Frankenstein is a science fiction novel written by British author, Mary Shelley. Traveling to many different places in Europe, Mary Shelley was compelled to write the story, which takes place in various European countries, and was first published anonymously in 1818. Overall, the book narrates the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a monster, and the frightful experience he has dealing with the creature since once it is brought to life. The interactions between the two characters are terrifying and disastrous, and it is hard to say who is at fault for leading their stories to a tragic ending.

Victor Frankenstein devotes himself fully to scientific research after suffering from extreme grief due to the death of his mother, so he creates a monster, who is much stronger and more agile than normal human beings. The moment he creates the monster, he regrets his decision to bring such a horrible creature into the world and feels ashamed of this ugly brute. From the very beginning, he is filled with the feeling of abhorrence towards the creature and even wants to destroy it. Possessing the same senses as humans, the creature obviously genuinely feels the strong aversion from his creator. Just like a child discarded by his father, his desire for love from Victor transforms into his hatred towards the whole world. As he says to Victor, “You accuse me of murder; and yet you would, with a satisfied conscience, destroy your own creature. Oh, praise the eternal justice of man!” In my opinion, the monster should not be blamed for committing so many crimes; Victor also shoulders part of the responsibility.

Escaping from Victor’s apartment, the monster exposes himself to the outside world; he learns how people interact and communicate with each other from a family living in a cottage in the woods. Thankful for what he learns from them, the creature expresses his gratitude and friendliness by secretly collecting wood for the family. His emotion is, again, like a child in the sense that he wants to become friends with these people whom he likes and feels curious about. However, the cruelty of human nature destroys all his wishes. Due to his fearsome appearance, the family is so frightened when they see him that they all flee away. The creature blames Victor for his miserable experience, “Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?” After this incidence, the monster decides to take revenge, for he blames Victor for bringing him to the world, where he cannot feel any warmth.

In a conversation between them, the monster first asks, then threatens Victor to create another female version of himself, so they could seclude to a place where they would not interfere with Victor’s life. The creature’s intention is understandable, as he still desires love from somebody. He says, “I am alone and miserable. Only someone as ugly as I am could love me.” Due to the affliction he experiences and the malevolence he receives from everyone he meets, he wants to have someone who can accompany him. Victor initially agrees at the beginning, for he fears the hostility from this horrible monster, but breaks his promises, deciding to fight against the monster to the end. This leads to a more severe tragedy as Victor’s best friend and his fiancée both die at the hands of the creature. The creature is not justified in continuing to kill so many people, but Victor’s breaking of his promise also plays an important role in the tragic ending.

As I was reading Frankenstein, it urged me to consider a lot more than the plot of the story. Everything in the world has duality; the creature is ugly and cruel, but its cold-bloodedness comes derives from the malevolence omitted[MOU1]  by people around him. Furthermore, the layout of the book is also interesting. It starts off with a selection of letters between a captain and his sister, continues with the perspectives from Victor, follows with the narratives of the monsters, and returns to the letters between the captain and his sister. Therefore, I strongly recommend reading this book, as I believe that it is truly a work of worth-reading science fiction worth reading, especially for teenagers.