Reyes 1

Raynan Reyes

Ms. Acosta

English 12

March 16, 2022

Is the Monster a Human or a Monster?

Getting put into this world to be hated by everyone is something that is morally wrong,

being born to be disgusted by others is something that can be a battle mentally and physically.

Although in my opinion, a person is made from their personality rather than their looks, if a

person is respectful, kind, and humble, then what part of that doesn’t make them a human? Their

faces? Frankenstein's monster is a perfect example of this, of course he is a human, he was

brought into the world and left to rot, what is there to expect from him. Frankenstein’s monster

could’ve seen the world so much more differently if Victor actually went and stayed with his

number one priority in his life. Although some people think that he is still a monster,

Frankenstein’s monster is most definitely a human, he has had genuine emotions, he has no

knowledge on things he still ties things together by what is going on around him, and just the

lack of a father figure, are all reasons for why he is a perfectly fine human being.

Animals, monsters, or things with hearts all have emotions, but humans have a different

way of expressing them. An animal won’t have ambition to kill like Frankenstein’s monster did,

an animal wouldn’t seek revenge the way that Frankenstein’s monster did. If Frankenstein’s

monster wasn’t a human he wouldn’t give the most tingling threat in the whole book which was

“I will be there on your wedding night” (Shelley, Page 156). Which just shows how deep his

emotions were when Frankenstein killed his mate. All of this wouldn’t come from something

that wasn’t a human, these feelings were real, and he was put into the world to be hated, so this
 Reyes 2

was his way of retaliation. Frankenstein's monster also has empathy for people, in chapter 12

Frankenstein’s monster states, “This trait of kindness moved me sensibly. I had been accustomed,

during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own consumption; but when I found that in

doing this I inflicted pain on the cottagers.” (Shelley, Page 99). This quote shows how he even

cares for people, if you were a human your automatic instinct is to help them out, and that is

exactly what the monster did. True monsters express hatred for no absolute reason, but

Frankenstein’s monster was different, he had all the reason to seek revenge and he was just trying

to live in the modern days.

Being able to problem solve as a human is a blessing, we are the only living creatures that

can do it to such a vast amount. Communicating as a human and seeing how things unravel are in

so many ways different from any animal out there. When it comes to solving his one problem, it

needed Victor, and for him to live he wanted Victor to make a creation for him as well, to have a

mate, it wasn’t just a thing that was bugging him out it was a problem. Animals have no

correlation to problem solving like we do, animals can sense problems, but some of them can’t

execute them like we do, for example, Victor’s monster, was giving threats to Victor because he

wasn’t solving his “problem”. In the book the monster states, “I look around, and I have no

relation or friend upon earth. These amiable people to whom I go have never seen me, and know

little of me. I am full of fears; for if I fail there, I am an outcast in the world forever.” (Shelley,

Page 121). This just shows how the monster has already been through it all, and he is perfectly

comprehending the problem that is going on, which is Victor. In the book the monster also states,

“Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant; but I knew that I possessed no money, no

friends, no kind of property” (Shelley, Page 108). At this point of the book there was only one
 Reyes 3

problem and that is to demand Victor for a mate, while completely ignoring the fact that he was

brought into this world as a nuisance to everyone, when comparing this to anything else, they

wouldn’t even notice what is going on, but in the monster’s head, he feels like he shouldn’t exist.

Lacking a father figure especially as a human can completely change a person,

permanently. In this case Victor practically left his son to rot in this cruel world that we are living

in. Victor’s monster had no clue on how to socialize, he couldn’t decipher what is right and what

is wrong, but he still had to face these traumatic emotions. If the monster had something to look

up to, or someone who educated him just a little bit, this whole story would’ve taken a turn in

another direction, but instead, he was thrown into the world as a nobody, and no one ever took

care of him, which is mentally draining. This all revolves around the idea of why he wanted

revenge, all he wanted to feel was love, but he gave up on that and seeked vengeance. In the

book, the monster states, “I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could

distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept” (Shelley, Page

90). Being alone in this time and having no one to go to is something that will take a huge toll on

a person, and in this case this is exactly what the monster is going through, living in this world

by yourself is one of the biggest obstacles a person can face, this world is full of cruelty and

negativity, and having a helping hand can change a person’s life. In the book the monster also

states, “I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I Not shunned and hated by all mankind?”

(Shelley, Page 132). This sentence shows how all of the hate has motivated him to do the things

that he was doing to Victor, if he was simply taught about the basics of the world this would’ve

never happened. If he wasn’t human, these genuine emotions wouldn’t be coming from him,
 Reyes 4

otherwise he would’ve just kept on moving on living a normal life, instead he knows that he is

by himself and no one is there to help him.

Although personality is just a part of the monster. People perceive Victor’s monster as an

actual monster upon society, all because of his appearance. The direct meaning of monster is “an

imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening.” Which can perfectly tie into

another person’s eyes, Victor’s monster was definitely put into the world as “frightening” due to

the monster being made of random body parts from different people, and his eerie height that

was given to him. In the book the monster states, “A fiendish rage animated him as he said this;

his face was wrinkled into contortions too horrible for human eyes to behold; but presently he

calmed himself and proceeded” (Shelley, Page 134). Seeing how the author described the

monster, there is no doubt that people might see him as a monster physically. A monster usually

consists of looks, and when you put it into perspective of the monster it can certainly be hard to

accept him as a human being.

If you can breathe, think, problem solve, and execute things in an orderly fashion then

you are most likely a human. Looks can be deceiving sometimes but a person’s personality can

completely alter your outlook on that person. In the case of Victor’s monster, no one accepted

him into society which led to him seeking retaliation upon mankind, if he had a friend or two

none of these things would happen. In this world you need something or someone to guide you in

the right direction, getting thrown into earth to battle things by yourself the whole time might be

nearly impossible. Having a figure to look upon or being taught about simple things about how

society works is all a person needs, without this that person or thing will never learn how to

analyze things to such an extent.

 Reyes 5
Works Cited

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus. Holt, Rinehart

and Winston, 1999.