In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Monster Is the True Victim of the Book.
Imagine skipping that awkward childhood stage of life and going straight to being an adult; never having to worry about parent’s rules or curfews. But if all of a sudden, one was forced into the world of adults with the mindset of a newborn child, one would not know the difference between right and wrong and possibly even become a victim. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the monster is the true victim of the book. He is abused in multiple ways, he does nothing to warrant the unjust treatment he receives and he is forced into solitude. The monster can be seen as the true victim because he is abused both verbally and physically. Firstly, when he tries to enter the De Lacey cottage to talk to the blind man and try to get him to hear his story without being judgmental, Felix comes home early and upon seeing him, he beats him to the ground with a stick. The monster tells us that, “… in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick.” Pg 136. The Monster gets beaten by Felix until he cannot take the pain anymore and leaves the cottage. He is being physically abused here and that makes him a victim. Moreover, when the monster wanders into a village, he is overwhelmed by how nice it looks and all the food that is around all the little huts. He is merely curious and he starts to look around when the villagers notice him and brutally chase him away from the village. He just barely steps one foot in the door of one of the most alluring huts when the children scream and a woman faints. The whole village is roused and the monster states, “… some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised my stoned and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country and fearfully took refuge in a low hovel…” Pg 103. The monster is beaten by a whole village of people because he is hideous and decides to just curiously look around. He is made into the victim here because he is being physically abused. Finally, shortly
Cited: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. United States of America: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC. 1988