This essay examines the role of social rejection and isolation in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, arguing that the Creature's violence stems directly from his exclusion by society and neglect by his creator Victor. Through textual analysis, the paper traces how the Creature's initial desire for human connection transforms into destructive rage when repeatedly rejected based on his physical appearance. The essay also explores how the Creature's actions cause Victor to become obsessive and ultimately lead to Victor's death in the Arctic. The paper concludes that both characters' downfall results from their mutual isolation and inability to form meaningful human relationships.
Negative experiences stemming from neglect and isolation in society can cause profound suffering and despair. Being unable to find human interaction undermines people's emotional well-being and sanity. When individuals are neglected by society and even by loved ones, they change their actions and moral compass. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the isolation of both Victor and the Creature leads to despair and ultimately to their downfall. The Creature's violence stems from his rejection by society and neglect by Victor, while this violence in turn causes sadness and despair for Victor, creating a cycle of destruction that destroys them both.
The Creature experiences constant rejection from society because of his hideous and terrifying appearance. Society rejects him simply because he is different. His physical appearance becomes the main barrier preventing him from building normal relationships in society. People make no attempt to discover his inner world after seeing how he looks. As the Creature himself expresses, "I shall feel the affections of a sensitive being, and become linked to the chain of existence and events, from which I am now excluded." (Shelley 137) He desperately wants to feel human affection but is excluded from all human interaction.
Society treats the Creature with cruelty and ruthlessness, which brings out his destructive nature. In a moment of profound despair, he declares: "There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? No; from that moment I declared everlasting war against the species, and more than all, against him who had formed me and sent me forth to this insupportable misery." (Shelley 125-126) The Creature engages in a constant search for a companion but never succeeds. His ugly physical appearance causes him to be rejected and neglected by society. His deep desire for companionship and relationships with other people goes unfulfilled. This rejection ultimately leads to his violent nature and destruction of his creator Victor. (Bond 21) His unsuccessful search for connection directly fuels the Creature's violent nature, especially toward those who have rejected him.
The Creature's loneliness in society is the root cause of his violence. He searches for a companion throughout his life but never finds one. The Creature strives to join society and makes great effort to learn how to do so. Rather than accepting life as a monster, in the beginning of his existence the Creature has goals of attaining a friend and attempts to educate himself. Although the Creature means well, he is perceived as a menace to society and is constantly rejected. When he realizes the constant rejection he receives from both his creator and society, the Creature begins his transformation for the worse.
The Creature becomes devastated at the thought that he will never be accepted. In desperation, he cries out: "These bleak skies, I hail for they are kinder to me than your fellow beings. If the multitude of mankind knew of my existence, they would do as you do, and arm themselves for my destruction" (Shelley 96). His constant rejection makes him seek revenge, especially toward Victor, the man who created him in this form. Rather than responding with forgiveness, the Creature responds in the same way humans have treated him—with violence. These devastating experiences ultimately transform him into a murderer.
When Victor refuses the Creature's request to create another creature, the Creature becomes spiteful and kills Victor's friend Henry Clerval. Victor's anguished response captures the horror: "When I saw the lifeless form of Henry Clerval stretched before me. I gasped for breath; and, throwing myself on the body, I exclaimed, 'Have my murderous machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry, of life? Two I have already destroyed; other victims await their destiny: but you, Clerval, my friend, my benefactor----'" (Shelley 167) The Creature kills Victor's companions because he cannot have any of his own. He spends his life making Victor suffer as he suffers. The Creature kills Victor's brother, his maid, his best friend, and eventually his bride—all because he has no place in society and wants Victor to experience the same pain. As one scholar notes, "Thus, having sought to eliminate the need for anyone else in creation, his achievement is to eliminate his loved ones literally, with his creation killing his family and his bride." (Bond 13) The Creature has caused Victor pain since the day he was brought into the world.
The Creature causes despair and sadness for Victor from the moment of his creation. Even before committing his worst acts, the Creature's mere existence sickens Victor: "But I was in reality very ill; and surely nothing but the unbounded and unremitting attentions of my friend could have restored me to life." (Shelley 48) The first traumatic experience occurs when the Creature opens its eyes and sees Victor's look of horror and rejection. Soon after the Creature enters the world, he experiences rejection, and his violence begins.
Early in his existence, the Creature encounters a young child and, when thwarted in his desire for family, claims his first human victim. As a scholar observes, "Searching for his only legitimate parent, the creature encounters outside Geneva the five year old William Frankenstein. Once more thwarted in his desire for a family when the child refuses to accompany him, his anger claims perhaps unintentionally—its first human sacrifice." (Mellor 73) The constant violence from the Creature makes Victor obsessive in his desire to find and stop him from further destruction. Victor admits: "That cannot be; but all that I can say will be of little avail. My revenge is of no moment to you; yet, while I allow it to be a vice, I confess that it is the devouring and only passion of my soul. My rage is unspeakable when I reflect that the murderer, whom I have turned loose upon society, still exists. You refuse my just demand: I have but one resource; and I devote myself, either in my life or death, to his destruction." (Shelley 191) Victor devotes his life to finding and stopping the Creature, but this obsession ultimately leads to his downfall.
Victor's desperate search to find the Creature ultimately causes his death. He follows the Creature's trail across the Arctic Ocean until his dogs die one by one. As one account describes, "Victor follows the trail across the Arctic ocean until his dogs die one by one and, as we have seen, he is rescued [by Captain Walton] half dead to tell his story. The monster eludes him still." (Halliwell 32) Victor searches the entire world and ends up dying on a boat in the Arctic, still pursuing the Creature. In his final moments, the Creature comes to Victor's deathbed to witness his deceased creator. The Creature cries out: "That is also my victim! In his murder my crimes are consummated; the miserable series of my being is wound to its close! Oh, Frankenstein! Generous and self-devoted being! What does it avail that I now ask thee to pardon me? I, who irretrievably destroyed thee by destroying all thou lovedst." (Shelley 209) At last, the Creature begins to realize his wrongdoings, including his indirect killing of his creator.
The root cause of the Creature's destructive behavior was lack of proper guidance and nurture. As one scholar argues, "What the creature does know is that a child deprived of a loving family becomes a monster. Again and again he insists that he was born good but compelled by others into evil." (Mellor 69) The Creature never had a family or anyone to show him the way. People constantly rejected him, and the hatred he experienced molded his actions. This cycle of rejection, violence, and obsession leads to the death of both Victor and the Creature.
The Creature experiences constant rejection and neglect, which directly leads to his violent nature. The neglect from Victor causes the Creature to act destructively toward him. The Creature kills many of Victor's loved ones and people he cared about. Victor eventually cannot handle the misery and devotes his life to finding and stopping the Creature. A life of isolation can cause despair and change how one views the world. Not having meaningful interactions with others and lacking acceptance from society can lead to profound negative experiences and destructive behavior.
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