Article #84-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

“These were the reflections of my hours of despondency and solitude;
but when I contemplated the virtues of the cottagers, their amiable and
benevolent dispositions, I persuaded myself that when they should
become acquainted with my admiration of their virtues they would
compassionate me and overlook my personal deformity. Could they turn
from their door one, however monstrous, who solicited their compassion
and friendship? I resolved, at least, not to despair, but in every way
to fit myself for an interview with them which would decide my fate. I
postponed this attempt for some months longer, for the importance
attached to its success inspired me with a dread lest I should fail.
Besides, I found that my understanding improved so much with every
day’s experience that I was unwilling to commence this undertaking
until a few more months should have added to my sagacity.

“Several changes, in the meantime, took place in the cottage. The
presence of Safie diffused happiness among its inhabitants, and I also
found that a greater degree of plenty reigned there. Felix and Agatha
spent more time in amusement and conversation, and were assisted in
their labours by servants. They did not appear rich, but they were
contented and happy; their feelings were serene and peaceful, while
mine became every day more tumultuous. Increase of knowledge only
discovered to me more clearly what a wretched outcast I was. I
cherished hope, it is true, but it vanished when I beheld my person
reflected in water or my shadow in the moonshine, even as that frail
image and that inconstant shade.

“I endeavoured to crush these fears and to fortify myself for the trial
which in a few months I resolved to undergo; and sometimes I allowed my
thoughts, unchecked by reason, to ramble in the fields of Paradise, and
dared to fancy amiable and lovely creatures sympathising with my
feelings and cheering my gloom; their angelic countenances breathed
smiles of consolation. But it was all a dream; no Eve soothed my
sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam’s
supplication to his Creator. But where was mine? He had abandoned me,
and in the bitterness of my heart I cursed him.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley**

This passage is spoken by the Creature (often mistakenly called "Frankenstein") in Mary Shelley’s 1818 Gothic novel. It occurs after the Creature has secretly observed the De Lacey family—Felix, Agatha, and their blind father—from a hidden hovel adjacent to their cottage. Having learned language, human emotions, and the virtues of kindness from them, the Creature now grapples with his own isolation, deformity, and desperate hope for acceptance.

The excerpt is a psychological monologue that reveals the Creature’s internal conflict—his yearning for companionship, his fear of rejection, and his growing bitterness toward his creator, Victor Frankenstein. Below is a breakdown of its key elements:

1. Context Within the Novel

The Creature, abandoned by Victor immediately after his animation, has been living in the wilderness, where he first experiences sensory overload and confusion.
He stumbles upon the De Lacey cottage and, unseen, observes the family, learning language, morality, and human affection through them.
The arrival of Safie (a Turkish woman who marries Felix) accelerates his education, as he learns to read and understand complex emotions.
This passage occurs just before the Creature attempts to reveal himself to the De Laceys, hoping for acceptance—but his appearance terrifies them, leading to his violent rejection.

2. Themes Explored in the Passage

A. The Desire for Acceptance vs. Fear of Rejection

The Creature idealizes the De Laceys, believing that their virtue and kindness will outweigh his monstrous appearance:
"I persuaded myself that when they should become acquainted with my admiration of their virtues they would compassionate me and overlook my personal deformity."
- His hope is naïve but poignant—he assumes that moral goodness should transcend physical ugliness, a belief that mirrors Enlightenment ideals (which Shelley critiques).
- However, his self-awareness of his deformity undermines this hope. He postpones revealing himself, fearing failure:
  "the importance attached to its success inspired me with a dread lest I should fail."
His delay is both strategic and cowardly—he wants to perfect himself (intellectually and morally) before facing judgment, but this also reflects his deep insecurity.

B. The Paradox of Knowledge and Suffering

The Creature’s intellectual growth only deepens his misery:
"Increase of knowledge only discovered to me more clearly what a wretched outcast I was."
- This echoes the Romantic and Gothic theme that enlightenment brings suffering (similar to Satan in Paradise Lost, a key influence on Shelley).
- The more he learns about human love and society, the more he realizes he is forever excluded from it.
His self-loathing is tied to his physical form, which he sees as a reflection of his inner monstrosity:
"it vanished when I beheld my person reflected in water or my shadow in the moonshine, even as that frail image and that inconstant shade."
- The mirror and shadow symbolize his distorted, unstable identity—he is neither fully human nor fully accepted by nature.

C. Isolation and the Absence of a Creator’s Love

The Creature compares himself to Adam (from Genesis), but with a crucial difference:
"I remembered Adam’s supplication to his Creator. But where was mine? He had abandoned me..."
- Adam was loved by God, who gave him Eve as a companion. The Creature, however, is abandoned by Victor, who fails in his parental duty.
- This lack of divine or paternal love leads to his bitterness and eventual vengeance.
His loneliness is absolute:
"no Eve soothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone."
- The absence of a mate (a theme Shelley revisits when the Creature demands a bride from Victor) reinforces his otherness.

D. The Shift from Hope to Rage

The passage begins with optimism ("I resolved, at least, not to despair") but ends in despair and cursing:
"in the bitterness of my heart I cursed him."
- This emotional arc foreshadows his violent turn—his later murders of Victor’s loved ones stem from this rejection and abandonment.
- The Gothic element of the "cursed" figure is strong here, aligning the Creature with Satanic rebellion (another Paradise Lost parallel).

3. Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

Device	Example	Effect
First-Person Narration	"These were the reflections of my hours of despondency..."	Creates intimacy and sympathy—the reader experiences the Creature’s pain and logic directly.
Juxtaposition	The De Laceys’ "serene and peaceful" feelings vs. his "tumultuous" emotions.	Highlights the contrast between human happiness and his suffering, emphasizing his exclusion.
Biblical Allusion	References to Adam, Eve, and the Creator.	Frames the Creature as a tragic, abandoned figure, questioning Victor’s godlike irresponsibility.
Nature Imagery	"my person reflected in water or my shadow in the moonshine"	Reinforces his distorted, ghostly existence—he is not fully real in the human world.
Oxymoron	"frail image and inconstant shade"	Suggests his identity is unstable and fragile, much like his hopes.
Foreshadowing	"I cursed him"	Hints at his future violence against Victor.
Romantic Idealism vs. Gothic Horror	His dream of "amiable and lovely creatures" vs. the reality of his monstrosity.	Shows the collapse of hope into despair, a key Gothic trope.

4. Significance of the Passage

A. The Creature as a Tragic Figure

Unlike traditional villains, the Creature is highly articulate and emotionally complex. His suffering is relatable, making his later violence tragic rather than purely evil.
Shelley challenges the reader to sympathize with a "monster," questioning what truly makes someone monstrous—appearance or treatment?

B. Critique of Enlightenment & Romantic Ideals

The Creature believes in reason and virtue (Enlightenment ideals) but finds that human nature is governed by fear and prejudice.
His rejection suggests that society’s "civilized" values are superficial—people claim to value kindness and morality, but fear and disgust override these principles.

C. The Danger of Playing God

Victor’s abandonment of his creation mirrors parental neglect, raising ethical questions about scientific responsibility.
The Creature’s curse is not just personal but philosophical—it questions whether humans should wield godlike power if they cannot handle its consequences.

D. The Gothic Exploration of the "Other"

The Creature embodies the fear of the unknown and deformed, a common Gothic theme.
His desire for love and acceptance makes his exclusion all the more horrifying, forcing the reader to confront their own prejudices.

5. Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This excerpt is one of the most emotionally powerful in Frankenstein because it humanizes the Creature while exposing the cruelty of his situation. His internal struggle—between hope and despair, love and hatred—makes him one of literature’s most complex "monsters."

Shelley uses this moment to:

Critique societal hypocrisy (people preach compassion but reject the different).
Explore the consequences of isolation (knowledge without love leads to destruction).
Question the ethics of creation (what responsibilities do creators have toward their creations?).

Ultimately, the passage foreshadows the novel’s tragedy—the Creature’s rejection by the De Laceys (and later by Victor) seals his fate as a vengeful outcast, leading to the destruction of both creator and creation.

Final Thought:

The Creature’s plea for understanding is what makes Frankenstein enduringly relevant—it forces us to ask: Who is the real monster? The one who is different, or the society that rejects him?

Questions

Question 1

The Creature’s observation that “increase of knowledge only discovered to me more clearly what a wretched outcast I was” primarily serves to:

A. illustrate the inherent futility of intellectual pursuit in a hostile world.
B. expose the paradoxical relationship between enlightenment and existential suffering.
C. critique the De Laceys’ superficial contentment as a foil to his own misery.
D. suggest that self-awareness is an evolutionary disadvantage for marginalized beings.
E. imply that the Creature’s deformity is a metaphor for the limitations of human reason.

Question 2

The Creature’s allusion to Adam’s supplication to his Creator (“But where was mine? He had abandoned me”) functions most significantly as:

A. a direct indictment of Victor Frankenstein’s moral cowardice.
B. a thematic inversion of the biblical creation myth to underscore his existential abandonment.
C. an appeal to the reader’s religious sympathies to justify his subsequent violence.
D. a rhetorical device to emphasize the Creature’s intellectual superiority over Victor.
E. a literal demand for divine intervention to alleviate his suffering.

Question 3

The shift in tone from “I resolved, at least, not to despair” to “in the bitterness of my heart I cursed him” is best understood as:

A. a psychological unraveling that mirrors the Gothic trope of the doomed protagonist.
B. an abrupt narrative inconsistency intended to shock the reader into moral judgment.
C. a deliberate stylistic choice to imitate the erratic speech patterns of the mentally unstable.
D. evidence of the Creature’s inherent moral corruption despite his initial innocence.
E. a structural flaw in Shelley’s characterization, undermining the Creature’s credibility.

Question 4

The Creature’s description of his reflection in water and his shadow in the moonshine as a “frail image” and an “inconstant shade” is most thematically resonant with:

A. the Romantic preoccupation with the instability of identity and the illusory nature of self-perception.
B. a literal fear of physical dissolution, grounded in the Creature’s unnatural composition.
C. a critique of the De Laceys’ inability to see beyond superficial appearances.
D. an allegorical representation of the fleeting nature of human virtue.
E. a metaphor for the ephemeral quality of hope in a deterministic universe.

Question 5

The passage’s juxtaposition of the De Laceys’ “serene and peaceful” feelings with the Creature’s “every day more tumultuous” emotions primarily serves to:

A. highlight the arbitrary nature of happiness as a social construct.
B. underscore the Creature’s irreconcilable alienation from human emotional equilibrium.
C. suggest that the De Laceys’ contentment is a deliberate performance to conceal their own flaws.
D. imply that the Creature’s suffering is a necessary counterbalance to the family’s joy.
E. foreshadow the eventual corruption of the De Laceys’ innocence by the Creature’s presence.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The Creature’s statement encapsulates a central Romantic-Gothic paradox: that enlightenment and self-awareness—typically framed as virtues—intensify suffering for those already marginalized. His knowledge does not liberate him but instead deepens his consciousness of his own exclusion, a theme Shelley explores through his failed assimilation. This aligns with Satan’s lament in Paradise Lost (a key intertext), where intellectual ascent exacerbates existential torment. The line is not merely about futility (A) or evolutionary disadvantage (D), but about the ironic cruelty of awareness itself.