Frankenstein (4 pts): Victor Frankenstein is a Bad Parent

 After reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, it's easy to say that Victor Frankenstein is an irresponsible creator. He reanimated his monster from corpse parts, and upon seeing its horrid face, fled from it immediately and did not give any thought to what he was about to let loose into the world. It was only until a few years later in the snowy Swiss mountains did he interact with his creation, face to face. The monster told his story about how he learned about the world around him, and how he yearned for the affection of others, yet the ones from who he sought acceptance rejected his efforts because of his ugliness. This drove him to commit violent acts of revenge, such as burning down the cottage in Germany and murdering William. The only way that the monster would leave Victor alone is if he were to create a female companion, with which they would find sympathy and affection for each other and live in the remote jungles of South America.

The way that Victor reacts to the monster's request is with anger and refusal. He refuses to believe that the monster would stop his violence after his companion is made, but what Victor doesn't realize, is that the monster's actions are the direct result of Victor's neglect of his creation.

As a parent, or in this case, creator, it is their duty to instill morals and values into their children, as well as to give them love and affection. This would, in turn, allow the child to be sympathetic and kind to others, as well as differentiate between right and wrong. Had Victor nurtured the monster and taught it morals and values, there might have been hope that the monster would be accepted into society. Even if he hadn't been accepted, he would at least still have the affection of one person- Victor, his creator/parent.

The phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" comes to mind when thinking about Frankenstein's monster, as his good deeds went overshadowed by his hideous appearance. Even learning the French language didn't stop him from being attacked by Felix. It only makes sense that the monster would be enraged with humanity for not treating him with kindness, and would resort to violent acts to cure his rage. I truly believe the monster's promise to Victor that he would leave him alone after he received a female companion, as exchanging feelings of affection with another person can rid the heart of anger, and calm the mind.

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