Character Analysis of The Creaturein Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
...the forest. He was curious at the site for he had never seen such a thing. He walked inside to find an older man preparing breakfast. At the sight of him, the man shrieked and ran from his home fearing for his life. Although this is another instance of rejection in the creature’s life, it gave him an opportunity to feed himself and rest in warmth. After leaving his resting-place, he came to a beautiful village that he admired for their vegetable gardens and lovely homes. He again, unknowingly, invited himself into one of the nicest cottages in the village. Upon entering, the children cried and the woman of the house fainted. “The whole village was roused, some fled, some attacked me, until grievously bruised by stones and other missile weapons, I escaped to the open country and fearfully took refuge” (Shelley, 98). Realizing now how repulsive he was to humans, he decided to hide away in the forest away from people. Desperately in need of shelter from the rain and snow, the creature decided to reside in a small hovel that was part of a cottage in the forest. In this cottage lived a family of three, a blind father, his daughter Agatha, and her brother Felix. The creature was able to observe this family through the cracks of wooden boards of his hovel. He admired and deeply cared for them. He could see that this family was saddened by something, although he did not know by what. But despite their sadness and depression, they did the best they could and I believe that this meant so much to the creature. The creature greatly appreciated music and literature. He observed the father playing an instrument that gave him a wonderful feeling. He said it sounded sweeter than the sounds of a nightingale. “It was a lovely sight, even to me, poor wretch! who had never beheld aught beautiful sight before” (Shelley, 100). He enjoyed listening to the family speak and read, and eventually he learned to speak their native French language. The creature performed random anonymous acts of kindness for the poor family, for he saw they struggled and often times went without eating. “I found the youth spent a great part of each day in collecting wood for the family fire; and during the night, I often took his tools, the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days” (Shelley, 102). After spending a lot of time watching the family, the creature learned to read and speak as they did. He decided to attempt talking to the father, for he is blind and will not be able to judge him by his hideous appearance. He experiences a lot of nervousness as he works up the courage to approach the father and seek his companionship. “My heart beat quick, this was the hour and moment of trial, which would decide my hopes, or realise my fears” (Shelley, 119). Upon talking to the father for a very short time, Agatha and Felix walked in to see an appalling monster at their father’s feet. “Felix darted towards me, 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” (Shelley, 121). Instead of attacking Felix out of rage, he left the cottage feeling saddened, because he was now abandoned be his only “family” in the world. The creature then performed his first violent act out of rejection and pain. When he returned to his hovel, he found the family to be gone and never to come back. He was furious with anger and burned the cottage and the hovel to the ground. He was now on his own again, isolated and angry. Feeling so much rejection and isolation the creature vowed eternal hatred to all mankind. One day while in the woods, a small boy disturbed hi...