The Monster

* 1931
* 1957
* 1973
* 1994

*Frankenstein* (Hallmark Channel, 2004)

Luke Gloss (2004)

Ogre

### Personalities

Hideous, sensitive, afraid, ugly, intelligent, gentle (formerly), innocent, miserable, fearsome, compassionate, honest, dualistic, eloquent, lonely, kind (formerly), strong, curious, sincere, tormented, emotional, dependent, embittered, neglected, furious, violent, evil, murderous, depressed, ruthless, vengeful, hateful

### Appearance

8-feet tall, made of body parts, yellow skin, yellow eyes

### Enemies

Victor Frankenstein
Victor's family and friends

All of humanity

### Likes

Reading, learning, watching the De Lacey's, trying to help others, trying to fit in

### Dislikes

Being rejected, his creator's cruelty, not having a female companion

### Goal

To be loved and accepted by humanity (failed)
 To become friends with the De Lacey family (failed)
To have a companion just like him (failed)
 To kill his creator's family and friends as an act of revenge (succeeded)
 To escape from his creator coming after him (succeeded)

### Fate

Grieves over Victor's body, laments his miserable life to Walton before disappearing up the northern Arctic ice, and presumably dies afterwards

### Famous quotes

"Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful." "I ought to be Thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel..."

> "*How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips*"
> ― Chapter 5
>
>

The Monster, also known as Frankenstein's Monster is a major character in Mary Shelley's *Frankenstein*.

The Monster is a humanoid, hideous creature made of human body parts and is shunned and alone. When his creator Victor Frankenstein abandons and doesn't help him, he angrily turns on him, resulting in tragic consequences.

He has also become an iconic and famous creature in literary culture, resulting in dozens of adaptations, merchandise, etc., with his most notable appearance being in the 1931 film adaptation featuring Boris Karloff as the Monster.

## Description

Brought into the world by a young scientist Victor Frankenstein and was immediately abandoned afterwards, the Monster finds himself alone and confused in a strange new world he had just awakened in. He may have been a giant, grotesque creature, but he had the mind of a newborn since he was completely clueless about life and the world around him. He manages to be like the humans, such as reading and talking, but when he fails to bond with humanity and have a companion, he starts to hurt his creator for leaving him by destroying everything Victor loves.

The Monster had, at one point, compared himself to Adam, the first human created by God, and that he had similar traits to the Biblical figure. He starts life as an adult-like humanoid monster, and without his creator to guide him, he must fend for himself and teach himself survival instincts. But after reading a copy of *Paradise Lost*, he also thinks he is a fallen angel, which could be a reference to Satan. Unlike Adam, who was banished from the Garden of Eden by God after eating the forbidden fruit since he rebelled against him, it could have been the opposite of the Monster. Having been mistreated and banished by society, he has somewhat rebelled at his creator for abandoning him, such as killing his loved ones to get back to him.

Anyone who has read *Frankenstein* can see that the monster is evil and is responsible for making his creator's life miserable. However, some speculate that Victor is the true villain and that the creature is simply an innocent victim who was never meant to be the perfect human being. All he really wants is a family and a society to thrive in, but his creator is so unprejudiced that he will forever be doomed to be shunned and isolated for not being too human.

## Storyline

### Birth/First Discoveries

On a dreary, dark night in November, the Monster is brought to life after his creator Victor Frankenstein spent many months building him from human body parts inside his apartment at the University of Ingolstadt.As soon as the Monster opens his eyes, Victor is horrified by his creation’s hideous appearance and rushes out of his laboratory to his bedroom. After Victor wakes from a nightmare, he sees the Monster holding up his bed curtains, smiling and saying something Victor can’t understand. The Monster reaches out his hand to Victor, but Victor quickly flees the apartment.

However, at the same time, the Monster is confused by the daily elements he’s surrounded by, such as light and darkness and heat and cold.He wanders out of the apartment and realizes he can walk freely but can’t overcome or avoid any obstacles.

He becomes so hot from the sunlight that he finds shade in a forest near Ingolstadt. He rests in the shade when he notices he’s hungry and thirsty and finds some berries to eat from trees and on the ground. He drinks water from the brook and then lays down to sleep.

When he wakes up, it is night, making him cold and scared. Before he left Victor’s apartment, he wore some clothes to keep himself warm, but since he is alone and miserable, he sits down and cries. He then spots the moon over the trees and searches for more berries while guided by the moonlight. He is still cold until he finds a cloak under one of the trees and wears it. He still cannot understand the daily elements but is satisfied with the moon.

Some days pass, and the Monster is used to drinking from the brook and finding shade under the trees. He spots some birds and is delighted by their chirping sounds. He observes the birds and even tries to repeat their chirps, but he cannot. As time passes, he learns more about elements, such as sunlight and tells the difference between an insect and a plant.

One day, the Monster shivers from the cold when he spots a fire left unattended by some wandering beggars. He sits by the fire to keep warm but burns himself when he feels the flames with his hands. He sees the fire is made from wood, and he collects some branches to make more fire, but the branches are too wet, so he lets them dry by the fire until he puts them into the flames. He collects more firewood that he dries by the fire before adding it. When nightfall comes, the Monster fears the fire will be put out, so he covers it with dry wood and leaves and places wet branches onto it. Afterwards, he spreads out his cloak and falls asleep.

The next morning, the Monster uncovers the fire pit, and a gentle breeze relights it. He gathers more branches, and when it is dark again, he sees that the fire also provides light. He finds some food the beggars left behind and learns to cook it in the fire. The food tastes more savoury than the berries but burns the berries when he tries to cook them, But when he cooks nuts and roots, they taste better. After running out of food, he searches for some acorns but wanders further to find more food and shelter. He misses the fire he learned by accident but doesn’t know how to remake it.

The Monster walks through the forest and into the countryside for three days while covering himself with the cloak. There was much snowfall the night before, and the Monster’s feet were cold from walking through the snowdrifts. One morning, he comes across a small hut. He examines it with curiosity and goes inside an open door. An old man is preparing his breakfast near a fire, and when he turns to see the Monster walk in, he screams and runs out of the hut. The Monster is confused by the old man running away from him in terror but is surprised to see the hut shelters him from the snow and rain. He eats the man’s bread, cheese, milk and wine, but he hates the wine. When he finishes, he lies on some straw and goes to sleep.

He wakes up at noon and continues with his journey. He comes across a village by sunset and admires the houses, vegetable gardens and the food on the windows, increasing his appetite. But when he enters one of the cottages, the children scream, a woman faints, and the other villagers throw stones at him until he runs away into the countryside.

### The De Laceys

He seeks shelter inside a hovel attached to a cottage, but the Monster doesn’t dare go inside it. The hovel is made of wood, and the ground is dry, and while the wind can enter through the chinks, it still shelters him from the rain and snow.

The Monster is happy with staying inside the hovel but is still miserable with nature and how the humans treated him. At the crack of dawn, the Monster gets out of the hovel and gets a good view of the cottage. The hovel is located at the back of the cottage and close to a water stream, but he has covered every crevice inside his shelter with wood and stones. He would occasionally move them to let some sunlight inside. After he covers the hovel ground with clean straw, he spots a man in the distance but knows he cannot trust him yet. The previous night, he took some bread and milk from the cottage and noticed that the interior was warm with a chimney.

He is eating his breakfast inside the hovel when he hears a footstep. He looks through the chink and sees a beautiful young woman holding a pail on her head. She is wearing a blue petticoat and a linen jacket, with plaited hair, and looks patient but sad. Less than an hour later, she returns with the pail filled with milk and is joined by a young man, who also looks sad. He takes the pail from her, and they disappear from the Monster’s sight, but he later sees the man again crossing the field with some tools and the woman working.

The Monster discovers a window inside the hovel that used to be part of the cottage but is now boarded up with wood. There is a visible chink that he can look through with his eye, and he can see the cottage's interior. He can see a neat and clean small room with very little furniture. An old man sits in the corner near the fire, and the woman works around the room, takes out a guitar, and gives it to the old man to play. He plays a sweet, beautiful tune until it drives the woman to tears. He lifts her to his feet and smiles kindly at her, which the Monster sees as a combination of pain and pleasure.

Sometime later, the man returns with a load of wood. The woman meets him at the door and takes the wood inside to add it to the fire. Then the man brings in a loaf of bread and cheese, and the woman collects some plants and roots from the garden and cooks them over the fire. She does more chores while the man digs for roots in the garden, and when they are done, they go into the cottage together. The old man is alone, musing to himself but is satisfied when the couple enters and sits down for dinner. After their meal, the old man walks outside, leaning on the arm of the young man, and the woman continues with her chores. The old man goes back inside, and the man goes across the field with different tools.

Nightfall arrives, and the Monster is fascinated by his “neighbours.” That night, the old man plays his guitar, and the young man starts to sing. The Monster doesn’t know about the man’s song as he doesn’t know any speech yet. After the family retires for the night, the Monster goes to sleep, too.

But the Monster can hardly sleep as he thinks over what he observed that day. He sees that the cottage inhabitants are kind, loving people, and he wants to join them but dares not to try it as he remembers what the villagers did to him. He decides to stay in the hovel and observe the inhabitants secretly.

The inhabitants wake up early before sunrise. The woman prepares breakfast, and the man leaves after their meal. It is the same routine as the day before, with the man going most of the day and the woman doing chores. The Monster notices the old man is blind, and he spends his time either playing his guitar or musing. The Monster also notices that the young man and woman are loving and caring to the old man, and he rewards them with a smile.

At the same time, the Monster sees they are unhappy, and the young man and woman are always miserable when they are apart. The Monster is affected by their emotions and wonders why they are unhappy despite living in a beautiful cottage with a warm fire, food and clothing and treating each other with love. He initially cannot figure out the cause of their unhappiness, but as time goes by, he learns they are living in poverty. Their food consists of vegetables from their garden and milk from their cow, which produces very little milk during winter. As such, the cottagers are constantly struggling with hunger, mostly the young couple who serve their food to the old man but have nothing for themselves.

The Monster becomes moved by their kindness, and realizing that stealing their food only brings them more misery, he stops stealing from them and eats berries, nuts and roots from the nearby forest. He also realizes the young man spends all day collecting firewood, and every night, the Monster takes his tools, which he quickly learns how to use, and anonymously leaves the firewood at their door for several days. The first time the Monster secretly brings them their wood, the woman and man are surprised by the wood delivered to their home. Because of this, the young man doesn’t go collect wood but instead fixes the cottage and gardening.

The Monster starts to learn speech from listening to the cottagers speak. He initially finds it hard as they either talk too fast or say some words that make no sense. But the more he stays inside his hovel, the more he learns the words of the familiar objects in their home, such as fire, bread, milk and wood. He also learns the names of the inhabitants: the young man is named Felix, the woman is Agatha, and they call the old man their father. As the Monster gets used to pronouncing their names, he also learns more words he couldn’t understand yet, such as “dearest” and “unhappy.”

He spends the whole winter at the cottage and grows to appreciate his hosts. When they were unhappy, he was depressed, and when they rejoiced, he sympathized with their happiness. He sees very few people besides the family and vows to protect them if any harm comes their way. The father encourages his children to let go of their sadness and be happy. Agatha would listen with teary eyes, and Felix was the most emotional and seemed to be the most depressed of the family.

One early morning, the Monster witnesses Felix clearing away a path from the snow to the milkhouse for Agatha. He collects water from the well and is about to find more wood when he discovers the anonymous firewood left there for him. The Monster assumes Felix sometimes works for another farmer the rest of the day, as he’ll return home by dinner without any wood. He worked in the garden at other times, but since there was nothing to do during winter, he would read to his father and Agatha. The Monster is puzzled by Felix’s reading but later discovers he makes the same sounds when reading aloud. He later improves with his speech but doesn’t know how to ask follow-up questions. He decides he won’t meet them until he has become fluent in speaking their language and hopes that by his experienced speech, they will overlook his ugliness.

One day, the Monster sees his reflection in a pool of water and is horrified by his own appearance. So much so that he becomes despondent of the monster he really is from his reflection. The snow melts away as spring approaches, and Felix is working harder than before. They can now grow plants in their garden for food, and the father would occasionally walk with his son outside when it wasn’t raining. The Monster finds the arrival of spring more pleasant than it had been. In the mornings, he observes the family, and when they are busy doing work, he sleeps until nightfall, when the family retires for the night. If moonlight existed, the Monster would retreat into the forest to search for food and bring back firewood. He would also clear the snow to make a path for his hosts. The family would be astonished, and the Monster would hear them say the words “good spirits” and “wonderful.” At this point, the Monster doesn’t understand what they mean.

The Monster is determined to figure out the cause of Felix and Agatha’s sadness and hopes he can make them happy again. He imagines introducing himself to the family, and while they may be disgusted, they may finally love and befriend him with his gentle words and demeanour; he will first work hard on his speech before he does this. He is overjoyed by the beautiful nature of spring and looks forward to a hopeful future for his hosts.

Spring passes by quickly with fine weather and cloudless skies. The Monster feels restored from the harsh winter with the blooming flowers. One day, the family rests from work, with the father playing his guitar and his children listening. Felix continues to be despondent, and his father wonders why he’s sad. Then there came a tapping at the door, and it is a young lady on horseback accompanied by a local man as her guide. She is dressed in a dark suit and wearing a black veil. Agatha asks who is there, and the woman replies in a cheerful, foreign accent that she has come for Felix. Upon hearing this, Felix rushes to her, and the woman removes her veil. She is a beautiful woman with black, braided hair, dark eyes and a fair complexion.

Felix is instantly overjoyed to see her, and he repeatedly kisses her hand and calls her his “sweet Arabian.” She doesn’t seem to understand him but smiles. After helping her dismount from her horse and dismissing her guide, Felix lets her inside the cottage, where the family warmly welcomes her.

Safie doesn’t speak the same language as the family, so they communicate with her by gesturing. Felix is happy to have Safie in his home, and Agatha gestures to her that Felix had been miserable until she arrived. The Monster is confused by how the family communicates with Safie and realizes she is trying to learn their language. She learns about twenty words in her first lesson until she and Agatha retire early. Felix kisses her goodnight and stays up late conversing with his father. The Monster listens, and Safie is part of their conversation.

The next morning, Felix goes out to work, and Agatha does her chores. Safie listens to the father play his guitar, and the melody is so beautiful, along with her singing voice, that the Monster sheds tears of sorrow and joy. After the father finishes playing, Safie gives it to Agatha, who plays a simple tune. Agatha communicates with Safie through her father’s words that her music delights him. Safie is always cheerful and happy. Within days, she learns to speak the family’s language, and so does the Monster. After two months, the Monster has become fluent in his hosts’ language.

Spring brings a full bloom of flowers, green grass, and sweet scents. It was warm during the day and clear at night, which made it easier for the Monster to forage in the forest. He never leaves his shelter in daylight, as he fears he will have the same treatment he had from the villagers. He spends all day observing the family and is a quick learner of language than Safie. Felix also teaches her with books, and the Monster learns along with her.

The book Felix teaches Safie is the Comte de Volney’s *Ruins of Empires*. The Monster learns about history and the different empires around the world, which gives him an insight into different nations' customs, governments, and religions. He asks himself why men can be good and evil at the same time. For a long time, he doesn’t understand why a man would murder his own fellow being or why laws and governments exist, but he is also disgusted when he learns about violence and bloodshed. Safie and the Monster also learn about human society, wealth, poverty and nobility. He ponders how men are respected when they have riches and money but would have been poor if he didn’t get to live that life. He also ponders the fact that he is penniless with no fortune or friends, and he is a deformed humanoid creature than a human being. He is filled with more sorrow over his knowledge and Agatha and Safie's sweet words. Additionally, he learns about different sexes, pleasures and the birth and growth of children. He laments that he never had loving parents and has never seen another living being who resembles him.

Sometime later, the Monster figures out the family's backstory.The father is named Mr. De Lacey, descended from a wealthy noble family, with Felix being raised in his country's service and Agatha being a proper, noble lady. They lived in Paris and were beloved and respected in their community. Safie's father, a Turkish merchant, had also lived in Paris but was falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit and imprisoned shortly after Safie arrived from Constantinople. The Turk was tried and sentenced to death, and his religion and wealth may have resulted from his conviction.

Felix was at the Turk's trial and was so horrified by the conviction that he vowed to help him. After accessing the prison where the Turk was held, Felix met them at their cell to offer his help. The Turk was overjoyed and wanted to reward him with his wealth. Felix refused his offer, but when he saw Safie, who was allowed to visit her father in prison, he immediately fell in love with her. The Turk then offered him his daughter's hand in marriage in exchange for his escape. While delicate in accepting the offer, Felix looked forward to marrying Safie and consummating.

In the days leading to the Turk's escape, Safie wrote several times to Felix and expressed her thoughts to him, and she managed to write in French as the Turk was fluent in the language. The Monster had even kept copies of the letters to Felix and Agatha. She thanked him for his services in the letters and said her mother was a Christian Arabian whom the Turks enslaved, but her beauty moved them, so they offered her hand in marriage to Safie's father. Her mother had taught her the basics of Christianity and to aspire to intellectuality and independence. After her mother's death, Safie was moved by her lessons but was sickened of returning to Constantinople, and marrying a Christian would make her accepted in society.

The night before the Turk's execution, Felix helped them escape, and they fled Paris with his family's passports. Felix and the fugitives fled through France until they reached Leghorn in Italy, where the Turk resolved to go further to Constantinople himself. Safie would stay with her father until his departure, and he renewed his promise to have Felix and Safie together. Felix stayed with her until their marriage, and during that time, they grew affectionately close, and Safie sang him some songs from her native country. However, the Turk actually despised the idea of his daughter marrying a Christian and thought about betraying Felix to the authorities and bringing Safie back to Constantinople.

Felix received news back home that the French government was outraged that he helped two fugitives escape but had no desire to hunt him down and punish him. After the plot was discovered, Mr. De Lacey and Agatha were sent to jail, and Felix couldn't bear to have them imprisoned. Felix arranged with the Turk that if he managed to escape before returning to Italy, he would have Safie kept in a convent until Felix retrieved her. Afterwards, he quickly returned to Paris to rescue his family from the law and ended up being imprisoned with his family for five months. The government then confiscated their wealth and sent them into exile.

The De Laceys then settled in the German countryside cottage where the Monster found them. Felix learned that after the Turk found out they had been stripped of their wealth, he betrayed his trust and took Safie back to Constantinople while giving Felix some money. After Safie heard the news of Felix's poverty and the Turk told her not to talk about Felix again, she rebelled against her father, and he angrily left her. A few days later, he returned and hastily informed her he believed his presence had become known in Leghorn, and he had hired a vessel to take him back to Constantinople, and he'll leave her In the care of a servant. She came across Felix's exile and whereabouts in some documents left by her father. While initially hesitant, she then took some jewels and money and left Italy with an attendant, who was a native of Leghorn but understood her language.

Safie and the attendant travelled to Germany, where she safely arrived at a town about twenty miles from the cottage. After her attendant fell gravely ill, Safie tried to nurse her back to health, but she died, and Safie was left alone in a country she didn't know about. Fortunately, her attendant mentioned the area where the De Laceys lived, and after her death, the woman who owned the house they stayed in safely escorted her to Felix's cottage.

The De Laceys' history impresses the Monster, and he learns to admire their virtues and despise humanity's cruelty.One night at the beginning of August, he forages in the forest for food and firewood for the De Laceys when he finds an abandoned satchel filled with books. He takes it back to the hovel, and the satchel includes John Milton’s *Paradise Lost*, *Plutarch’s Lives*, and Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s *Sorrows of Werter.* He is fascinated by the books as he reads them, considers Werter divine, and ponders about death and suicide. He even cried when he read the book's ending, even though he didn’t fully understand it. *Plutarch’s Lives* features the histories of the ancient republics, and he learns about the lives of the Greeks and Romans. While he has learned from the De Laceys, the book he reads teaches him more he hasn’t known about yet, but it intrigues him and he compares the Greeks and Romans to the De Laceys.

The Monster is most fascinated by *Paradise Lost*, a biblical poem about the loss of innocence and humanity with Adam and Eve’s banishment from the Garden of Eden by Satan. The Monster even considers it historically accurate instead of a work of imagination. He compares himself to Adam as he doesn’t have a connection to anyone else, and God had created Adam as a beautiful, happy human being who his creator loved. But since Victor had abandoned him to fend for himself, he finds himself alone and helpless and considers himself to be more like Satan in his condition, and he is separated from God and his creation.

He also finds some notes inside the pocket of the clothes he took from the laboratory. While he initially ignored them, he is able to read the written notes. These are Victor’s notes that were written four months before the Monster’s creation, and it describes details of Victor’s progress in making his creation. The Monster is disgusted that Victor had abandoned him and he was made into a horrendous creature.

As he contemplates the De Laceys, he hopes that if he reveals himself to them and expresses his words of kindness, they may see past his ugliness and accept him as their friend. He prepares his plan but waits a few months, worrying he will fail. He becomes more experienced with their daily lives each day he observes them. Since Safie arrived at the cottage, the family has been happier. Felix and Agatha are often amused, and nearby locals help them with their work. While there is peace in the cottage, the Monster longs for hope as he gets over his ugliness. He imagines himself in Paradise, where everyone loves and comforts him, but he knows this is all a dream.

Autumn arrives, and the Monster is filled with despair at the fallen leaves and the bleak nature he felt in the forest for the first time. But his mind is focused on the De Laceys, who are still happy despite the autumn weather, and he is still convinced they will accept him with their love and sympathy and fantasizes about being their friend. Then winter comes, and the Monster continues to plan out his introduction. He first decides to talk to the father when he is alone, and because he’s blind, he may still listen to him and be more prejudiced.

One sunny winter day, Felix, Agatha and Safie go for a walk. The father is alone in the cottage and plays the guitar briefly until he stops playing and sits in reflection. The Monster knows this is the right time to talk to him, as the locals are absent and the cottage’s surroundings are quiet. After summoning up his courage, he removes the planks in the hovel, steps outside and knocks at the cottage door.

The father calls out whoever is there to come in. The Monster enters and replies that he is a traveller who wants to rest by the fire. The father invites him in but tells him that since he's blind and his children are absent, he cannot provide him with some food. The Monster assures him he has food, and he just wants some fire and warmth. He sits by the father in silence, and the old man assumes by his language that he is French. The Monster says he was educated by a French family and only knew the language. He had come to offer protection to some friends, who were also French. He laments that he is a lonely outcast with no friends, and these friends haven't seen him yet. He worries that he will forever be alone if they cannot be his friends.

The father listens to the Monster and takes pity for his loneliness. The Monster explains that his friends are kind but prejudiced against him, as he knows they will only see a hideous monster when they meet him. He has secretly been observing them for months, and their kindness moves him. The father asks where his friends live, and the Monster replies that they live near this spot. The father pauses for a moment and says that he is blind and cannot judge him, but he knows the Monster is being honest and looks forward to supporting him. The Monster thanks him for his generosity and is grateful he won't be driven from society. The father laments that he and his family have also been unfortunate and living in poverty, and he asks the Monster what the names of his friends are and where they live. The Monster struggles to answer his question, knowing this is his chance to have the family accept him. He sinks into his chair, sobs, and hears the young people approach the cottage. He grabs the father and pleads with him to save him, and he and his family are the friends he has been talking about, leaving the father shocked.

At that moment, Felix, Agatha, and Safie enter and react in horror when they see the Monster. Agatha faints, Safie flees, and Felix beats the Monster with a stick as the Monster clings to the old man's knees. The Monster thinks he should fight back, but Felix continues to beat him until the Monster runs away in anguish and hides in his hovel.

That night, the Monster leaves his hovel and ventures into the forest. He is devastated that he has been rejected and grieves throughout the night.He feels like destroying the trees and wildlife around him and declares war on humans. As morning approaches, he hears men's voices and knows he cannot return to the hovel during daylight. He hides and reflects on his situation, and the morning sunshine calms him down. He thinks he may have acted too quickly and finds it foolish to talk to the father and expose himself to his children. He brushes aside his mistakes and plans to return to the cottage and give it a second chance.

He falls asleep during the afternoon, but the women's horror plagues his mind, and Felix beating him. He wakes up exhausted, and it is night. After he forages the forest for food, he returns to the hovel and waits until morning when the family awakens. But when morning arrived, the family didn't appear. The Monster fears something wrong has happened, and when he looks inside, he sees the cottage is dark, and he hears no motion. Two local men appear near the cottage and converse, but they speak in German and not French. Felix then appears with another man, and the Monster is surprised as he knows Felix didn't leave the cottage that morning. He listens anxiously to hear what has happened to the De Laceys.

The man questions Felix if he would pay another three months' rent and lose his crops from the garden and urges him to decide. Felix replies that he and his family can no longer stay at the cottage. He fears for his father's life after what he has just been through, and his wife and sister are permanently scarred from their horror. He negotiates with his landlord for him to give up the lease and leave while trembling in fear. Felix and the landlord enter the cottage briefly and then left. The Monster never sees the De Laceys again.

The Monster sits in his hovel, filled with despair and anguish for the rest of the day. The De Laceys had moved out of the cottage and broken his only connection to human society, and the Monster is now filled with rage and hatred. His mind is focused on killing or injuring people, and his anger increases when he reflects on the De Laceys abandoning him, but he turns on inanimate objects instead. He collects dry grass, straw and heath, places them around the cottage, and destroys all the plants in the garden. Then he waits until nightfall.

When it grows dark, a strong wind picks up. The Monster takes a stick and lights the cottage on fire, with the wind fanning the flames. The Monster retreats to the woods as the cottage becomes engulfed in flames. Afterwards, he considers leaving the German countryside and contemplates where to go now. He then remembers Victor and learns from his papers that he was his creator and lives in Geneva, Switzerland. The Monster decides that is where he will head next. However, he doesn't know how to get there, as the sun is his only guide, and he would need to travel southwestern. He also doesn't know the name of the towns he'll pass by, and he can't get directions from humans as they will likely cower at his appearance. He decides his creator is the only human who can help him now.

### Meeting His Creator/Killing Spree

It is late autumn when the Monster leaves the German countryside and travels only at night for fear of humans spotting him. The rain and snow fell, the ground and rivers frozen, and he found no shelter. Despite the harsh weather, he keeps going and finds a map of the country, but he is still filled with hatred against humans. When he approaches Switzerland, he is overcome with joy by the arrival of spring. He wanders on forest paths when he comes across a rapid river. He debates what path he'll take next when he hears voices, and a young girl runs out near where the Monster sits. Suddenly, she slips and falls into the rapids. The Monster leaps into the water to rescue her and drags her to shore. He tries to revive her when a man appears and who the girl playfully ran away from. When he sees the Monster, he grabs the girl and runs away into the forest. The Monster follows him, but the man shoots him with his gun and flees as the Monster falls to the ground.

He is filled with rage as he has just rescued a girl from drowning and gets shot instead of receiving gratitude. He vows eternal vengeance and hatred against humanity before he faints from being shot. The bullet entered his shoulder, and he spent weeks treating his wound in the woods, with his hatred of mankind increasing. After his wound fully heals, he continues his journey and is no longer blissful by spring nature. Within two months, he reaches Geneva. It becomes dark when he arrives and rests in the fields. Overcome with hunger and fatigue, he falls asleep but is awakened the next day when he sees a beautiful little boy playing in his area. As he gazes at the child, he comes up with an idea. Thinking the boy would be too innocent to be afraid of his deformity, he decides he will have the boy be his personal companion and would have him educate him.

He seizes the boy as he approaches, but as soon as the boy sees the Monster, he covers his face in fear and screams. The Monster removes his hand from his face, says he won't hurt him, and wants him to listen. The boy struggles and begs him to let him go, or he'll fetch his father. The Monster says he won't see his father again and urges him to come with him. When the boy mentions his father's name is Frankenstein and will hunt him down, the Monster realizes he belongs to his creator, who he has sworn vengeance against, and decides the boy will be his first victim. The child struggles as the Monster strangles him to death, and he is overcome with triumph as he gazes at the boy's body and vows to torment and destroy his creator.

The Monster spots something glittering on the boy's body and sees a locket, containing an engraved portrait of a beautiful woman. He is awestruck by the woman's beauty but remembers humans forever isolate him, and the beautiful portrait disgusts him. He finds shelter inside an empty barn and finds a beautiful young woman sleeping in the straw. He pretends to be her lover and whispers to her to wake up. She starts stirring, and the Monster fears she'll wake up, see him and curse him as a murderer. He decides he will have her punished in place of the De Laceys and humankind with whom he couldn't be friends. He places the locket in one of her dress pockets and flees before she wakes up. The boy who the Monster killed was his creator's brother William, and the girl who he framed for murder is Justine Moritz, who will later be falsely convicted and executed.

For a few days afterward, he returns to the crime scene to catch a glimpse of Victor or disappear from humans for good. He wanders alone in the wilderness until he finds Victor.

On the summit of Montavert, the Monster spots Victor and rushes toward him. Victor is horrified when he sees his creation, and he curses at him and wishes for his destruction.The Monster says he may be hated but tells Victor he is responsible for his isolation from humans and warns him if he kills him now, he will murder more people around him. Victor curses him again and dares him to try and kill him. The Monster grabs him and orders him to calm down. He demands his creator to hear out what he has been through and be docile if Victor does what he asks. He even reminds him he is supposed to be his “Adam,” but he is instead the fallen angel. Victor refuses to listen to him, and the Monster tells him that he has tried to connect with humans ever since he abandoned him, but they shun him because of his hideous appearance. He has roamed around the bleak wilderness for days and sought shelter inside the glacier caves. He again urges Victor to hear his story and then allows him to decide whether he wants to kill him. Victor curses the day he created him and has made his life miserable ever since.

The Monster decides it is too cold outside to narrate his story and resolves they find some shelter in a hut. Victor reluctantly follows him as they cross the ice and into the hut. While surrounded by a warm fire, the Monster narrates his entire story, from his birth to his time with the De Laceys to when he kills William and frames Justine. During his story, he accuses Victor of his existence several times.

After the Monster finishes his story, he makes Victor promise to make him a female monster who is just as ugly and hideous as he is, and they will not depart until Victor obeys his request.Victor is bewildered by his creation’s story and request, but he refuses to make him a female mate and doing so will ruin the world. The Monster angrily says he only wants to reason with him, but he acts maliciously because he is miserable, and Victor could still destroy him and tell him why he should sympathize with humanity. He threatens Victor’s destruction if he doesn’t grant his request. After he calms down, he explains that if Victor does make him a female companion, they will live a life without misery, even though they may not be happy, and he begs his creator to do what he’s told. The Monster's request moves Victor, and there is some justice in his explanation. Seeing his creator’s reaction, the Monster reveals that if he does make him a female mate, they will disappear from humans forever and travel to South America, where they will eat only nuts and berries and sleep on a bed of dried leaves.

Victor asks the Monster how he can live in exile without kindness and love from humans. He warns that if he tries to reconnect with humans, they will reject him again, and he will cause more destruction along with his companion. He again refuses to consent, and the Monsters says he has moved a moment ago and again turns down his request. He insists he and his companion will permanently cut off contact with humanity and live out the rest of their lives in a harsh wilderness. Despite Victor’s sympathy, he is still disgusted by the Monster’s appearance and asks him if he vowed to be docile and not provoke him with his malice and if this would satisfy his revenge against him. The Monster demands his answer, as hatred will consume him until he gets what he wants and is given love and affection.

Victor contemplates for a moment, and then he agrees to make him a female mate but makes him swear an oath that once his mate is created, they will disappear from humanity forever and live out their whole lives in exile. The Monster vows if his request is granted, he will never hear from him again. He urges Victor to go home to start his preparations and says he will monitor his progress before he leaves and descends the mountain until he is out of sight.

In late September, Victor travels to England to get information about making a female monster while accompanied by his close friend Henry Clerval. But throughout his travels, the Monster secretly follows him wherever he goes.After arriving in Scotland, Victor and Clerval part ways, and Victor travels to the Orkney Islands, where he sets up a laboratory inside an empty hut and starts work on the female monster.Unbeknownst to him, the Monster has also secretly followed him to Scotland.

Victor separates from his friend and sets up a laboratory inside an empty hut at the Orkney Islands, where he constructs the female monster. One night, while Victor ponders about bringing the female creature to life, the Monster stares at him through the window and smiles, which disgusts Victor and causes him to destroy the unfinished project.The Monster howls in despair and leaves, but several hours later, he returns to the hut by boat and storms inside. He confronts his creator for breaking his promise and how his long journey from Switzerland to Scotland has been difficult. Victor replies he has the right to break his promise as he will never again make another hideous humanoid creature. The Monster says he has control over him now, and Victor says his threats won't make him change his mind and orders him to leave. The Monster gets angry, refers to his creator as "Man," and vows revenge. Victor replies that he is not scared of him and orders him to leave. The Monster agrees to leave him but warns him he will be with him on his wedding night. Victor replies he wants him to be safe before he kills him, and the Monster leaves the hut and sails away from the island on his boat until he disappears. Later, The Monster kills Clerval, and his body washes ashore in Ireland, where Victor is falsely accused of his murder but later acquitted.

## Personality/Appearance

The Monster begins life as a naive, sensitive child who can’t understand daily elements and is unable to speak. Without his creator to look after him or guide him, he does what he can to try and survive. Along the way, he had to teach himself how to cook food and understand empathy. He notices that everyone is terrified of him and chases him off, but he doesn’t understand why they are afraid of him or if he can observe their emotions. It isn’t until he shelters in a hovel attached to a cottage and observes the De Lacey family that he experiences love and affection for the first time. He pities when he watches as Felix and Agatha struggle to survive in their isolation, and their father is being prejudiced because of his blindness. He aspires to be like them in their society and is determined to make them happy again.

While observing the De Laceys, the Monster shows kindness and generosity when he realizes that the family is poor, so he stops eating their food and anonymously leaves firewood at their door each night. By doing so, he can secretly help the family and not cause them to struggle more without food. He believes that all humans are good, and they will look past his ugliness and welcome him into society. However, he learns afterwards that not all humans are kind and are capable of committing such cruel, evil acts. When he sees his ugly reflection for the first time, he sees that the humans reject him because they judge him for his appearance, not his kind nature. Because of this, he starts to lose his innocence and becomes more isolated, knowing that he was never born into a loving family, nor would he ever experience love. As time passes, he becomes a quick learner, and within less than a few months, he has become fluent in speech after listening to the family speak French; therefore, he goes from naive and confused to eloquent and intelligent. Like Walton and Victor, he pursues knowledge as dangerous because once someone learns something, it cannot be reversed and can have terrible consequences.

He starts losing his innocence after he reads *Paradise Lost*, John Milton’s Biblical poem on how Adam and Eve fall from grace and are banished from the Garden of Eden after disobeying God. While God loved his creations, the Monster felt that his creator never loved him, as revealed in his notes on how he built it and then became disgusted by it. As such, he compares himself with Satan because he has been secluded from loving the De Laceys and envies their happiness, just like how Satan was expelled from heaven by God, hence why he also refers to himself as the fallen angel.

After he has been rejected by the De Laceys and learns they have abandoned their cottage because of him, he becomes consumed with anger and vengeance, determined to declare war on humanity for their injustice and for treating him as an outcast. While he temporarily becomes good again when he rescues a young girl from drowning, only to be shot by the girl’s guardian instead of being granted gratitude, it causes the Monster’s rage to increase, to the point when he chooses murder as his motive to cause pain to Victor and humanity for rejecting him. He despises his creator for abandoning him and making him the only living being of his species, not a mate or another humanoid creature like him. When he meets his creator again, rather than lash out at him with his fury, he calmly asks him to hear out his story and reminds him that he’s responsible for his existence. He then wishes to atone for his sins by urging Victor to make him a female mate, as having a companion would be his only escape from isolation, and he would have a family of his own. He would no longer wish to cause violence and revenge, and he and his companion would live in peace. But even so, it is likely that the two monsters would be prejudiced and live alone from human civilization. In Victor’s view, they won’t get along and produce offspring of humanoid, ugly monsters that would wreak havoc and cause destruction and chaos to humanity.

When Victor relents and agrees to make him a female mate, the Monster is eager to get what he wants and even reminds him he will monitor his progress, which may explain why he has secretly followed Victor from Switzerland to Scotland. But when he watches Victor rip apart his unfinished companion, the Monster is devastated and furious again. He orders his creator to obey him and accept him as his new master, but Victor refuses to take orders from him, saying he has every right not to make something that may prove to be disastrous. This time, the Monster becomes vengeful towards his master by killing his bride on his wedding night. This is because the Monster was never given a mate, and by killing Victor’s wife, he would rob him of something he truly loves. With his revenge complete, the Monster challenges Victor to try and pursue him, as he has more intelligence and wit to outrun him across the globe quickly. He would leave behind taunting messages of his whereabouts, fuelling Victor’s revenge against him and toying him to keep going. But after they arrive in the Arctic and Victor dies from exposure on Walton’s ship, the Monster grieves over Victor’s body, begging for forgiveness. He laments to Walton that he is remorseful for killing innocent people and didn’t mean to be evil. He has gotten over his anger and vengeance and decides that life isn’t worth living anymore now that he’s alone in the world without his creator or a companion.

The Monster is described as a giant, 8 feet tall humanoid creature built from exhumed body parts with stitches. He is also known to have yellow skin and yellow eyes.

## Relationships

### Victor Frankenstein

The Monster's creator. After being left on his own without his creator, the Monster initially wants him to make him a female companion as ugly as he is, but when it fails, he declares revenge on Victor by killing all his loved ones and ruining his life. The Monster has even reminded his creator that he is his offspring and he should try to help him for once.

### The De Laceys

An exiled French noble family who the Monster secretly observes for months while living in a hovel next to their cottage. He learns and teaches himself from them, such as talking and reading. He is sympathetic to how impoverished the family is and wants to be more generous towards them and even be their friend. However, he ends up being disappointed when he fails to bond with them.

### Robert Walton

An English sea captain. The Monster meets him at the end of the story while paying his final respects to Victor's body. He confesses to him all about his suffering and misery before he leaves overboard and disappears for good.

## Portrayals

* In the 1931 film adaptation, the Monster is portrayed by Boris Karloff, one of his most famous portrayals in his career, and the Monster's appearance is sometimes associated with Karloff's performance.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 5
2. ↑ Chapter 11
3. ↑ Chapter 12
4. ↑ Chapter 13
5. ↑ Chapter 14
6. ↑ Chapter 15
7. ↑ Chapter 16
8. ↑ Chapter 10
9. ↑ Chapter 17
10. ↑ Chapter 18
11. ↑ Chapter 19
12. ↑ Chapter 20
13. ↑ Chapter 21