Corruption In Frankenstein

People are by default good and only the outside corrupting influence of society can make them otherwise. As a whole, people by default have a desire to help others and not just themselves. The Creature once again is a prime example when he explains that he “often...brought firing,” (Shelley 99) to the De Laceys who otherwise need to have Felix struggle to routinely supply firewood. Not only does the Creature provide the De Laceys with firewood, he provides enough that is “sufficient for the consumption of several days,” (Shelley 99). The Creature shows an innate goodness by going out of his way to repay the De Laceys for the food he has taken from them and even goes so far as to give them extra wood in a true example of charity. People also …show more content…
Despite the oppression people receive from others, they still seek companionship with those others. The Creature demonstrates this quality when he states his desire to “educate,” William as his “companion and friend,” (Shelley 130). Not only does the Creature want a companion through which he could end his isolation, he also wishes to improve another person’s life for the better. This behaviour shows an instinctive desire to improve not only an individual but perhaps society as a whole. Anne McWhir puts it correctly when she explains in her critical article Teaching the Monster to Read: Mary Shelley, Education and Frankenstein that despite being “denied social identity by the very society he longs to join,” (McWhir 76-77) the Creature is “convinced that happiness is possible only in society,” (McWhir 78). However, the Creature’s ideas of entering society are squandered after his direct encounter with the De Laceys so he decides he instead wishes to create a miniscule society of his own with an equally disfigured …show more content…
Anne Mellor eloquently paraphrases Locke in describing a person as a “blank slate upon which sensations write impressions that then become ideas or conscious experience,” (Mellor 48). This blank slate can either be made good or bad depending on its experiences. Strong negative sensations can cause people who are otherwise morally good to succumb to bad influences. Soyka aptly describes “Victor’s personality,” as being “imparted,” to the Creature (Soyka 168). This is demonstrated when, despite initially being a rather benevolent being, Victor’s treatment of the Creature causes him to become as much of a moral monster as Victor himself going so far as to possessively declare himself Victor’s “master,” (Shelley 155) much like how Victor much more subtly believes Elizabeth to be his possession. The Creature’s switch of temperament demonstrates how thin the line can become between good and evil. Similarly, the line between seeming cruelty and assistance is often also blurry. For example, the Creature “left marks...that guided [Victor],” (Shelley 192) towards his location in a tormenting game of reverse cat and mouse. Though the Creature’s actions seem cruel as they “instigated [Victor’s] fury,” (Shelley 192), they may in fact be the Creature’s way of giving Victor a goal through which to pull him out of his depression. Should this be true, it would demonstrate the

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