In western civilization, physical beauty is a representation of goodness and virtuousness. The grotesque and deformed are feared and are frequently depicted as immorality. The unsightliness of Frankenstein ‘s animal fosters the construct that ugliness and evil are synonymous. Mary Shelley challenges the thought that a individual ‘s visual aspect is a contemplation of their unconditioned nature. Shelley gives the Other a compelling voice and shows how the power of narrative can dramatically act upon people to overlook their biass. Peoples shriek, swoon and flee when they foremost see the monster, nevertheless when he is heard he is able to arouse poignancy from the other characters.

One might reason that it is a natural reaction to fear a ghastly eight pes tall animal with xanthous eyes, black lips and xanthous tegument. “ No person could back up the horror of that visage. A ma once more endued with life could non be so horrid as that wretch. ” ( 35 ) Frankenstein describes his creative activity on two separate occasions as “ excessively atrocious for human eyes, ” ( 35, 98 ) yet he delivers some of the most beautiful transitions in the novel. While the monster ‘s visual aspect seems to be the job, he ‘s able to travel the other characters through his address.

Although the animal is composed of human parts from the deceased, his Godhead sees him merely as “ the amuck cadaver to which I had so miserably given life. ” ( 35 )

It is clear that Victor sees the monster as non-human, yet experience his humanity. “ His words had a unusual consequence upon me. I compassionated him, and sometimes felt a wish to comfort him ; but when I looked upon him, when I saw the foul mass that moved and talked, my bosom sickened, and my feelings were altered to those of horror and hatred. ” ( 99 ) Any empathy Victor has for him is superseded by his terrorizing visual aspect. Later, Frankenstein is moved by his supplication for a comrade and commences constructing a comrade.

William ‘s splanchnic reaction to the monster is typical of a kid. The monster falsely assumes that because the male child is immature, he may be just towards him. Even though the monster says “ I do non mean to ache you ; listen to me. ” ( 96 ) The male child ca n’t hear him. “ Monster! Ugly wretch! You wish to eat me, and rupture me to pieces-You are an monster. ” ( 96 ) Prejudice is learned and kids are non immune from society ‘s conditioning to fear the Other.

The old blind adult male is the lone 1 that “ sees ” him as homo. “ There is something in your words which persuades me that you are sincere. I am hapless, and an expatriate ; but it will afford me true pleasance to be in any manner serviceable to a human animal. ” ( 91 ) The power of address enables to the monster ‘s to demo his humanity.

Victor tells Walton to transport out his mission of killing the monster. He is warned that “ he is facile and persuasive ; and once his words had even power over my bosom: but trust him non. His psyche is every bit beastly as his signifier, full of perfidy and fiend-like maliciousness. Hear him non. ” ( 145 ) Walton has the same initial reaction to the monster as Victor ; they both describe him as a “ ma. ” ( 152 ) “ Never did I lay eyes on a vision so atrocious as his face, of such loathsome, yet shocking hideousness. I shut my eyes involuntarily, and endeavoured to remember what were my responsibilities with respect to this destroyer. I called on him to remain. ” ( 152 ) Like Victor, Walton besides relates to the monster. They both feel compassion for him and place with the monster ‘s solitariness and as they excessively long for company. One can merely see in others what they already see in themselves. The monster ‘s ability to arouse understanding from Walton, who has been informed of his slaying victims, speaks volumes about the clemency of humanity. The monster rapidly realizes how limited he is without the ability to pass on hence unable to alter people ‘s misconceptions of him.

“ I ought non to do the effort until I had first become maestro of their linguistic communication, which cognition might enable to to do them overlook the malformation of my figure. ” ( 76 ) “ I imagined that they would be disgusted, until, by my soft demeanor, and pacifying words, I should foremost win their favor, and afterwards their love. ” ( 77 )

Learning to talk therefore becomes his main motive to carry that he is harmless and non a menace to society. The monster ‘s use of linguistic communication allows him to turn out his ain humanity to the reader through his usage of facile prose to show his really human desires and emotions. Throughout the text, everyone that comes in to reach with the monster loathes the sight of him yet one time he speaks he ‘s able to radically change their perceptual experience of him. Shelley uses multiple narrations to raise empathy from the reader.

The importance that humans topographic point on outward visual aspect is highly important in this novel. Society is speedy to label and categorise people entirely based on visual aspect. Shelley may be proposing that worlds classify and label people to give ourselves a false sense of security. Our greatest fright is the unknown. The monster is a symbol of those who suffer because they are different.