Miserable Wretch

Frankenstein
Mary Shelley

In the novel, Victor Frankenstein shares similarities with the monster he created. One significant similarity between the two is their loneliness. Victor created a monster unlike any other being. Society rejected the monster, and Victor abandoned his creation in terror. The monster began his life alone. The closest the monster had to companionship was the DeLacey family. He learned to speak from this family, and he also learned about cultures and society. "Increase of knowledge only discovered to me more clearly what a wretched outcast I was" (Shelley, 93). The more that the creature learned, the more he realized that society, although able to love other humans, would never accept a monster. Rejection made the monster miserable. His only request of his creator was that he accept him like God accepted Adam, or that he would make a female companion for the creature. Neither occurred. This misery caused the creature to inflict suffering upon Victor. Perhaps the creature's actions were a way to feel included because then he would not be the only miserable being on the planet. After losing significant relationships, Victor stated that, "No creature had ever been so miserable as I was" (Shelley, 146). Victor felt the same way that the monster felt from the beginning, alone and miserable. Even before this, Victor's loneliness at college may have caused him to create the monster in the first place. Victor and the monster both fought against each other, but they both ultimately wanted the same thing: a relationship.