Frankenstein
Prompt #29 · Frankenstein
Prompt Type: Relationship/Contrast
Analyze the contrast between Victor's relationship with his creation and the De Lacey family's potential relationship with the Creature. How does Shelley use these contrasting responses to the Creature to explore the themes of responsibility, acceptance, and the social construction of monstrosity? Explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Quote 1
“'Hateful day when I received life!' I exclaimed in agony. 'Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?'”
Chapter 15
Argument
This quote represents the Creature's perspective on Victor's relationship with him, directly accusing his creator of abandonment based on appearance alone. The hyperbolic language ('Hateful day,' 'Accursed creator') emphasizes Victor's failure of responsibility and acceptance, contrasting sharply with the potential compassion the De Laceys might have offered.
Quote 2
“Unfeeling, heartless creator! You had endowed me with perceptions and passions and then cast me abroad an object for the scorn and horror of mankind.”
Chapter 16
Argument
This quote represents the Creature's condemnation of Victor's relationship with him, highlighting how Victor gave him consciousness ('perceptions and passions') but immediately rejected him, making him 'an object for the scorn and horror of mankind.' This directly contrasts with the De Lacey family's potential to accept the Creature based on his inner qualities rather than appearance, demonstrating how Victor's abandonment socially constructed the Creature's monstrosity.
Quote 3
Chapter 10
Argument
This quote represents the Creature's self-awareness about how relationships shape identity, arguing that he 'was benevolent and good' until 'misery made me a fiend.' The juxtaposition between his original benevolence and acquired malice demonstrates that monstrosity is socially constructed through rejection (Victor's response) rather than inherent, implying that acceptance (the De Laceys' potential response) could have preserved his virtue.
Quote 4
“Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.”
Chapter 10
Argument
This quote represents the Creature's view of Victor's relationship with him, using the biblical allusion to contrast what Victor's responsibility should have been ('thy Adam') versus the reality of rejection ('fallen angel'). The reference to being driven 'from joy for no misdeed' emphasizes that the Creature's monstrosity was constructed through Victor's abandonment rather than any inherent evil, directly contrasting with the De Laceys' potential to accept him based on character rather than appearance.
Quote 5
“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 represents the Creature's experience with the De Lacey family side of the contrast, showing how he initially 'admired the perfect forms of my cottagers' before recognizing himself as 'the monster that I am' through visual comparison. The juxtaposition between the cottagers' 'grace, beauty, and delicate complexions' and his own reflection demonstrates how social standards of appearance construct monstrosity, yet his ability to appreciate the De Laceys' inner qualities suggests the family could have reciprocated that acceptance had they looked beyond his exterior.