Seminar- Frankenstein: Nature of Evil
Presented by: Tomiwa, Thomas, Sayem, Megan and Adrian
Introduction: The nature of evil is introduced to an individual’s life by their interactions with society
and the nurture of their upbringing. Without these influences, human beings would be perfect creations
without any flaws to account for.
Thesis: In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the nature of evil is reflected through the acts of immorality
committed by Victor Frankenstein and the creature. Victor Frankenstein is the greater villain because he
chooses to ignore the path of righteousness in favor of pursuing his search for glory, whereas, the
creature’s evil nature is forced upon him. This suggests that one’s pride can lead to a journey down a path
of desolation, ultimately leading to their downfall.
Criteria: 1) Abuse 2) The Corrupting Power of Knowledge 3) Loneliness and Isolation
1. Abuse [Thomas and Adrian]
2. Knowledge as a destructive force [Tomiwa]
3. Loneliness and Isolation [Sayem and Megan]
Criterion 1: The creature’s abuse towards humankind, namely Victor and his loved ones, is a reflection
of the abuse inflicted on the monster by his creator.
Point 1: By following the terms of a “society’s influence is portrayed in this being,” it is clear that the
creature’s abusive behaviour is a reflection of the abuse caused by Victor and his abandonment. The
creature has been neglected by his creator, and does not understand Victor’s logic,
Proof 1: “Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in
disgust?” (Hosseini 110).
Analysis 1: The monster is baffled why his creator, who had brought him to life, had abandoned him
moments after his birth. While Victor was bringing the monster together, had he not noticed that the
creature would become ugly? He should have stopped when he realized the wretchedness of his being.
Point 2: The abuse brought upon on the monster instigates the monster to seek revenge over his
abandoning creator. The creature decides to take away the things that mean the most to Victor, especially
his wife Elizabeth.
Proof 2: “A grin on the face of the monster; he seemed to jeer, as with his fiendish finger he pointed to
the corpse of my wife” (174).
Analysis 2: As the creature has been exposed to violence of the human race, through his encounters with
other humans and also Victor, he begins to act out and inflict indirect pain on Victor, by murdering his
loved ones. After the creature murdered Elizabeth, he began to laugh and jeer. The monster has lost all
remorse towards Victor, because that’s what he has grown accustom to.
Point 3: The monster has murdered, and Victor seeks to revenge the monster’s abuse towards him, but
first he tries to convince the monster to pity man, for they have done nothing to him. Victor would kill the
creature if he had that chance, which is why the monster does not want to pity man.
Proof 3: “You my creator would tear me to pieces and triumph; and tell me why I should pity man more
than he pities me? You would not call in murder if you could precipitate me into one of those ice-rifts and
destroy my frame, the work of your own hands. Shall I respect man when he condemns me?” (128).
Analysis 3: The creature states that the man, who had brought him to life, now wants to destroy him,
which is unjust and he does not agree that he should pity the man, even if it is the right thing to do.
Point 4: As Victor falls into a state of pure anger, his creation takes advantage of this, and uses a taunting
and mocking attitude to provoke Victor. After the creature murders Elizabeth, Victor pursues him.
Proof 4: The monster leaves messages carved into the rocks and trees to further taunt Victor, “He left
marks in writing on the barks of the trees or cut in stone that guided me and instigated my fury” (182).
Analysis 4: By provoking Victor, the creature is progressing with his scheme to bring pain and suffering
on his accursed creator. He uses messages carved in trees or stone to encourage Victor to follow him,
leading victor to become increasingly enraged along the way. The monster is continually abusing Victor,
as a result of the abuse that was set upon him previously. This shows that the abuser has now become the
abused.
Criterion 2: As Victor and the creature become increasingly enlightened on society and the world in
general, they are also simultaneously being corrupted by this newfound knowledge.
Point 1: Frankenstein’s exposure to the expansive world of natural sciences becomes his constant source
of grief. He is burdened by the vast amount of information he feels obligated to uncover and when he
finds the answer he has so desperately been searching for, he is scarred by the bitter truth.
Proof 1a: “Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the
acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the
world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow” (38).
Proof 1b: “You seek for knowledge as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your
wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been” (14).
Analysis 1: Victor warns Robert Walton about the corrupting effects of nature, this advice contributes to
the theme of knowledge because it gives insight into how those who are naïve towards society live a more
blissful life.
Point 2a: When the creature is first created, he is ignorant of human cruelty and naïve of evil forces in
society. This negligent behaviour enables him to still find joy and pleasure in the simple things of life.
Proof 2a: “No distinct ideas occupied my mind; all was confused… The only object that I could
distinguish was the bright moon, and I fixed my eyes on that with pleasure” (85).
Analysis 2a: When the creature is still in his infant stages of his development, his innocence enables him
to maintain a pure, untainted outlook on life.
Point 2b: It is only until the creature is exposed to the norms of society that he recognizes himself as an
outcast, and this realization brings him grief. He no longer possesses the happy disposition that he once
had when he was unaware of how humans were supposed to look.
Proof 2b: “Increase of knowledge only discovered to me what a wretched outcast I was” (111).
Analysis 2b: The creature becomes increasingly aware of what a typical, normal human being is
supposed to look like, consequently resulting in him becoming more distraught by the fact that he looks
nothing like other people and he will never be accepted by society.
Point 3: Mary Shelley does an excellent job of using pathetic fallacy to represent the progressive
diminishing of righteousness in Victor’s life due to his pursuit of intellect.
Proof 3: “My application was at first fluctuating and uncertain; it gained strength as I proceeded and soon
became so ardent and eager that the stars often disappeared in the light of morning whilst I was yet
engaged in my laboratory” (35).
Analysis 3: Shelley uses the imagery of “the stars often disappeared in the light of morning” to represent
how joy and companionship also leaves his life as his desire and devotion towards acquiring knowledge
increases.
Point 4: Victor Frankenstein’s pursuit of enlightenment shuns him from the joyful side of life and
isolates him from others. Conversely, the creature’s pursuit of enlightenment is intended to help him
spread the kind virtues he has learnt from observing human behavior and develop positive relationships
with fellow humans.
Proof 4: “I ought not to make the attempt until I had first become master of their language, which
knowledge might enable me to make them overlook the deformity of my figure” (94).
Analysis 4: The creature tries to gain enlightenment in hopes of developing meaningful companionships
with others, this contrasts Victor’s pursuit of knowledge which isolates Victor from those around him.
General Comment: In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley presents Victor as a greater villain than the creature
because of his conscious choice to allow himself to be corrupted by knowledge. The creature however, is
not presented as a villain because he would rather believe that the world is a kind place but he is
unwillingly exposed to the dark side of mankind and he is forced to act accordingly to the environment in
which he finds himself.
Criterion 3: Victor chooses to isolate himself and ignores the consequences of his actions, whereas the
creature is in isolation due to his resentment by others.
Point 1: Victor isolates himself from his family after the death of his mother.
Proof 1: "My mother was dead, but we had still duties which we ought to perform; [...] My departure for
Ingolstadt, which had been deferred by these events, was now again determined upon. [...]It appeared to
me sacrilege so soon to leave the repose, akin to death, of the house of mourning and to rush the thick of
life.[...]I was unwilling to quite the sight of those that remained to me[...]"(29)
Analysis 1: Victor's family needs each other after the death of their mother and wife, but Victor chooses
to isolate himself for personal gain and leaves his family in order to create the monster while they mourn.
This shows Victor's evil nature because his thirst for glory leads him away from his family to pursue his
dreams.
Point 1: Victor chooses to isolate himself from Henry Clerval, despite his concern that Henry might be
the Creature's next victim, so that he himself may be relieved.
Proof 2: "Sometimes I thought that the fiend followed me and might expedite my remissness by
murdering my companion [...] But I was in no mood to laugh and talk with strangers or enter into their
feelings or plans with the good humor expected from a guest; and accordingly I told Clerval that I wished
to take the tour of Scotland alone [...] Having parted my friend, I determined to visit some remote spot of
Scotland and finish my work in solitude "(141)
Analysis 2: Victor shows a lack of care for others, he thirsts for his own comfort, and is willing to
sacrifice his most valuable companion so that he may benefit from the work he will do.
Point 3: The creature has been forced into his state of loneliness and isolation by the way that he is
treated by the people he encounters.
Proof 3: The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until grievously bruised by stones
and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country and fearfully took refuge in a low
hovel, quite bare, and making a wretched appearance after the palaces I had beheld in the village.[...]Here,
then, I retreated and lay down happy to have found a shelter, however miserable, from the inclemency of
the season, and still more from the barbarity of man.(87)
Analysis 3: The loneliness the Creature must endure is forced upon by the cruel actions performed
against him by the villagers. The Creature has not acted against anyone, yet he is still ill-treated by the
people he encounters in his journey and discovery of the world.
Point 4: The Creature is forced into isolation because of the way he is treated by Victor.
Proof 4: "If I have no ties and no affections, hatred and vice must be my portion; the love of another will
destroy the cause of my crimes, and I shall become a thing of whose existence everyone will be ignorant.
My vices are the children of a forced solitude that I abhor, and my virtues will necessarily arise when I
live in communion with an equal. I shall feel the affections of a sensitive being and become linked to the
chain of existence and events from which I am now excluded."(126)
Analysis 4: The Creature says that the hatred is planted within him because he is forced into seclusion
and isolation by Victor and the humans he encounters. Since the creature was born into a life of hatred,
abandonment, and isolation, he had no means to stray away from his nature of evil that his creator
instilled within him.
General Comment: In the novel, Victor isolates himself for personal gain, not thinking about the effects
of his actions on others, whereas the creature is forced into isolation because of his treatment. Victor is
more evil because he chooses to ignore the path of righteousness in order to search for glory, and the
creature's evil nature is forced onto him.
Concluding statement: In Shelley’s Frankenstein explores the nature of evil through Victor and the
creature, while Victor represents the greater evil, due to his choice to pursue his thirst for glory over
happiness. This theorizes that the thirst for glory brings on the destruction and downfall of character.
Victor isolates himself and the consequences of his actions; in contrast, the creature is in isolation due to
the conduct of others towards him. The abuse by Victor towards the monster is reflected in the monster’s
abuse towards humankind, namely Victor and his loved ones. As the creature and Victor become aware of
their sins in their society, they are simultaneously corrupted by their newfound knowledge.