The Sympathetic Monster - 1107 Words

The Sympathetic Monster in â€Å"Frankenstein† After being dared to write the scariest story one could think of, Mary Shelley wrote the beginning of her now famous novel, Frankenstein, at a campfire with friends. Shelley decided to keep writing, and the classic literary work was born. In the story, Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster in his laboratory, and then abandons it. So my question is, who is the real monster in the story? Mary Shelley used irony, symbolism, and allegory in order to characterize the monster as sympathetic. Mary Shelley uses irony to portray the monster as sympathetic. Shelley uses books as key symbols of irony in the sense that they are dark and evil, while the monster is kind. â€Å"I found on the ground a leathern†¦show more content†¦It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs† (Shelley 51). This line shows the monster’s first movement and, as we know it, the â€Å"It’s alive!† moment. This line also shows that the monster doesn’t jump up and try to kill anyone immediately like it does in the movies, but instead jolts to life as electricity is being shot through its body. Mary Shelley uses allegory to characterize the monster as sympathetic. An allegory used to characterize the monster as sympathetic was the Bible. The monster thinks back to his creation in saying, â€Å"’I often referred the several situations, as their similarity struck me, to my own. Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator; he was allowed to converse with and acquire knowledge from beings of a superior nature, but I was wretched, helpless, and alone. Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition,Show MoreRelatedMutability Of Man In Frankenstein Essay760 Words   |  4 Pagesinteresting to see, is that when the inconstancy of the characters is explored in a novel, the perception of the reader is also changed. Victor Frankenstein is happy at the beginning of the novel, but as time goes on, he becomes more and more of a monster himself. In the beginning, he is interested in science, committed to his family and friends and happy with life. His contentment is evident in this quotation from Chapter 2: â€Å"No human being could have passed a happier childhood than I.† But, as VictorsRead MoreThe Role Of Family In Frankenstein719 Words   |  3 Pagesrole of a female is absent from Frankensteins family. As a result, the monster was created because of this absence and because of Victors curiosity in the supernatural world. In spite of the Creature’s monstrous exterior, his desperate need for family and the rejection he faces from society make him a sympathetic character to readers. The Creature’s desire to have a family just like Victor Frankenstein displays him as sympathetic to readers. 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Through the portrayal of her characters, Shelley has created a very effective novel. br brShelley portrays Victor Frankenstein as a person who has become enrapt in the strong scientific movement