Who Is the Real Monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein?

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) wrote the novel, Frankenstein, in her late teens to her early twenties. It was her most famous work and was published in early 1818 it was to become the most famous Gothic Horror story ever written. Shelley lived in a time where the field of science progressed immensely. Science, because of its links to the supernatural, then became part of the emergence of Gothic Horror as a genre. Since then it has been frequently used in Gothic Horror when using the connection to the unexplained and supernatural. In Gothic Horror the unexplained is built in with emotion. The emotion brings a bit of realism to the story; otherwise it would sound to far-fetched. Also the introduction of emotions makes the novel sound more personal.

Moving on to the story I will now start by telling you who Frankenstein is. Frankenstein is not in fact the creation he is the creations creator (note- for this essay I have decided to refer to the monster, as he is referred to in the book, as the creation). This is one of the most common mistakes people, who haven’t read Frankenstein, make. Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who is human, is portrayed as a mad scientist kind of figure. I will now go on to describe the plot.

The story starts by Frankenstein being picked up by a ship, sailed by Walton, near the artic in the North Sea. He tells Walton his story, recalling what he had just experienced. Frankenstein had a happy childhood, with his adoptive sister, Elizabeth. He fell in love with her and one day, they were to get married. Frankenstein then reveals his ambitions and his interest in science. Frankenstein then creates the creation, but runs away from it. The creation, who has been left alone, gets angry and kills Frankenstein’s brother. An innocent woman is executed for the crime, Justine. Frankenstein, who knows that the real killer is his creation, feels really guilty. Frankenstein is then ordered by the creation to create another, female, version of him. Frankenstein begins to do this but then destroys his second creation. The creation then threatens Frankenstein. Frankenstein is then arrested for the death of his best friend but then released. Frankenstein marries Elizabeth. The creation then kills Elizabeth. Frankenstein’s father then also dies. Frankenstein, seeking revenge, chases after the creation. The chase concludes at the North Pole where Frankenstein is consequently found to tell his story.

I think there are litigable reasons why either Frankenstein or his creation can be considered the monster. Firstly the creation can easily considered the monster because of his monstrous looks