Frankenstein: The Runt of the Litter

What does it mean to be inherently evil? Why do people believe that a person

could be born with a doomed soul? Society makes so many assumptions about others,

lumping its own kind into a category of outcasts.

In “Frankenstein,” Mary Shelley explores what makes evil. Victor Frankenstein is

a mad scientist, a natural philosopher, and a chemist. He dabbled in anatomy and

became obsessed with the concept of life, giving him a god complex. Because of his

hubris, Frankenstein created the creature using body parts from corpses he collected

and viewed as “beautiful.” Yet as soon as his creature came to life, Frankenstein took a

single glance into his eyes and rejected him, calling his creation a “wretch.”

Frankenstein was disgusted by his creature’s hideous appearance, pretended he didn't

exist, and cast him out.

Through the creature's point of view, we see how his experiences led him to

commit evil acts. Shelley shows that we create the monster because, as a society, we

reject anything different. As a society, we have created stereotypes of what is considered

evil based on physical features.

Though the creature is bigger than an average human, he is only a newborn. He

had no idea how to navigate the world, and because of Frankenstein's negligence, he was

left to fend for himself. The creature learned to speak from a blind man who didn't know

what he looked like. The blind man's acceptance of the creature is significant because it

shows that, regardless of physical features, others could accept him, suggesting he isn't

inherently evil. Accepted by this old man, the creature thought the rest of the world

would, too. He was quickly proven wrong. As he attempted to save a little girl from

drowning, the village people ostracized and shot at him because of his outward

appearance. Because society rejected him, the creature sought revenge on Frankenstein

for creating him. The creature killed innocent people to make Frankenstein feel as lonely

as he did.

The creature did not come into the world intending to kill people; he only wanted

to be loved and accepted. If society had accepted the creature, would he still be evil? I

believe that in every universe there is never a perfect life; everyone has their highs and

lows. Though the creature isn't a traditional human, he still possesses a very human

trait: his striving to be accepted by others for human connection. Like anyone else, when

he is hurt, he feels a range of negative and possibly destructive emotions. The creature

was born with a pure, innocent soul, but the trauma of rejection pushed him into a

vengeful life.

In a litter of puppies, there is always one that is “ugly”-the runt. Because of our

societal standards, we tend to cast out individuals, like this puppy, for traits we consider

undesirable. This puppy has been treated differently because of an attribute they can't

control. Eventually, this puppy will grow into a dog on the streets, one that has known

nothing but hate and resentment. It is these very emotions that lead to violent

tendencies; one day, this dog will bite a little girl for approaching, and society will label

him the “villain”.

Was the puppy inherently evil? They bit the little girl, so they are a bad dog,

right? Was the creature inherently evil? The creature killed people, so he must be

inherently bad?

Society placed both the puppy and the creature in the category of “ugly”,

ostracizing them from their world because they didn't meet the standards. Both the

puppy and the creature came into the world with nothing but their emotions, which

society quickly crushed by judging them by appearance. Society creates the monsters.

People aren’t born evil; they're misunderstood. A baby has no intentions or

knowledge of killing or harming others; they just have their own emotions. Because

society sets standards for who belongs in the world, it creates “monsters” and “outcasts.”

In reality, outcasts are people who are unique and stand out because they do not fit into

the box society has placed around themself.