“But where
were my friends and relations? No father had watched my infant days, no mother
had blessed me with smiles and caresses; or if they had, all my past life was
now a blot, a blind vacancy in which I distinguished nothing. From my earliest
remembrance I had been as I then was in height and proportion. I had never yet
seen a being resembling me, or who claimed any intercourse with me. What was I?
The question again recurred, to be answered only with groans,” (Shelley 81).
The above
passage stood out in the novel Frankenstein as being important. This passage
highlights the monster’s struggle within him as he tries to find meaning,
purpose, and his place in the world. At this point in the story the monster not
sure about his place in the world. His beginnings are a stark contrast to his
creator Frankenstein’s childhood described earlier in the tale. Frankenstein
grew up happy with his family and companions. The monster never grew up with a
family or friends so he has never had any relationships with others. No one has
shown him affection or interaction.
The monster
struggles with the realization that he’s alone and people hate him. He tries to
understand the world because he is curious. This passage shows he wants to know who he is and his
place in the world. Later on he realizes how alone he is even with his “protectors
“nearby. He has no link to others as he can only communicate with “groans”. He
is an ugly wretched looking monster and wants to know why his creator did this
to him. And he feels helpless because no one taught him how to survive. He becomes
angry and blames mankind. His hatred is created from humans treating him as a
monster. He isn’t a monster but he feels pushed to become this.
Humans will
not give this creature the companionship he craves. He later asks his creator
Frankenstein to create a companion because he needs another being like himself
to share the world with who won’t hate him. This passage contributes to the meaning
of the novel by providing the monster’s thoughts on his backstory with the fact
that he came from nothing.
Link to an article on why loneliness is bad.
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