Do not judge a book by its appearance; a classic American adage claims their looks cannot evaluate their personality. A prominent illustration of this is the monster from Frankenstein. He has a dreadful appearance on the exterior, yet he is a gentle guy only searching for a bit of sympathy. Nevertheless, he is a victim, owing to his horrible looks and is left in unbearable suffering throughout the narrative. The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly highlights the toxic effect of judging on exterior sight.
Shelly describes the creature as “disfigured” (44). Additionally, she notes that the beast’s “yellow skin barely conceals the activity of muscles and arteries underneath” (44). Other accounts, such as these, indicate that the creature does not conform to the standard human physical structure. This prevented the monster from confronting humans since they would reject his repulsive appearance. The monster recalls attempting towards becoming acquaintances with a youngster. He reasoned that since the youngster was young, he would not evaluate the monster based on his aspect, as he should not have formed an aversion to the monster’s presentation. The youngster is eventually revealed to be Victor Frankenstein’s younger sibling, William.
The creature seized William and yelled, “Let me go, beast!” You filthy wretch! You desire to consume me and break me apart. You are a savage monster. Allow me to go, or I will inform my dad” (Shelly, 171). This was very detrimental because it subjected the monster to the same psychological damage as any other person. He was publicly humiliated for his appearance. There will always be social expectations about how a person should seem. If a person falls short of such criteria, they are frequently ridiculed and tormented for the traits that society deems “attractive.” In the case of the monster, his defects are far beyond normal by moral expectations, making contact difficult. In the story, the monster states, “I am malevolent since I am sad.” Is not it true that I am ostracized and despised by all mankind?” He, like everybody else, wants to be liked. The beast was not born wicked; he turned terrible due to mankind’s treatment of him (Shelly 176).
The extra information supplied in the book about the monster’s adventures is the first factor that enables a reader to empathize with the monster more than an audience. When the Frankenstein monster recounts his ordeals, he brings up circumstances not included in the play. One such instance occurs when the monster saves a little girl’s life. Such an effort would be lauded as heroic if performed by a person, but as compensation, he is shot, getting only “the wretched anguish of a broken flesh and bone” (135 Shelley). Additionally, the book recounts the monster’s periods of diligent study of human character and communication to be welcomed entirely when he chooses to announce himself. For about a year, the creature lurked near the hamlet, never departing throughout the day and assisting the scourers at night in addition to learning from them.
Ultimately, both the book and the play show the creature as a victim in a harsh world, but the book eventually does an excellent job of expressing his anguish and eliciting sympathy for him. The creature in the narrative goes into more depth about his suffering, is more articulate and convincing, and has a sadder conclusion, which causes the reader to feel more pity for him than an audience member would feel for the beast in the play.
Works Cited
Mary Shelly, Frankenstein, Third Edition: Edition 3, Broadview Press, New York. (2012)
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