The Role Of The Creature In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Words: 439
Pages: 2

The creature is thrown into a world without properly being introduced. He awakes to learn that his creator does not want him. Not understanding language, words, or even communication he has no way to express himself to his creator. There is no way for him to ask any questions or demand an explanation for his existence. All the creature has are feelings that he cannot explain. He picks up on things, sees how people act and respond to different situations, and examines love and care in humans, along with seeing vindictiveness and unkindness. He notices how people truly are and yet does not understand how to apply these actions and feelings. He acknowledges them and sees them happening but does not truly know their meaning. The creature takes what little concepts he grasps and forms them into his own understanding of them. …show more content…
As the story of the creature’s nurturing progresses, he describes the moment when he becomes known to his first human family, those living in the cottage. Some of the family fled, some fainted, and the male family member “struck [the creature] violently with a stick” (110). Shelley’s diction during this brutal scene portrays the intense cruelty and abuse the creature receives from other human beings. Shelley deliberately chooses the word fled, making sure that the reader gets the full sense of how terrified these humans were of the creature. Additionally, the statement that some fainted, simply by looking at him, allows the reader to understand how fearful this family truly is. This devastating situation reinforces the creature’s awareness of his lack of nurturing