Frankenstein
Prompt #12 · Frankenstein
Prompt Type: Character Arc
Trace the Creature's development from innocent being to educated outcast to vengeful murderer. Analyze how Shelley uses the Creature's arc to explore whether monstrosity is inherent or created by society's rejection and cruelty. Explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Quote 1
“I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept.”
Chapter 11
Argument
This quote captures the Creature's earliest baseline state immediately after animation—a helpless, innocent being experiencing raw sensation without malice or understanding. The imagery of weeping establishes his initial capacity for vulnerability and emotion, demonstrating that monstrosity is not inherent to his nature.
Quote 2
“I had admired the perfect forms of my cottagers—their grace, beauty, and delicate complexions; but how was I terrified when I viewed myself in a transparent pool! At first I started back, unable to believe that it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror; and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification.”
Chapter 12
Argument
This quote marks a crucial turning point in the Creature's arc when education and self-awareness collide with society's rejection—he recognizes himself as 'the monster that I am' only after seeing his reflection and comparing himself to the beautiful cottagers. The juxtaposition between his admiration of human beauty and his own 'despondence and mortification' shows how external judgment begins transforming innocence into alienation.
Quote 3
“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.”
Chapter 16
Argument
This quote represents the Creature's final transformation into a vengeful murderer, declaring 'everlasting war against the species' after exhausting all hope of human connection. The hyperbolic language and explicit rejection of kindness demonstrate the complete reversal from his innocent origins, proving that his monstrosity was created by society's cruelty rather than inherent in his being.
Quote 4
Chapter 17
Argument
This quote captures the pivotal middle stage of the Creature's transformation, where he explicitly connects his malicious behavior to his misery caused by society's rejection. The rhetorical question 'Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind?' demonstrates his growing awareness that his monstrosity is a response to cruelty rather than an inherent trait, marking the transition from educated outcast to vengeful being.
Quote 5
“I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph; clapping my hands, I exclaimed, "I too can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him."”
Chapter 16
Argument
This quote represents the Creature's final state as an actual murderer, showing him exulting over William's corpse with 'hellish triumph' and consciously choosing to 'create desolation' in revenge. The hyperbolic language and deliberate cruelty demonstrate the complete transformation from innocent being to vengeful killer, proving that his monstrosity was manufactured through society's rejection rather than present at creation.