Final answer:
The creature's speech in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein serves to elicit empathy from the reader and provoke reflection on themes of alienation and humanity. By having the creature articulate his suffering and desire for acceptance, Shelley challenges the reader's biases and illustrates the inner humanity of the monstrous being. Shelley's personal experiences inform the narrative, enriching its themes and depth.
Step-by-step explanation:
The creature's speech in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein deeply affects the reader by eliciting sympathy and challenging the reader's initial perceptions of the creature. Shelley carefully constructs the creature's eloquence to counteract the horror of his appearance, thereby illustrating the inner humanity of this outwardly monstrous being.
Shelley's intent was likely to provoke a reflection on societal treatment of the other and on the nature of humanity itself. By giving the creature a voice, Shelley allows the reader to understand his pain and suffering, generating empathy and potentially leading the reader to question the actions of the other characters, notably Victor Frankenstein. The dichotomy of the creature's articulate speech and his gruesome appearance highlights themes of alienation, prejudice, and the quest for acceptance.
Furthermore, Shelley's use of sophisticated language for the creature serves to disrupt the reader's expectations and forces them to confront their own biases. This technique emphasizes the complexity of the creature's character and teeters the moral balance, compelling the reader to reconsider who the true villain of the story is.
Shelley's own life, filled with challenges against societal norms and her own experiences of loss and alienation, parallel the creature's experiences and contribute to the rich layering of the narrative. This interweaving of authorial experience with fictional creation adds depth to the creature's voice and reinforces the textual themes of empathy, injustice, and social criticism.