Frankenstein
By Mary Shelley
, “Felix darted forward, and with supernatural
force tore me from his father.”
The creature - victim
,Shelley portrays the creature as mistreated and a victim of prejudice. This can be seen when
the creature says “Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force tore me from his father.”
This conveys the unjust cruelty the creature receives because of his appearance. The use of
the violent verbs “darted” and “tore” suggests that Felix acted violent and quickly as he
portrayed the creature to be a threat because he looked “hideous”. The use of the adverb
“supernatural” is a liminal as the readers expect the creature’s force to be described as
“supernatural.” Therefore, Shelley blurs between what is a man and what is a monster.
Furthermore, the use of the adverb “supernatural” also has connotations of evil. This is ironic
as the humans think that the creature is malicious but in reality the creature is a victim of evil
and prejudices in society. Through this Shelley is successful in drawing pathos from the
readers as the creature is presented as a victim of injustices which makes the readers feel
sympathetic for him. This also links to when the creature was mercilessly attacked because of
his appearance “The whole village roused; some fled, some attacked me.” It is ironic as the
humans are acting like monsters by harming the creature without considering its actions or
feelings. On the other hand, the creature acts more humane as he does not respond back to
Felix’s cruelty “I could have tore him limb from limb.” This implies that the creature does not
act like a monster as he is forgiving which shows that he is full of love.
, Roseau believed that people were born good but were corrupted by society. This
links to the creature as he was naive and kind at first as he collects wood for the
De Lacey family, however he was a victim of prejudice which caused him to turn
into a monster. Shelley does this because the society she was living in was
prejudice and treated people unequally. Therefore, she uses the creature as a
mouthpiece to criticise society.
By Mary Shelley
, “Felix darted forward, and with supernatural
force tore me from his father.”
The creature - victim
,Shelley portrays the creature as mistreated and a victim of prejudice. This can be seen when
the creature says “Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force tore me from his father.”
This conveys the unjust cruelty the creature receives because of his appearance. The use of
the violent verbs “darted” and “tore” suggests that Felix acted violent and quickly as he
portrayed the creature to be a threat because he looked “hideous”. The use of the adverb
“supernatural” is a liminal as the readers expect the creature’s force to be described as
“supernatural.” Therefore, Shelley blurs between what is a man and what is a monster.
Furthermore, the use of the adverb “supernatural” also has connotations of evil. This is ironic
as the humans think that the creature is malicious but in reality the creature is a victim of evil
and prejudices in society. Through this Shelley is successful in drawing pathos from the
readers as the creature is presented as a victim of injustices which makes the readers feel
sympathetic for him. This also links to when the creature was mercilessly attacked because of
his appearance “The whole village roused; some fled, some attacked me.” It is ironic as the
humans are acting like monsters by harming the creature without considering its actions or
feelings. On the other hand, the creature acts more humane as he does not respond back to
Felix’s cruelty “I could have tore him limb from limb.” This implies that the creature does not
act like a monster as he is forgiving which shows that he is full of love.
, Roseau believed that people were born good but were corrupted by society. This
links to the creature as he was naive and kind at first as he collects wood for the
De Lacey family, however he was a victim of prejudice which caused him to turn
into a monster. Shelley does this because the society she was living in was
prejudice and treated people unequally. Therefore, she uses the creature as a
mouthpiece to criticise society.
