Question

Read the following passage from the last chapter of Frankenstein, in which Captain Robert Walton describes the creature's reaction to Frankenstein's death:

I entered the cabin where lay the remains of my ill-fated and admirable friend. Over him hung a form which I cannot find words to describe — gigantic in stature, yet uncouth and distorted in its proportions. . . .

He paused, looking on me with wonder, and again turning towards the lifeless form of his creator, he seemed to forget my presence, and every feature and gesture seemed instigated by the wildest rage of some uncontrollable passion.

"That is also my victim!" he exclaimed. . . . "Oh, Frankenstein! Generous and self-devoted being! What does it avail that I now ask thee to pardon me? I, who irretrievably destroyed thee by destroying all thou lovedst. Alas! He is cold, he cannot answer me." . . .

"Your repentance," I said, "is now superfluous. If you had listened to the voice of conscience and heeded the stings of remorse before you had urged your diabolical vengeance to this extremity, Frankenstein would yet have lived."

"And do you dream?" said the daemon. "Do you think that I was then dead to agony and remorse? . . . After the murder of Clerval I returned to Switzerland, heart-broken and overcome. I pitied Frankenstein; my pity amounted to horror; I abhorred myself. But when I discovered that he, the author at once of my existence and of its unspeakable torments, dared to hope for happiness, that while he accumulated wretchedness and despair upon me he sought his own enjoyment in feelings and passions from the indulgence of which I was forever barred, then impotent envy and bitter indignation filled me with an insatiable thirst for vengeance. . . . I had cast off all feeling, subdued all anguish, to riot in the excess of my despair. Evil thenceforth became my good. Urged thus far, I had no choice but to adapt my nature to an element which I had willingly chosen. . . ."
Write a short argument to answer the following question: In the passage, whom does Shelley portray as more monstrous: Frankenstein or the creature? Develop your ideas by analyzing Shelley's choice of language in the passage. You are writing an argument, so be careful to include a clear claim and to respond to at least one counterclaim. Also be sure to use specific details from the passage to develop your claim and counterclaim.

Answer 1

In the passage from the last chapter of Frankenstein, Shelley portrays the creature as more monstrous than Frankenstein. Shelley's choice of language in the passage emphasises the creature's rage, uncontrollable passion, and insatiable thirst for vengeance. The creature refers to Frankenstein as "generous and self-devoted" and expresses remorse for his actions, recognizing that his actions were monstrous and unjustified. On the other hand, Frankenstein's actions are not described in such extreme language, and the creature's actions are portrayed as the result of his own evil nature rather than being caused by Frankenstein.

One counterclaim could be that Frankenstein is also portrayed as monstrous in the passage, as the creature accuses him of daring to hope for happiness while causing him unspeakable torments. However, this can be seen as the creature's distorted perception of Frankenstein's actions, rather than a reflection of Frankenstein's true nature. Additionally, Frankenstein's actions are not described in the same extreme language as the creature's, such as "uncontrollable passion" and "insatiable thirst for vengeance".

In conclusion, Shelley's choice of language in the passage portrays the creature as more monstrous than Frankenstein by emphasizing the creature's extreme emotions and actions. While Frankenstein is also criticized by the creature, it is not in the same intense language as the creature's self-condemnation.