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Cain Garcia

Ms. Acosta

English 12

18 March 2020

Creature Turned Monster

When looking at the definition of a monster, a monster is a creature that is typically large,

ugly, and terrifying. By definition, the creature’s appearance gives him the title and throughout

the story became a monster through his actions. The creature was born with a face that was

unpleasing for the people who saw him. The creature was innocent and gentle at the beginning of

the story but was treated as a monster and then became one. Although the creature was seen as a

monster, he truly became a monster when he started to commit atrocious acts.

A monster by definition is a creature that is typically large, ugly, and terrifying; the

creature fits the description because he is large, ugly, and terrifying. When looking at the birth of

the creature, the creature’s demeanor did not show monstrous actions. When the creature was

born he was alienated from Victor which made the creature question why he was born, the

creature said "why did you make such a hideous creature like me just to leave in disgust"(Shelly

118). This shows how people view the creature as a monster without taking his feelings into

consideration. Victor’s constant rejection towards the monster changes the monster as he begins

wanting to go after Victor for creating him. When the monster is finally fed up with Victor after

trying to reason with him, he is filled with rage towards Victor, saying "I will cause fear, and

chiefly towards you my arch-enemy, because my creature, do I swear inextinguishable hatred.

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Have a care; I will work at your destruction, nor finish until I desolate your heart so that you

curse the hour of your birth"(Shelly 133). The monster finally snaps and plots on Victor's

downfall, making it his main motive to get back at him. This is the beginning of the creature’s

descent into becoming a monster.

Before the creature begins to commit atrocious acts, he was brought in by cottagers that

gave him a home and the creature gave them support with physical labor. Unfortunately, due to

the horror that the creature's appearance gave to those who looked at him; the cottagers decided

to flee due to the fear that the father, wife, and sister went through. When Felix departed from the

creature, the creature decided to burn down the cottage and destroy the nearby area. Before

burning down the cottage the monster reflects back to himself "But again, when I reflected that

they had spurned and deserted me, anger returned, a rage of anger; and unable to injure anything

human, I turned my fury towards inanimate objects" (Shelly 126). The creature describing the

events after the cottagers abandoned him shows that if he had a living being in front of him

during his rage, he would have taken it out on them. This shows how he is becoming ugly and

terrifying on the inside, fitting the definition of a monster both physically and mentally. The

creature truly earns the title of "monster" when he kills his first victim, William. The creature

may have been different, but if the creature had someone important in his life, he would not have

wanted someone to strangle his loved one. When the creature kills William, the creature's

reaction after showed that he had no remorse describing the kill saying "I gazed on my victim,

and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph: clapping my hands, I exclaimed, 'I,

too, can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him, and

a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him.'" (Shelly 131). At this point in the story,
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the creature becomes a monster, he is aware of what he just did and showed to have enjoyed it,

clapping his hands afterwards as if he had no care about the person he just murdered. This act

solidifies the creature's title as a monster since he commits acts that he knows will bring misery

to those who are victims.

Although some may argue that the creature was pushed to become a monster because of

the way he was treated, however he had the ability to love. When he first met the cottagers, he

would help them out by doing things he felt would help the cottagers. According to the monster,

he "found that the youth spend a great part of each day in collecting wood for the family fire"

Shelly 99). The creature would see that the young man would spend his day doing something

that he could provide assistance with, showing how he is sympathetic towards people he

describes as gentle creatures. When looking at the birth of the creature, the creature was afraid of

his surroundings since he was just born, in the story, the creature describes his first moments of

life in pain saying that "I was a poor helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish,

nothing: but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept" (Shelly 90). This shows

how the creature feels pain, both physical and mental pain. This shows that the creature has the

capacity to know what will hurt and what will.

With the creation of the creature, he was able to go against his given title of "monster",

but was consumed by his anger for humanity. He inflicted pain upon those who did nothing but

did it in order to inflict pain upon Victor mentally. The creature understood how pain and

suffering felt, yet he went on to commit the acts that ultimately ruined the lives of not only Victor

but others. The creature could have refused his given title of "monster" but unfortunately became

a monster by his actions.

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Works Cited

Shelly, Mary. Frankenstein, Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones, 1818.

“Frankenstein [Full Text].PDF.” Google, Google,

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=c3R1ZGVudC5iY3Nkb

nkub3JnfG1yLWFsYmFuby1ob21lcGFnZXxneDo2MTYzNDAyY2ZjMmM1Y2Uz.