Final answer:
A comma should be placed after 'frightening' in the student's sentence to correctly separate the conditional clause from the main clause. Correct punctuation is crucial for clear analysis of complex literature.
Step-by-step explanation:
The placement of commas can change the meaning of a sentence significantly. In the sentence provided by the student, the correct punctuation would be, "If Frankenstein's monster is frightening, he is also sympathetic.
" The comma is placed after 'frightening' to separate the conditional clause ('If Frankenstein's monster is frightening') from the main clause ('he is also sympathetic').
This helps clarify the meaning by giving the reader a slight pause, which indicates that the second part of the sentence is providing additional, closely related information about the monster.
Understanding proper punctuation is crucial when analyzing complex characters such as Frankenstein's monster. Whether looking at how Shelley depicted him or examining how environment and race intersect with his character, clear communication is essential for deep literary analysis.