ns and the ideas he develops are principally derived from literature; specifically Paradise Lost, Sorrows of Werter and Plutarch’s Lives. He tries to be ‘good’, mimicking the behaviour of the De Lacey family and attempting to alleviate their hardship by chopping wood and leaving it for them. He learns about the cruelty of mankind, and when he is rejected by the De Lacey family which he yearns to be a part of, the switch in his brain flips. Instead of being a tender, compassionate individual, the Creature transforms into a brute; using his superhuman strength and cunning to murder William and frame Justine for his deeds.
The framed narrative used by Shelley ensures that the reader – much like Frankenstein himself – is prejudiced towards the Creature. We believe that he is a monster, until it comes to hearing his tale and we realise that Frankenstein’s rejection of his creation has made the Creature behave the way he does. This is epitomised by Frankenstein’s line “I, not in deed, but in effect was the true murderer”. He recognises, albeit too late to save William or Justine, that his actions have had repercussions for his family.
The monster is not ‘good’ because he is denied the opportunity to be thus, by both his creator and the De Lacey family who reject him because of their “fatal prejudice”. The monster in Frankenstein is therefore ‘evil’ because he feels alone and resentful towards humanity who love and cherish one another. Yet the ‘evil’ nature of the Creature is not intrinsic, it is instilled in him by his experiences and subsequently the character of Victor Frankenstein is accountable for the Creature’s ‘evil’ deeds. When Victor Frankenstein “did not dare return to the apartment which I inhabited” for fear of his creation contained within, he ensured that his scientific accomplishment would haunt him and the Frankenstein family for the rest of his life.
I do not believe that the monster was born evil. I believe the monster was forced to mold into the strict rules of society and conform into the inner monster role he fulfilled. In the beginning the monster tries to read and become knowledgeable in order to communicate with other humans despite his appearance, yet he is spurned because of his face and not from his deeds. Despite becoming fluent, the deeds he commits are only against human kind, and while the monster did not have to turn this way and fulfill the mold of the monster, this is still partially the effect of the monster and society that turned him into becoming in such a manner.
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