying form of life, which is later referred to as a monster.
The monster is of no nature and does not receive nurturing of any sort. This leads to destruction
and despair for the monster, the creator, and those whom are closest to the creator. Blame for
these tragedies is often misdirected at either the monster or the creator due to the roles they play
in the murders, but the true cause of the devastation was society.
Victor Frankenstein started as a young scholar whose mind was consumed with the ideas
of science and advancement. His interests led him to a lengthy experiment in which the objective
was to create a form of life in an unnatural way. The experiment was successful; the creature he
created was tall, strong, and of a hideous appearance. The initial shock of seeing such a terrifying
being come to life caused Victor to flee from his masterpiece and become extremely ill. He made
no attempt to destroy his creation and lived in great fear of what it was capable of doing. His

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biggest mistake, though, was in not showing any compassion towards the monster and falsely
deciding that such an outward appearance defined its inner appearance as well.
The monster was brought to life with the physical characteristics of a beast and the
mental characteristics of an infant. He could not speak or comprehend the world around him. He
held no opinions, and did not even know the appearance that he attained. However, the monster
gained intelligence at a rapid rate and learned of the pleasures in life which his creator had made
it impossible for him to have, such as love and friendship. His appearance was far too terrifying
to receive humane treatment, so he turned to violence and hatred to express his resentment
towards Victor and humanity. The monster turned into a murderer, and took the lives of some of
Victors dearest relatives.
Many would argue that Victor was to blame for all the tragedies that happened due to the
monsters existence. He was the one who created such a frightening being, and then he
abandoned his work out of fear and cowardice. However, to say that he is at fault for the
monsters actions is unfair. Is God at fault for the sins of mankind? Though Victor was the sole
reason of the monsters presence, he cannot be blamed for actions that were not his own. It was
never his intention for anything bad to happen, and though he should have taken more
responsibility for his work, the power he would have had over a creature much bigger and
stronger than him may not have been enough to make a significant difference.
The next logical conclusion, then, would be to say that no one can be blamed but the
monster himself. Though born with no mental capabilities, he gained enough intelligence to be
fully aware of what he was doing. He made violent decisions with his own reasoning and carried
out those acts by himself. These arguments are all true, but a large part of the puzzle is missing

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when one only examines his actions. The real question lies underneath the plot of the storywhy
did the monster do these hateful things? What turned the monster into a monster?
Digging deeper into the text, the answer is quite obvious. As the monster starts to
comprehend the reactions of humanity to his appearance, animosity is sparked within him. He
speaks of the innocence of his earlier years I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love
and humanity (Shelley 146). This proves that the monster was once, internally, nothing more
than a child. His first experience with the outside world displayed the reactions of humankind
toward such a terrifying being, which set the tone for how the monster would be treated
throughout the book, as well as how he would react to the treatment.
He spent a long amount of time observing a family from a small hovel, which was his
first realization of certain social attributes like love and kindness. The monster refers to the
family as friends (Shelley 168) and beloved cottagers (Shelley 173). However, as time goes
on the monster receives more harsh treatment from society. Upon reaching out to the cottagers,
he is severely mistreated but explains that he wished no harm on the people that he once
adoredhe dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick. I could have torn
him limb from limbbut my heart sank within me as with bitter sickness, and I refrained
(Shelley 180). This proves that the monster was not initially created with aggressive tendencies
and had no intentions of becoming violent.
Another harsh act toward the monster happened when he saved a young girl who slipped
into a river. As he attempted to restore her life, a man witnessed the terrifying creature and
assumed that he was hurting her instead of helping her. He then shot the monster, which gave the
monster more reason to hate mankind. The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had

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entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rageI vowed eternal hatred and
vengeance to all mankind (Shelley 186). What he became was a direct reflection of the
treatment that he received.
In the later parts of the story, the monster expresses his understandable anger toward his
creator and society. There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or
assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? (Shelley 181). He conveys that it is
wrongful of Victor to reprimand or despise him for his murderous actions, when it was not his
fault or choice to turn into such an evil being. If the multitude of mankind knew of my
existence, they would do as you do, and arm themselves for my destruction. Shall I not then hate
them who abhor me? (Shelley 146). To say that the monster was at fault would be to overlook
the deeper meaning of the plot, as well as the monsters conscious state.
Some may argue the point that a human murderer is never the fault of a parent or friend.
That person was aware of the decision he was making, and what happened within their life to
cause them to turn to violence does not matter. Excuses should not be tolerated; they should have
and could have consciously made a better decision. Victors creation is in no way comparable to
any form of human life. He was not a human being, nor was he treated like one. Never did he
have a childhood, a friend, or any form of life to directly learn from. Though he did observe the
cottagers and learn aspects of social interactions through them, his knowledge of society was
extremely small due to his inexperience in the world. Is it not true that if the monster would have
found an honest friend to converse with him and explain why he was treated so cruelly he would
have had a different perspective and not lashed out against humanity? Is it not true that had he
experienced any form of acceptance, which he so tirelessly craved from society, he would never
have done such awful things? The love and compassion towards people that he had begun to

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experience with the cottagers would have been restored with any innocent encounter, but the
only one he received was with a blind man whose disability did not allow him to judge the
monster as everyone else had. The monster was once not a monster at all, but society turned him
into one.
All the hatred and devastation that happened in the book can be related back to the
appearance of the monster and the way he was treated because of it. Blame should not be put on
Victor or the monster; Victor has no role in making violent decisions, and the monster was too
inexperienced and unaware to be at fault for his actions. The way the monster was treated by
society is what makes him act violently towards others. He began as a science experimentborn
a blank canvasand all that he amounted to can be attributed to the way he was treated by
mankind.

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Works Cited
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. London: Penguin Group, 1985. Print.