Frankenstein Essay

In the novel Frankenstein, author Mary Shelley tells the story of a newborn creature who does not understand his existence and does not know a thing about the world he lives in. Narrated by the creature himself, Shelley gives the reader an insight into the hardships he faced as a monster that was never nurtured or loved. Throughout the passage Shelley uses various techniques to convey the impression of the creature as a baby just learning about life and his new world. Shelley’s use of diction in the passage portrays the creature as a baby who does not know the world around him. Shelley uses the words “confused,” “indistinct,” and “strange” to describe how the newborn felt during the beginning era of his being. The newborn seemed to be unaware of the sensations that seized him such as touch, smell, and sight. The monster was unable to distinguish between the operations of his senses which often left him feeling vulnerable. Many nights the newborn was tormented by cold and hunger. The heat of the day made him feel uncomfortable and the darkness at night made him uneasy. The monster’s vulnerability is seen in the passage when he begins to weep one night over how “poor” and “helpless” he felt. Shelley uses a tone of abandonment in the passage to show that the creature was neglected and left alone as a newborn. In the beginning of the passage when the monster begins to remember his first experiences as a newborn, it is evident he was alone. It is also clear to the reader that the creature was left in a forest to fend for himself. Alone in the forest, the monster learned to find shade when the sun made him weary and when he suffered from hunger he learned to feed himself berries. Despite being able to survive, the monster felt lonely. “It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half frightened, as it were instinctively, finding myself so desolate.” Feeling desolate made the monster miserable but over time he learned to distinguish his senses from each other on