Gabler 1

Carson Gabler

Ms. Winter

English 12, Period 4

28 January 2022

The Innate Feeling of Empathy - Prompt #3

John Steinbeck once said, “You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.”

The famous author of world-renowned novels such as The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and East of

Eden (1952) has been able to provide his readers with a feeling of empathy that is almost

tangible. His writing has been able to touch readers by allowing them to go through the hardships

along with his well-written characters. Although Steinbeck creates a world where it is easy to

feel this empathy, Mary Shelley, in her magnum opus Frankenstein (1832), challenges you to

delve deeper into this abstract idea. Throughout the novel, she uses a frame narrative to

personalize the internal conflicts of each character, Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and

finally the Creature. Her structure underscores the feeling of empathy for the characters and

provides the reader with perspectives from all; Walton’s longing to have another like-minded

individual in his presence, Victor’s attempts to save his withering family, and finally the

Creature’s eagerness for companionship.

Our inaugural perspective comes from Robert Walton, a man who is on a voyage in the

vast ocean. The audience is introduced to Walton through a series of letters to his sister,

Margaret Saville. Through these pieces, the reader feels empathy for Walton after hearing how

lonely and isolated he is from the rest of the world. He explains that he “desire[s] the company of

a man who could sympathize with [him], whose eyes would reply to [his],” later summarizing
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the previous sentence by explaining that he “bitterly feel[s] the want of a friend” and how “such

a friend” would “repair the faults of [Saville’s] poor brother” (Shelley 5). Shelley presents his

longing for a friend using descriptive language and expressions to illustrate the emptiness he

feels without a friend. Shelley uses these letters so the audience feels that hole along with him,

recollecting a time when they have felt the same way. To further show his longing for a friend,

Shelley uses Victor as a means to show his determination. After Walton’s crew spots Victor

Frankenstein in a weak and sickly state, they take care of him and nurture him back to good

health. As Walton is searching for a like-minded individual, he sees this as an opportunity to gain

companionship on this lonely voyage and spends his free time taking care of Victor explaining

how “[he] removed [Victor] to [his] own cabin and attended on [Victor] as much as [his] duty

would permit” (Shelley 10). Shelley purposefully displays Walton’s dedication to bringing

Victor back to full health to the audience, adding to the recurrent theme of his longing for a

friend. The monologue reinforces how much he cares about Victor and wants to interact with

him.

Following Walton, the story finds itself in the mind of Victor Frankenstein. Victor’s story

is the most diverse out of all the characters, as the readers are empathizing with his upbringing,

education, studies, and experiences after creating the monster. Our first instance comes when he

is still in school. His teachers tell him that he is wasting his time on his studies and that he should

focus on something more worthwhile. His teacher, Mr. Krempe, tells Victor that “every instant

that [Victor] ha[s] wasted on those books is utterly and entirely lost” that he has “burdened

[Victor’s] memory with exploded systems and useless names” (Shelley 31). Victor had little

support in school and was ridiculed by all of his teachers. It is evident why Frankenstein was so
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adamant about succeeding, as he wanted to prove his teachers wrong. Shelley makes the reader

feel empathetic for Victor, remembering a time in which the reader had little support. When

Victor and the Creature meet for the second time, after the Creature asks for a companion, the

Creature warns Victor that “[the Creature] shall be with him on his wedding night” (Shelley

153). Although Victor misinterprets his threat and believes it is a threat to his life rather than his

wife’s, the threat remains the same. Even though Victor made a mistake in treating the Creature

as less, it does not change the empathy felt for him as losing a loved one or your own life is one

of the worst travesties. When Victor arrives at his unknown location and learns that he is on trial

for the murder of his best friend, Henry Clerval, Victor curses his creation and exclaims “have

[Victor’s] murderous mechinations deprived [Clerval]” of life as well, and proceeds to mourn

“[the] two [th Creature] has already destroyed” (Shelley 160). Not only has the Creature

threatened Victor and Elizabeth, but the Creature has already killed William and his Clerval.

Although Victor has made many mistakes, it is still easy to feel empathy for Victor as he has lost

multiple family and friends at the hands of the Creature.

The final perspective comes from the monster. Throughout the book, Shelley introduces

him as a barbaric creature who only wants to wreak havoc upon Victor and the human race, but

as the novel progresses and eventually turns the page to his perspective, the reader learns about

how he had to teach himself about society and how to behave. The reader feels empathy for his

lack of companionship, abandonment from his creator, and how poorly society treats him. For

example, the first time Shelley shows the Creature interacting with other people, he attempts to

speak to the De Lacey family and is met with harsh words and a beating from Felix. Although

the blind, older De Lacey is touched by his words and says “I am blind and cannot judge your
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countenance, but there is something in your words that persuades me that you are sincere,” when

his younger son Felix and the rest of his family enters the house, Felix “darted forward, and with

supernatural force tore [the Creature] from [Felix’s] father” which after bringing the Creature to

the ground he “str[ikes] [the Creature] violently with a stick” (Shelley 119-120). Although the

Creature can speak like any other human, society’s prejudice to the monster’s features is shown.

Felix and his family don’t take a moment to listen to him and immediately run and attack him.

After meeting Victor for the first time since his creation, the audience learns more about his story

of abandonment, how he was left to face the trials of growth alone without guidance. As he

speaks to Victor, he laments his creator and states, “[Victor] [the Creature’s] creator,” would

rather “tear him to pieces and triumph” then help him grow and learn, and asks him “why [the

Creature] should pity man more than [man] pities [the Creature]” (Shelley 130). This is the first

time the story gets a true insight into what Victor’s abandonment has done to the Creature. The

readers feel empathy when learning that he had to face the trials alone and learn why he feels

such hatred for mankind. He has to go through every day being shunned and ridiculed, it is only

natural that he feels hatred for all who berate him. When talking to Walton at the end of the

novel, the Creature explains that his thoughts were once “filled with the sublime and

transcendent visions of the beauty and the majesty of goodness,” but upon realizing the true

nature of humans, he compares himself to the devil in being “a fallen angel” but still realizes that

“even that the enemy of God and man had friends and associates in [Satan’s] desolation; [the

Creature] is alone” (Shelley 204). Shelley displays how the Creature was once a blissful being

but was turned devilish through the neglect and hatred of society. Shelley uses this dialogue to

build onto the feeling of empathy for the Creature by once again explaining how society affected

the Creature in his development.

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The frame narrative brilliantly underscores the main theme of the novel; empathy.

Shelley provides moments in every character’s story in which it is easy for one to feel empathy.

For example, before explaining the Creature, the readers only had the perspective of Victor who

thought he was the devil and portrayed him as such. However, after reading the Creature’s story,

the audience can empathize with him and put themselves in his situation for the first time in the

novel. If Victor, the De Laceys, and Robert were able to see the Creature's side of the story

before the Creature started enacting revenge, their interactions would have resulted much

differently. It is of utmost importance to society that we take a moment to understand other

people before judging them, and the world would be a better place if we learn and grow from

Shelley’s novel.

Works Cited

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York City, Bantam Books, 1832.

Steinbeck, John. East of Eden. The Viking Press, 1952.