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Frankenstein Good Versus Evil
When reading a novel, it is common to place labels on characters as good or evil to determine the heroes and villains in the novel. In the novel Frankenstein, the author, Shelly, uses a gothic genre through letters and chapters to demonstrate the themes of good and evil. Shelley coins in the idea that both good and evil coexist and are inherent among human beings. The novel Frankenstein is an example of the duality of the human being capable of doing both good and evil.
Victor Frankenstein is an ambitious scientist whose lust for knowledge and power drives him to engage in a scientific experiment with devastating consequences. He creates a creature which causes havoc in the society. Victor states that ‘I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.’ (Shelly 17). The scientist was disgusted by the gruesome appearance of his creation. However, this is an important aspect in the development of the theme. The creature is demonstrated to possess traits which are similar to human nature; benignity and malignance. The author places a commentary on the monster which raises a dominant recognition; if the creature’s evil deeds were resulted by the injustices cast on him, then he may not have been a monster after all.
The creature is presented observing a human family at a distance and admiring their characters. Shelley uses this opportunity to contrast the good nature of human beings and their capacity to do evil. The creature observes the positive side of human when he narrates of ‘two young cottagers who several times, ‘‘. placed food before the old man when they reserved none for themselves’’ (Shelly 114). Their selfless actions demonstrate the human capacity to do good. Further, the creature still, in hiding reflects on these characters and even identifies with this positive side of human stating that, ‘this trait of kindness moved me sensibly,’ (Shelly 114). The creature’s good characteristics are demonstrated by his positive commentary on the cottager’s acts of kindness, which associates him with good characteristics. On top of this, the creature recognizes that the villagers were deserving of good. Realizing that his eating of their food causes them to go hungry, he decides to stop his habits and even take the family’s tools to cut wood for them. In his reflection, the creature states that ‘that it might be in my power to restore happiness to these deserving people’ (Shelly 117). Apart from being deformed, purely evil and bent on destruction, Frankenstein’s creature demonstrates acts of selflessness and care stretching far to restoring happiness to a set of people whom he sees deserves happiness.
Additionally, the positive commentary of the creature on the low-income family is visible in the creature’s reflection. Although held back by his frightening physical appearance, he was determined to reveal himself stating that, ‘when I contemplated the virtues of the cottagers, their amiable and benevolent dispositions, I persuaded myself that, they would compassionate me and look beyond my physical deformity,’ (Shelly 133). In this instance, the creature is commenting on the virtues of the cottagers, which illuminates the positive side of humankind. The creature’s positive reaction to these good values demonstrates that like his creator (a human) he posited positive characters but which were disguised in the physical deformity. He trusts in the good nature of man to look past his physical appearance and accept him. However, the creature also questions the good nature of human evident when he states, ‘is man, indeed at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base?’ (Shelly 114). His reflections confer to the reader that humankind was capable of both good and evil; benignity and malignance. Through thus soliloquy, Shelly coins in the reader the cognition that despite the many good deeds of man, there is an inherent capacity to do evil which was observed by the creature.
However, it turns out that the creature had overestimated humankind’s capacity to do good. He did not think that the family would discriminate a person who only ‘solicited their company and friendship’ (Shelly 133). When he finally reveals himself to the cottagers, they scream at him, attacking and rejecting him despite his good intentions. The creature narrated that ‘a fatal prejudice clouds their eyes’ (Shelly 136) which causes them to mistreat him for his outward appearance. Shelly makes it understood that the only desire the creature had was that of companionship and acceptance. However, the creature narrates bitterly how badly he was rejected, ‘though I love the gentle manners and amiable qualities of the cottagers, I was shut out.’ (Shelly 123). This is the interface between human evil characteristics and the creature. The creature was mistaken in his hope that man would look past his appearances; expectations that the community would accord him goodness. In this plight, Shelly reveals the fallibility of human’s good nature. Man at one instance could be full of virtue and turn to be vicious at the next instance.
The mistreatment that the creature receives from humankind stirs his evil side. He states that ‘was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me, and I should feel the kindness towards my enemies?’ (Shelly 138). As rage build up inside him, he vowed an eternal war against this species which was so much drawn by his deformity that they could not look at his good intentions (Shelly 138). ‘like a human, the creature is presented to have feelings of rage if provoked. He could be good but now that humankind had been so unwelcoming, ‘my daily vows rose for revenge-a deep and deadly revenge, such as would compensate for the outrages and anguish I had endured,’ (Shelly 143). Shelly uses this moment to introduce the shift from being kind to evil by the once compassionate but lonely creature
The primary recipient of the creature’s anger was his creator, Frankenstein. The creature torments him and kills all those that he cared for, which instils in him a quest for revenge to kill his creation. The author demonstrates him as capable of both good and evil, too; with his evil being exacerbated by the creature’s quest for revenge. He states that ‘no creature had been so miserable as I was ‘(Shelly 201). Like the creature, Frankenstein was initially good, but due to injustices committed to them, their negative aspects are manifested in their characters.
In conclusion, Shelly uses the creature’s observation and interactions with humankind to explore the kind nature of human beings. Human beings can do good, acts of kindness and compassion, but at some point, they are capable of being vicious and base. Frankenstein’s character can be explored parallel to his creation. He is initially good, but when his creation damages his life, he sets on a quest for revenge. The creature is demonstrated to posit traits of goodness. He is not purely evil, and he secretly admires the good nature of the cottagers. The admiration he has for the human kindness and the acts of charity he commits for the family is a reflection of his good side. His sense of evil is developed due to the injustices committed on him, which is similar to his creator. This justifies the idea that each one is capable of doing good buy situations may reverse the goodness and provoke the evil side.
Works Cited
Mary, Shelly. “Frankenstein Or the Modern Prometheus the 1818 Text.” (1998).