By: Robb Young, Liam Forrest, Mina Tawadros, Bacil Marcelo & Sarah McGrath
Suffering in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Introduction: Suffering is a part of human life; all humans experience some kind of suffering
Thesis:
The loss of innocence of the characters in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein ultimately result in their suffering thus
displaying the destructive power that excessive physical or psychological suffering has on an individual.
Criteria:
1.) Alfonse
–Mina
2.) Henry
–Liam
3.) Elizabeth
–Sarah
4.) Victor
–Bacil
5.) The Creature –Robb
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Alfonse
Because Victor estranges himself from Alfonse by not maintaining frequent contact, he suffers
severe depression and anxiety.
“And how, Victor, can I relate our misfortune? Absence cannot have rendered you callous to our
joys and griefs, and how shall I inflict pain on my long-absent son?” (Shelley 55).
Alphonse’s innocence is lost with the cause of his oldest son; Victor’s alienation from the
Frankenstein family due to his thirst for knowledge. This results in Alphonse’s suffering of
loneliness and distress; therefore, portraying the effects of a character’s mental suffering caused by
their loss of innocence.
When Alphonse learns of Elizabeth’s death, he dies.
“Cursed, cursed be the fiend that brought misery on his grey hairs and doomed him to waste in
wretchedness! He could not live under the horrors that were accumulated around him; the springs
of existence suddenly gave way; he was unable to rise from his bed, and in a few days he died in my
arms” (Shelley 175).
As Alphonse is exposed to the death of his beloved Elizabeth – his only and more than daughter, it
displays another loss of innocence for his character. He suffers from misery and the loss of a greatly
loved one; he is unable to bear with the sadness, misery, and his anxiety; thus, portraying how an
individual’s loss of innocence and distraught can have outcomes such as agonizing pain, and even
death.
Henry
Henry is saddened by Victor’s uneasy state
“‘My dear Frankenstein,’ exclaimed Henry when he perceived me weep with bitterness. ‘are you
always to be unhappy? My dear friend, what has happened?’”(57)
Henry is someone who is strongly affected by the moods of those close to him, and his closest
friend, Victor, is in a deep depression. This causes Henry’s spirits to plummet as well, exposing him
to the bitterness of the world, and effectively destroying his innocence. He begins to suffer
alongside Victor, where he begins to see just how cruel the world can be, thus proving that loss of
innocence often causes suffering.
Henry is killed by the creature.
“The examination, the presence of the magistrate and witnesses, passed like a dream from my
when I saw the lifeless form of Henry Clerval stretched before me.”(129)
Victor has abandoned Henry in Scotland, to conduct his research in private, effectively leaving him
all alone. When Victor returns from his exile, having refused the creature’s demands, he finds Henry
dead. Henry has suffered the ultimate loss of innocence, death and thereby suffers through the loss
of his life.
Elizabeth
When Elizabeth hears about William’s death, she blames herself and therefore is depressed.
Upon Victor’s learning of William’s death, his brother Ernest says to him; “[Elizabeth] requires
consolation; she accused herself of having caused the death of my brother, and that made her very
wretched.”(61)
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By: Robb Young, Liam Forrest, Mina Tawadros, Bacil Marcelo & Sarah McGrath
Elizabeth is exposed to a harsh truth through the loss of her brother, William. This exposure can be
seen as a loss of innocence due to the fact that she is now aware of the harsh pain that death, but
more importantly, murder, can inflict upon a person. Elizabeth “accuses herself of having caused
the death of [William]” because she allowed him to wear the miniature of his mother around his
neck that day and she assumed that he had been murdered for it’s value as it was not in the child’s
possession when he is found dead. This self-accusation causes Elizabeth excessive amounts of
psychological pain and suffering. She her suffering ultimately alters her views of life and death.
When Justine is sentenced, Elizabeth believes that there is no way that she committed the crime and
therefore if her innocence is lost, innocence can no longer exist in the world.
“I rely on her innocence as certainly as I do upon my own. Our misfortune is doubly hard to us; we
have not only lost that lovely darling boy, but this poor girl, whom I sincerely love, is to be torn
away by even a worse fate. If she is condemned, I never shall know joy more. But she will not, I am
sure she will not; and then I shall be happy again, even after the sad death of my little William."(63)
Elizabeth loses her innocence through knowing that an innocent person is being tried as guilty. She
says; “I rely on her innocence as certainly as I do upon my own.” therefore when the innocence of
Justine is lost through her trial and death, Elizabeth cannot believe that innocence can still exist in
the world. Elizabeth is therefore depressed and confused and she. She says that “If [Justine] is
condemned, [she] never shall know joy more.” and when Justine is condemned, she becomes
depressed. Elizabeth no longer sees innocence in the world because of Justine’s loss
Victor
Learning about galvanism leads Victor to be interested in creation, which ultimately leads to his
depression
“A man of great research in natural philosophy was with us... he entered on the explanation of a
theory which he had formed on the subject of electricity and galvanism...All that he said threw
greatly into the shade... the lords of my imagination; but by some fatality the overthrow of these
men disinclined me to pursue my accustomed studies” (24).
Victor’s disinclination with his current studies represents his loss of innocence, resulting in his
pursuit of knowledge in the field of galvanism where he will be tormented throughout his life by his
own creation of life. Thus, displaying the physical and psychological suffering of an individual
through the loss of innocence.
Victor’s discovery that the Creature killed William leads to his despair because he feels guilt
“Alas! I had turned loose into the world a depraved wretch whose delight was in carnage and
misery; had he not murdered my brother? No one can conceive the anguish I suffered during the
remainder of the night” (76)
When Victor comes to realize the crime committed by his own creation, it represents his secondary
loss of innocence. Victor experiences mental anguish and feels an immense amount of guilt for the
death of his innocent brother. This ultimately shows Victor’s loss of innocence resulting in a state of
continuous agony and despair.
The Creature
Upon gaining an understanding of the loving and caring nature of human relationships, the creature
begins to feel miserable due to the lack of relationships in his life.
"I admired virtue and good feelings and loved the gentle manners and amiable qualities of my
cottagers, but I was shut out from intercourse with them... the mild exhortations of the old man and
the lively conversation of the loved Felix were not for me. Miserable, unhappy wretch!" (101).
Prior to the Creature observing the virtue, good feelings gentle manners and the amiable qualities
of the De Lacey family, he believed that all humans were of a barbaric and hateful nature; a
conclusion drawn from his previous encounters with humans. However, upon further examination
of the cottagers from his hidden vantage point, the Creature realizes that humans are in fact gentle
and kind towards one another and that it is only in his presence that the humans begin to become
hostile. The Creature begins to wonder what it is that makes him so different from the humans
around him, and how it is that such gentle and loving creatures could prove to be so vicious when
they come face to face with him. The Creature then begins to feel alienated from the rest of society,
By: Robb Young, Liam Forrest, Mina Tawadros, Bacil Marcelo & Sarah McGrath
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resulting in him describing himself as being a miserable and an unhappy wretch. This feeling of
isolation causes the Creature to feel lonely and isolated from the rest of society. Also, by observing
the affection displayed by the De Laceys, he realizes that these people acting so hostile towards him
are actually of a good nature and that there is something different about him from the rest,
resulting in the Creature feeling miserable.
As the Creature becomes aware of the differences in the appearances of the De Laceys and himself,
he realizes that it is his physical appearance which is what is driving others away from him.
"I had admired the perfect forms of my cottagers... but how was I terrified when I viewed myself in
a transparent pool... when I became fully convinced that I was the monster that I am, I was filled
with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification" (94).
Before viewing his complexion in the pool, the reasoning of the humans' hostility was unknown to
the Creature. When the Creature is exposed to his deformities, he then becomes aware of why he is
isolated from the rest of society and understands the severity of the differences between himself
and the other humans. The Creature is filled with feelings of the bitterest despondence and
mortification once he finally comes to terms of just how hideous he is, and realizes just how
different from the rest of society he is. This causes the Creature to realize that the reason the
humans avoid him at all costs, and further adds to the feelings of loneliness and isolation felt by the
creature. All the Creature wants is to be accepted and cared for by humans, but it is the way in
which he was created that prevents him from interaction with others, and overall happiness
through relationships.
The Creature begins to become hopeful in his attempt at making contact with the De Lacey family,
yet, even after making many effort of learning their language, he is still rejected from the and driven
from their home.
"There was none among the myraids of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I
feel kindness towards my enemies? No; from that moment on I declared everlasting war against the
species, and more than all, against him who had formed me and sent me forth to this insupportable
misery" (116).
The Creature is so hopeful that his attempt in making contact with the De Lacey family will work
out in his favor, however even when he presents himself as a respectable and kind individual to the
old man, he is still driven from their home by the younger family members. The Creature comes to
realize that no matter what efforts he makes towards being accepted by members of society, that
nobody will ever be able to see past his physical appearance, leaving him alone than he. This causes
the Creature to fall deeper into a state of misery, thus resulting in a developing hatred for all
mankind, as well as towards Victor; the one who created the Creature in such a hideous fashion and
the reason the Creature feels so miserable.
Even when the Creature goes out of his way to save a little girl from drowning in a river, his act of
kindness is completely disregarded due to his deformities and he is shot at in response.
"This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as
a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and
bone... I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind" (121).
The creature suffers physically by being shot and also mentally through the confusion of being
punished for his acts of kindness.
This event not only solidifies the Creature's hatred towards human beings, but it is also a critical
turning point for the Creature from turning from an innocent creature, into the monster that the
world has made him.
In conclusion, the characters in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein suffer greatly due to their loss of innocence thus
displaying the destructive power suffering can have on an individual. All people experience suffering, it is how a
person responds to their suffering that makes an impact.