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Itzel Olea

Zelter

Lit in Modern Media

24 May 2022

Real Evil

When describing a monster you can imagine an unnatural being with gnarly teeth, green

skin, and an ugly face that makes people scream. Society outcast beings who don't fit what they

see to be normal. In Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley, the creature who is made to be a

monster in the eyes of the audience is actually a victim of the real monster , Victor Frankenstein.

Frankenstein only cares for his own personal gain, never taking into account the consequences of

his actions. Frankenstein is unethical even as a scientist and continues to play god. Compared to

Frankenstein, the creature shows more human characteristics in his short time alive than his

creator. Therefore, the real monster of the story manifests in the character of Victor Frankenstein.

In the sense of a monster, Frankenstein is selfish and greedy. When Frankenstein brings

the creature to life he rejects it the instant it's not what he expected. Like a neglectful parent, he

created a being only when he thought it would bring him benefit. “When I saw the filthy mass

that moved and talked, my heart sickens and my feelings were altered to those of horror and

hatred” (Shelley). Instead of taking his creation into his own care, Frankenstein begins to ignore

the creature due to its physical appearance. He demonstrates his own superficiality and

shallowness as he believes the creature will behave in acts that reflect his facial characteristics.

Furthermore, Frankenstein never took into consideration the consequences of creating life in

such a way that would affect the world. Frankenstein only cared for the benefit he seeked as a

scientific accomplishment. While in the process of creating the creature, Victor says, “Life and
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death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light

into our dark world. A new species would bless me as its creator and source, many happy and

excellent natures would owe their being to me"(Shelley). Victors himself explains that the

motivation to create such a creature was to be responsible for a great accomplishment. This even

goes further to say that he wants to be praised as a creator for an entire new species in which he

could name himself their god. As a reckless scientist he also unleashes the creature into society

with no guidance.

A scientist should be ethical and put the wellness of others in their hearts, however Victor

is none of that. Only after the creature has already done its damage does he consider the good of

humanity while creating a mate for the creature, “I thought with a sensation of madness on my

promise of creating another like him, and trembling with passion, tore to pieces the thing on

which I was engaged. The wretch saw me destroy the creature on whose future existence he

depended for happiness, and with a howl of devilish despair and revenge, withdrew”(Shelley).

However this wasn’t his only reason, he wanted to take his own revenge at the creature. This

revenge continues to build where he only cares what the creature has done to toture him, not

humanity. As his creator, he pleads not to take any responsibility, even though from the

beginning he wanted to be praised as the maker. Another instance where Victor is unethical is

during Justine's trial where he says, “A thousand times rather would I have confessed myself

guilty of the crime ascribed to Justine; but I was absent when it was committed, and such a

declaration would have been considered as the ravings of a madman”(Shelley). Although Victor

knows that the right thing to do is to take blame for Justine's crimes, he doesn’t because he thinks

people will think of him as something different. Victor cares more about his outward appearance
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rather than undoing the unjust accusation he can prove to be wrong. In the end, Justine dies and

Victor wallows in that guilt even when he had the chance to do something.

The one who does happen to be human is the creature, not Frankenstein. He learns deep

emotions while watching the family. “I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.

Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous” (Shelley). Alone, left to his own devices, the

creature ventures out into the world and learns about human emotions. The creature understands

that there are certain factors affecting his emotions. In an effort to find happiness, he seeks the

comfort of another creature created by Frankenstein. “You must create a female for me with

whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone

can do, and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse to concede”(Shelley). The

creature understands that he isn’t like other humans and will never be able to find comfort in

that. However, he does understand that he seeks to confide in others just like any other human

would do. The creature had a rough start in the beginning of his life, but grew to learn human

aspects that changed his perspective.

A monster cannot be defined by what you see on the surface but what you learn from

their character. Victor's character showed twisted intentions, lack of empathy, and showed less

human characteristics than the creature, making him the real monster. On the other hand, the

creature was given the short end of the stick. Created by an individual with sinister motives, the

creature became outcasted and ostracized by those around him. Yet, given his circumstances, the

creature still showed more empathy towards others. Overall, the novel by Mary Shelley

demonstrates that one should not judge others by their appearances.

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Works Cited

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1851. Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus : the 1818

Text. Oxford ; New York :Oxford University Press, 1998