Goelz Post #3

Although the tragic ending of this story occurs due to the malevolent and terrible behavior of the characters, it seems that Shelley's implications go much deeper than labeling a human as inherently evil. Despite the characters' horrible actions, they did begin as curious, intellectual beings that sought a pure and productive education. All the murders and lies were external events that happened because of a shift in human nature. Shelley's point is that humans are born inherently good, but through an entirely independent circumstance they can turn sour. Both Frankenstein and his monster start out as innocently inquisitive characters; Frankenstein was in pursuit of achievement in the sciences and the monster was in pursuit of intelligence about the greater world. The monster was corrupted by the blind cruelty and judgment that the humans treated him with. If his creator and those around him had accepted him from the get go, he would have remained a curious, harmless creature that only wished to learn. If they had stopped and listened to him, they would have found that he was an eloquent, well-spoken, articulate being. Frankenstein started out similarly, and there is no clear explanation as to why he rejected his creation in such a terrible way, but once they were slight enemies, it went downhill. When the monster started killing people he loved, Frankenstein began to turn bad. In both situations, the characters become evil due to external occurrences that weren’t predetermined physiological attributes. At the end of the book, the monster says, “I have murdered the lovely and the helpless; I have strangled the innocent as they slept, and grasped to death his throat who never injured me or any other living thing. I have devoted my creator, the select specimen of all that is worthy of love and admiration among men, to misery; I have pursued him even to that irremediable ruin. There he lies, white and cold in death. You hate me; but your abhorrence cannot equal that which I regard myself. I look on the hands which executed the deed; I think on the heart in which the imagination of it was conceived, and long for the moment when these hands will meet my eyes, when that imagination will haunt my thoughts no more (pg. 165)”. This quote expresses that the monster has deep emotions such as sympathy and regret. Although he has committed terrible crimes, he feels remorse and sorrow, for it was not in his default setting to be a murderer. He also says, “Once I falsely hoped to meet with beings who, pardoning my outward form, would love me for the excellent qualities which I was capable of unfolding. I was nourished with high thoughts of honour and devotion. But now crime has degraded me beneath the meanest animal (pg. 165)”. The characters were inherently good, but through dire circumstances they have lost this innocence.

 I loosely agree with this theory, for a child begins its life as a purely innocent creature. Although they hold selfish qualities, they are simplistic and inherently good. They intrinsically care about the truth and beauty in the world, for they don’t understand the corrupt nature of adults. As they grow and develop, other factors enter their minds that distract them from being good humans. They have to make money, provide for themselves, become avid consumers, and succeed in life. A common root of these achievements is corrupt behavior, since they have to climb their way to the top. Like many students who posted before me, however, I believe that the world is not entirely black and white. Especially nowadays with all the conflicting views and opinions, it is hard to label someone as “good” or “bad”. However, “good” behavior is much more common in young children and “bad” behavior is much more common in adults. Coincidence? I think not.