Who is the Real Monster in Frankenstein?

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein discusses the dangerous outcomes of unethical scientific discoveries. While Victor’s creation is deemed to be monstrous on the surface, Victor is the real monster of the story. His selfishness and disregard for nature lead him to create the living creature, which ultimately results in the deaths of his friends, family, and himself.

Victor Frankenstein’s character can be interpreted as the typical mad scientist who is indifferent to all boundaries. Even though Frankenstein constructed this creature from dismembered parts of other beings, he quickly concluded that the creature was too horrible to love, resulting in the creature’s abandonment by his own creator.

The creature may embody everything that we imagine a monster to look like, but one cannot deny that the true evil is his creator. Unlike actual monsters, Victor’s creation displays emotions and compassion. He demonstrates incredible benevolence and sensitivity. But society, especially Victor, cannot overlook his grotesque appearance. 

They judge him purely on his physicality. Victor’s hatred towards his creation causes the creature to become a monster. For instance, when he extends a helping hand to a group of poor peasants and saves a girl from drowning, he is unfortunately rewarded with beatings and scorn because of his outward appearance. 

While the creature is humane and is driven by knowledge, his desire for social approval is met with perpetual rejection. This rejection instills resentment in the creature for his irresponsible creator, Victor Frankenstein. Consequently, Victor suffers more misfortunes as a result of the creature’s rage. 

The worst tragedy in Frankentien’s story is the murder of innocent people, including Victor’s own family. The creature would not have committed the horrific murders if Victor had not abandoned him. Only if Victor had taught him that murder was not an ethical and immoral response, the ending would have been much different. 

The creature was brought to life artificially. His understanding of the world was limited. He needed nourishment and love, then maybe he would have had the emotional capacity to differentiate between right and wrong.

Throughout the journey, it’s seen that Frankenstein’s creation is torn between vengefulness and compassion. He is remorseful, tormented, and lonesome till the end. Even the death of his creator provides only bittersweet relief. Victor’s death delights him because Victor has caused him so much pain. At the same time, he is consumed with guilt and sadness because Victor is the only person with whom he has ever had any kind of relationship.

Despite everything that the creature does, the actual blame falls on Victor. The creature’s actions are the result of Victor’s neglect. When Victor exposes his genuine motives for creating life, these objectives can be interpreted as someone putting himself above God. His fixation with becoming like God may be evident in his motivations behind creating the monster. 

In the novel, he states, “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; countless joyful and great natures would owe their origin to me.” Victor’s use of the term “bless,” which is a religious connotation. Therefore, it gives the impression that Victor has a God complex. As a result of his God complex, Victor Frankenstein believes he is above all moral laws, including digging up previously buried bodies.

Victor dehumanizes the creature the moment it comes to life. He designates his creation as “a demoniacal corpse,” as if it was born inherently evil. But it was his treatment and that of the society at large which converts the sentient being to become a murderer. 

The protagonist Victor Frankenstein is both the victim and the perpetrator in this story. He suffers devastating losses and slowly becomes disillusioned. However, his terrible rejection of the creature ignites the start of a journey that will ultimately lead to his death. Victor discounted his creation’s life for selfish gain, which inevitably resulted in his own and those close to him’s immense personal misery.