IDEAS
•Abhorrence of those different from ourselves
•Vulnerability of women, children, the innocent
By Jenna Maffucci, Justin Konopacki, and Camille Berry
 With a sense of confidence bestowed upon him from the
countless facts and alchemical compounds memorized,
Victor ventures into his natural science class to talk with
his new professor. “I replied carefully, and partly in
contempt, mentioned the names of my alchemists as the
principal authors I had studied. The professor stared.
“Have you,” he said, “really spent your time in studying such
nonsense?” (pg. 35).
Mr. Krempe goes on to further destroy the very foundation
on which Frankenstein’s love of science is founded. He can’t
tolerate the fact the Frankenstein studies a dead science
and can only mock and scorn him for what Krempe
believes to be wasted time.
 Even the Frankenstein the sole creator and parent of the
creature is disgusted by his appearance. “Oh! No mortal
could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy
again endued with animation could not be so hideous as
that wretch” (pg. 49).
Dr. Frankenstein is unable to look at the fruit of his tedious
labor not only because he has created a hideous monster,
but also because its embodies all the sins which he has
committed. It symbolizes a mortal wielding the powers
reserved to God. Not only is the monster estranged due to
his appearance, but also due to his creation. He wasn’t
born, he was created.
 In an argument between Frankenstein and his creation, the
monster himself is perfectly aware of the way he is judged
solely on his appearance. The simple fact that he is aware of
how other perceive him is evidence alone that he is not a
monster, but the way he has been treated since his
metaphorical birth has labeled him such. The monster
replies after a verbal assault by Frankenstein, “’I expected
this reception“, said the demon. “All men hate the
wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable
beyond all living things!” (pg. 95). The creature is
embroiled in a constant internal struggle between his self
image and how people treat him. It is this strife that makes
him the most miserable of all.
 The monster frequently listens in on conversations between
cottagers and uses it as a window to observe a world alien to him
though he was created there. The monster gains further insight
to his image from these observations of human nature. “Of my
creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I
possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was,
besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and
loathsome; I was not even the same nature as man” (pg. 119).
The was villages have and will treat the monster are evident
through his personal reflections where he bases his self image off
the reactions of those who see him. The villagers label him as a
monster because of his appearance this leads to the creature
believing in fact that he is such.
 The creature finally believed that he had found a friend in
an elderly man, however this mans family had not yet seen
the creature. Upon the sight of a large monster holding
onto their father, the son Felix, “darted forward, and with
supernatural force tore me from his father, to whose knees
I clung; in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground
and struck me violently with a stick” (pg. 136).
Here is a picture of childlike happiness that is quickly and
violently trampled by manlike fear and hatred for the
different. The creature had done no harm to the old man
yet was treated like he had murdered him. Felix actions
were not driven by revenge, but rather fear, fear of the
unknown or different.
Chapter 1:
 "Her brow was clear and ample, her blue eyes cloudless, and her lips and
the moulding of her face so expressive of sensibility and sweetness that
none could behold her without looking on her as of a distinct species, a
being heaven-sent, and bearing a celestial stamp in all her features."
When we are first introduced to Elizabeth, we see the connection of
innocence not only to women but also to children. The way she is
described epitomizes innocence, with words like "heaven-sent," and
it is no coincidence that this perfect example of innocence is a
female child. Elizabeth was found as an orphan, a mark of
passiveness, and it sets up a view of women as helpless, pure, or
naive from the first chapter of the novel.
Chapter 7:
 When William, Victor's younger brother, gets murdered, we see the
helplessness of children illuminated. The picture he carries of his
mother is also a direct symbol of innocence, showing his
attachment to another figure. Within the same situation, the
epitome of "the innocent woman" plays out as Justine is committed
of this murder, which she did not commit. Justine is literally
innocent yet immersed in misery, so when she tries to reverse this
misery by confessing to mediate her situation, she still remains
helpless and passive on the way to being executed. Either way,
insisting she is innocent or confessing to the murder, she remains
powerless of the outcome of her situation.
Chapter 13:
 "And I beheld a countenance of angelic beauty and
expression. Her hair of a shining raven black, and curiously
braided; her eyes were dark, but gentle, although animated..."
The words used to describe Safie, the woman who arrives at the
cottagers' dwelling, portray her as angelic and innocent as
well. This image is further developed when we learn she does
not speak their language; it makes her seem a bit less self
sufficient and lacking information. With her positive presence
in the cottage, we see her as pure and good, two main
characteristics of the "innocent" woman. Additionally, Safie and
her mother's situation escaping slavery by marrying men leaves
us to believe they are passive, only rescued by their misfortune
(slavery in this case) by men.
Chapter 16:
 "She continued her course along the precipitous sides of the river, when
suddenly her foot slipped, and she fell into the rapid stream. I rushed from my
hiding place and with extreme labour, from the force of the current, saved her
and dragged her to shore. She was senseless."
Above, the female child is literally passive and helpless by falling into the
strong river, needing to be rescued. Again, the theme of "saved her" shows up,
literally in words in this passage. Other literal descriptions add to this sense of
naivety: "She was senseless." But overall, the greatest image of innocence in
this female child is the fact that she cannot save The Creature from being
blamed for harming her; The Creature can save her from the river's harm, but
she cannot save him from the gunshot. This reinforces the idea that women are
passive; the child was there, she knows the truth, including that The Creature
did not intend harm but rather to "save her," yet she does not voice this as the
village man runs away with her in his arms, his gun pointed at The Creature.
Chapter 20:
 "She also might turn with disgust from him to the superior beauty of
man; she might quit him, and he be again alone, exasperated by the
fresh provocation of being deserted by one of his own species."
In this passage, Victor is running through his concerns he has regarding
the creation of a female monster for The Creature. Interestingly
enough, he fears the female creature will reject The Creature, deeming
her dominant and in control. However, this dominant role still runs
parallel to the theme of passive women because the only dominant
woman figure is a figment of the imagination and ultimately
unborn. Also, Victor's destruction of the female monster, even if it is a
non physical destruction happening in the mind, puts the female
monster in a position where her fate is decided for her and once again
"she" is at a loss of control.
Chapter 23:
 "Elizabeth observed my agitation for some time in timid
and fearful silence, but there was something in my glance
which communicated terror to her, and trembling, she
asked, "What is it that agitates you, my dear Victor? What
is it you fear?"
Here, Elizabeth is naive to the turmoil in Victor's
world. Elizabeth, one of the main female characters in the
story, is boxed out from the truth and magnitude of what is
happening between Victor and The Creature, furthering
the readers' view of women as innocent and naive; she is
free of the twisted story Victor is living in.
Chapter 23:
 "It came from the room into which Elizabeth had retired. As I
heard it, the whole truth rushed into my mind, my arms
dropped, the motion of every muscle and fibre was
suspended...and now, as she lay, her head upon her arm and a
handkerchief thrown across her face and neck, I might have
supposed her asleep."
When The Creature strangles Elizabeth to death, she is seen as
victimized and helpless, growing the representation of woman as
innocent. Even the image last given of Elizabeth screams
passiveness; she is limp and weak looking in her position. The
diction describing her dead body adds to this reputation with
words like "supposed her asleep" and "as she lay, her head upon
her arm."