Francisco J Vega Vega

Pid: A09651278
The Sorrows of Young Frankenstein
In the sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe and Mary Shellys
Frankenstein two of the primary protagonists, Werther and the creature,
suffer great pains that define who they are in their respective stories,
and development. The resulting troubles can for the two characters be
categorized as being emotional in nature, and leading to existential
conundrums. However the integral difference between the two is that
Werthers emotional turmoil was brought upon by himself and from
internal causes. As for the creature, his internal unrest was brought upon
by external means. However both are related in that the ultimate cause
for both is the inability to receive love. For Werther what he considered
love was the unrestrained and undivided attention from charlotte. And
for the creature love was just general acceptance. Thus the problems for
these two figures are the same in that they stem from love, and its
unavailability, however they differ in that for one of the characters the
problems are more internal and are not concretely founded, namely
Werther. The creatures suffering is due to actual unacceptance from
those around him, and as such are more concretely founded. Or to say it
more succinctly; Werthers internal struggles are his own fault since they
are more of a psychological framing effect, while the creatures are

legitimate since the cause of him not receiving love is his external
appearance nothing he can do about by himself to remedy. Digressing,
one other commonality they have is that their suffering is brought upon
from them being overly sensitive and intuitive souls. Which lead them to
have problems with recognizing themselves as individuals since they
both cant seem to see who they are without reflecting themselves in
others. Werther needs to have charlotte all to himself, whom without he
doesnt see himself as existing, and as for the monster without the
acceptance of others he doesnt recognize who he is, he cant recognize
himself as being a unique individual. To the point that his tail comes to
what can be described as a Werther like end once the object of his
fixation, Victor Frankenstein dies.
Wilhelm in all honesty I must tell you I swore that, cost what it
might, no girl I loved and had any claim on should ever waltz with
anyone but me. You understand me, Im sure (pg. 21)
In this passage from Werther in is plainly seen how possessive
Werther is of the women whom are the targets of his infatuation. This
being the root cause of his problem. This can be seen as a form of
narcissism since he doesnt allow for the women of his focus to behave
in autonomy. He sees them as only existing for him, and as a result when
they can no longer be with him for whatever reason he can also not see
himself existing. This is the root cause of his emotional distress. The
most obvious reason is that charlotte was from the beginning

unavailable, so it wasnt appropriate for him to attach so much

significance to the relationship he held with her.
Albert is an excellent man to whom I am as good as engaged now
this was nothing new to me ( the girls had told me on the way) and yet it
was wholly new since I had not yet considered it in relation to her who in
so short time had grown so important to me. In brief I became confused,
forgot what I was doing pg (21)
Rationally he should have remembered from the very beginning that
she was taken and this should have kept him at an emotional distance.
Yet he even admits to have already known this, but not until having
already built a mental attachment, one that Lotte did not share at the
time, that this news strikes to have some significance to him. Thus it can
be seen that the source of his troubles are solely within himself. He too
easily formed a mental relationship to a woman that he had already
known was unavailable, and then refuses to recognize this. And when he
does he is sent into disarray. Something which through logic should not
have happened.

Oh, No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A

mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that
wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then; but when
those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a
thing such as even Dante could not have conceived. (pg 59)
In this passage it is first described the complexion of the monster,
his creator could not stand the sight of him. For Dante to not have been
able to conceive his image, it is saying that it is something beyond
hellish looking. Something that could drive a person to insanity by the

mere glimpse of the creature. This is the source of the monsters internal
problems and sorrows, his external physical appearance. Unlike Werther,
whose troubles stem from himself, and is fully to blame and held
responsible for his own misery, the creatures problems arise from
something beyond himself, the reaction of others to his presence. The
torment that arises on both is of an emotional nature, in that it is the
utter solitude the creature faces that puts him in a melancholy state,
while to Werther it is the complete relinquishing of one love for another
to him, from a single person. A love that if it was unrequited would be
understandable to be upset about. But what turns out to be mutual
affection is something to be happy about, even if it is limited. Werther,
could have avoided it by a change of mindset or through other means,
not including suicide. The monster had no other choice but to endure.
Endure exile and to be ostracized to which he has no possible solution
for. His only choices are either complete solitude, or violent
repercussions when interaction is made, retaliations that are not
instigated by the monster but by the humans around him, that are
brought upon by nothing but by the visual contact of the monster,
notwithstanding if he had just done a good deed.
I had admired the perfect forms of my cottagers- their grace,
beauty, and delicate complexions: but how was I terrified, when I viewed
myself in a transparent pool! At first I started back unable to believe
that it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror; and when I became
fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was filled
with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification. Alas! I

did not yet entirely know the fatal effects of this miserable deformity.
(pg 117)
To the monster his countenance and physical appearance mean little.
And to those that say that it is the monsters fault for being evil, and that
he was in fact never good. Holding a position along the lines of Victor
Frankenstein himself Or that it was because he knew that he would
never fit in and that he was different that is the reason for him doing
such dastardly deeds such as committing multiple murders and the
framing of innocent people. And in turn putting the blame of his suffering
on his shoulders equivalent to Werther .This is a passage that states
otherwise. Having seen how he looks for the first time he realizes that he
is truly a monstrous sight to behold. But instead of feeling anger and
getting the urge for malice, he instead feels shame and sadness. Instead
of wanting to get revenge on innocent bystanders it could be said that
he takes responsibility for scaring people away. He accepts how he looks.
And goes beyond it. He does not dwell on the fact that he is hideous to
look at. He still keeps hope that though the humanness of his emotions
and uprightness of his character he can achieve the companionship he
yearns for. I asked, it is true, for greater treasures than a little food or
rest: I required kindness and sympathy; but I did not believe myself
unworthy of it. Support for the theory that the creature s in reality truly
evil is the following passage:
Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant did I
not extinguish the spark of existence which you had wantonly
bestowed? I knew not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my

feelings were those of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have
destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants, and have glutted myself with
their shrieks and misery All, save I, were at rest or in enjoyment: I like
the archfiend, bore a hell within me, and finding myself unsympathised
with, wished to tear up the trees and spread havoc and destruction
around me, and then to have sat down and enjoyed the ruin. (Pg. 138)
This clearly points to the creature having an evil rotten core. He even
likens himself to an archfiend. This is after being shooed out by Felix de
Lacy after presenting himself to the father. As a human with over
developed emotions after a heated event he feels like the only choice of
recourse for him to take is vengeance and destruction on all humans,
since he now knows for a fact that he will never be accepted by anyone
who looks upon him due to the unfair prejudice in regards to the way he
looks. And this would point to him as being evil, even though this wasnt
the first time that he was subject to harsh treatment by humans even
though his actions were with the best of intention, something that if a
normal person would be subjected to, would turn them into some sort of
archfiend outright. But after a nights rest the creature resolves that
{he} had been too hasty in {his} conclusions.(pg. 139) this shows
that even after what had transpired he still held hope for the much
sought after companionship he needed. He actually blamed himself for
the way things turned out with the De Laceys. This goes to show how
patient he is and how much integrity there is in his internal constitution.
But he does later on go on to commit several atrocities. This however
can be explained by the fact that a person can only take so much. If
anything this goes to show just how human the creature really is. But

whether he is to be held responsible for his actions it is clear that he

should not. It is thought the fault of those around him that forces him to
take such drastic measures to feel as one with himself. He has no choice
but to associate himself with evil since that is how all others saw him,
and treated him as such. He had no choice but to act in accordance to
what his environment proclaimed. Unlike Werthers situation where it
was all on him. He even achieved the love of another woman while away
from Lotte. But due to his own mental stubbornness he was unable to
see what he had and move on. Contrasting with the creature who in
reality had nothing.
That is what the sorrows of both Werther and the creature have in
common. Both are sourced by emotional distresses and needs. However
of the two of them only Werther can be held responsible. As his problems
reside and stem from himself, as for the creature, they are the result of
external denial, and external factors. Occurrences beyond himself, things
that he has no control over are the cause of his emotional journey, his
physical deformity and the prejudice accompanying it.