Is the monster truly Frankenstein, or is the creator the real monster of the story?
In short: Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel introduced a nameless, eight-foot-tall creature created by a student of natural science. While the public often conflates the creator with his creation, the original text paints a complex portrait of a lonely, intelligent being driven to vengeance by the relentless rejection of human society.
In Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, Victor Frankenstein is a Swiss student who discovers a scientific principle to animate non-living matter. Working in Ingolstadt, he constructs an eight-foot-tall artificial man from corpses. Upon succeeding, he is immediately repulsed by the creature’s appearance and abandons it. This act of desertion sets the stage for the creature’s tragic evolution from a curious, affection-seeking being into a vengeful antagonist.
The creature’s lack of a name is a central literary device. Shelley refers to him as a 'fiend,' 'wretch,' or 'monster,' and she famously delighted in the blank space left for his name in early stage adaptations. While the name 'Frankenstein' has become synonymous with the creature in popular culture—a trend solidified by 20th-century film portrayals like Boris Karloff’s—this was not the author’s intent. Modern interpretations have attempted to fill this void with names like 'Adam,' 'Deucalion,' or 'Proteus,' yet the creature remains fundamentally defined by his status as an outcast.
The story serves as a cautionary tale about the ethical implications of scientific discovery. Victor’s frenetic pursuit of life-creation leads him to neglect his health and family, ultimately resulting in the deaths of his brother William, his friend Henry Clerval, and his wife Elizabeth Lavenza. By the time Victor dies aboard a ship near the North Pole, the boundary between creator and creation has blurred. The monster, having lost his only connection to humanity, is left to mourn his creator, cementing his place in a border territory between protagonist and antagonist.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Frankenstein | Character, Victor, Monster, Characteristics, Analysis, & Facts | Britannica
- Also: Frankenstein's monster
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