The Creature of Frankenstein: Friend or Murderer

The Creature of Frankenstein: Friend or Murderer

By: Nikki L.

In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, Shelley illustrates the story of Victor Frankenstein being fascinated with the creation of life and decides to create life in a non-living subject. On a cold and rainy November night, Frankenstein gives life to lifeless being that he had created from stolen body parts from dissecting rooms and slaughter houses. Thinking the creature would be beautiful, Frankenstein gave the creature life. After seeing how hideous the creature was, its yellow skin not covering its muscular system and its blood vessels, along with it being about eight feet tall, Frankenstein abandoned the creature hoping that he could live a normal life forgetting he had created a hideous creature.

Years passed by before Frankenstein gets word of the misfortunes back at home. Upon arriving back home, he sees the creature where his late baby brother has been found and comes to the conclusion that the creature had murdered his brother. However, Frankenstein does not tell anyone of this experiment and lets Justine take the guilt for killing his brother. Frankenstein kept quiet about the creature due to the fear of having no one believe him.

Frankenstein decides to ponder his thoughts in the mountains. He travels to the top of the mountain where he dwells for days about the past events, waiting for the creature to appear and show himself to him. The creature shows himself to Frankenstein and Frankenstein immediately attacks the creature accusing it of murdering his brother. The creature asks Frankenstein to listen and hear his side of the story before Frankenstein leaves and condemns the creature to solitude for the remainder of his existence. Frankenstein agrees to hear the creature’s story before judging him.

But will the creature’s story console Frankenstein to the point where he will love the creature for who he is and what is looks like, or will Frankenstein shun the creature away and take his revenge against the creature by killing it because he killed his brother and led to the death of Justine? Can the creature of Frankenstein be trusted as a kind-hearted friend or a murderer who has sought revenge against his creator for abandoning him? I believe that the creature will compromise with Frankenstein, who then begins to create the creature’s demand but before finishing the project, Frankenstein decides that for the world and the community, he will dispose of the project because he does not trust the creature will keep his promise once the creature gets his female companion and that if the creature does have a female companion, will the world be terrorized for centuries to come because the creature and his companion have created young monsters that will terrorize villages for generations.

Victor Frankenstein’s creation will not only cost him his life and sanity, but the lives of the ones he loves the most, including his dear father, baby brother, and wife Elizabeth whom he has known since he was a young boy.

But the most controversy question in the novel is whether the creature of Frankenstein is a friend that can be loved and trusted by others, or is a murderer who has a hideous face and is taking revenge of the town’s people for isolating him from the world and taking revenge on his creator for abandonment.