An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1715 words)
he being finished speaking and fixed his looks upon me in the expectation of a reply. But I was bewildered, perplexed, and unable to arrange my ideas sufficiently to understand the full extent of his proposition. He continued,
"You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone can do, and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse to concede."
The latter part of his tale had kindled anew in me the anger that had died away while he narrated his peaceful life among the cottagers, and as he said this I could no longer suppress the rage that burned within me.
"I do refuse it," I replied; "and no torture shall ever extort a consent from me. You may render me the most miserable of men, but you shall never make me base in my own eyes. Shall I create another like yourself, whose joint wickedness might desolate the world. Begone! I have answered you; you may torture me, but I will never consent."
"You are in the wrong," replied the fiend; "and instead of threatening, I am content to reason with you. I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind? You, my creator, would tear me to pieces and triumph; remember that, and tell me why I should pity man more than he pities me? You would not call it murder if you could precipitate me into one of those ice-rifts and destroy my frame, the work of your own hands. Shall I respect man when he condemns me? Let him live with me in the interchange of kindness, and instead of injury I would bestow every benefit upon him with tears of gratitude at his acceptance. But that cannot be; the human senses are insurmountable barriers to our union. Yet mine shall not be the submission of abject slavery. I will revenge my injuries; if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear, and chiefly towards you my arch-enemy, because my creator, do I swear inextinguishable hatred. Have a care; I will work at your destruction, nor finish until I desolate your heart, so that you shall curse the hour of your birth."
A fiendish rage animated him as he said this; his face was wrinkled into contortions too horrible for human eyes to behold; but presently he calmed himself and proceeded—
"I intended to reason. This passion is detrimental to me, for you do not reflect that you are the cause of its excess. If any being felt emotions of benevolence towards me, I should return them a hundred and a hundredfold; for that one creature's sake I would make peace with the whole kind! But I now indulge in dreams of bliss that cannot be realized. What I ask of you is reasonable and moderate; I demand a creature of another sex, but as hideous as myself; the gratification is small, but it is all that I can receive, and it shall content me. It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another. Our lives will not be happy, but they will be harmless and free from the misery I now feel. Oh! My creator, make me happy; let me feel gratitude towards you for one benefit! Let me see that I excite the sympathy of some existing thing; do not deny me my request!"
I was moved. I shuddered when I thought of the possible consequences of my consent, but I felt that there was some justice in his argument. His tale and the feelings he now expressed proved him to be a creature of fine sensations, and did I not as his maker owe him all the portion of happiness that it was in my power to bestow? He saw my change of feeling and continued,
"If you consent, neither you nor any other human being shall ever see us again; I will go to the vast wilds of South America. My food is not that of man; I do not destroy the lamb and the kid to glut my appetite; acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment. My companion will be of the same nature as myself and will be content with the same fare. We shall make our bed of dried leaves; the sun will shine on us as on man and will ripen our food. The picture I present to you is peaceful and human, and you must feel that you could deny it only in the wantonness of power and cruelty. Pitiless as you have been towards me, I now see compassion in your eyes; let me seize the favourable moment and persuade you to promise what I so ardently desire."
"You propose," replied I, "to fly from the habitations of man, to dwell in those wilds where the beasts of the field will be your only companions. How can you, who long for the love and sympathy of man, persevere in this exile? You will return and again seek their kindness, and you will meet with their detestation; your evil passions will be renewed, and you will then have a companion to aid you in the task of destruction. This may not be; cease to argue the point, for I cannot consent."
"How inconstant are your feelings! But a moment ago you were moved by my representations, and why do you again harden yourself to my complaints? I swear to you, by the earth which I inhabit, and by you that made me, that with the companion you bestow I will quit the neighbourhood of man and dwell, as it may chance, in the most savage of places. My evil passions will have fled, for I shall meet with sympathy! My life will flow quietly away, and in my dying moments I shall not curse my maker."
His words had a strange effect upon me. I compassionated him and sometimes felt a wish to console him, but when I looked upon him, when I saw the filthy mass that moved and talked, my heart sickened and my feelings were altered to those of horror and hatred. I tried to stifle these sensations; I thought that as I could not sympathize with him, I had no right to withhold from him the small portion of happiness which was yet in my power to bestow.
"You swear," I said, "to be harmless; but have you not already shown a degree of malice that should reasonably make me distrust you? May not even this be a feint that will increase your triumph by affording a wider scope for your revenge?"
"How is this? I must not be trifled with, and I demand an answer. If I have no ties and no affections, hatred and vice must be my portion; the love of another will destroy the cause of my crimes, and I shall become a thing of whose existence everyone will be ignorant. My vices are the children of a forced solitude that I abhor, and my virtues will necessarily arise when I live in communion with an equal. I shall feel the affections of a sensitive being and become linked to the chain of existence and events from which I am now excluded."
I paused some time to reflect on all he had related and the various arguments which he had employed. I thought of the promise of virtues which he had displayed on the opening of his existence and the subsequent blight of all kindly feeling by the loathing and scorn which his protectors had manifested towards him. His power and threats were not omitted in my calculations; a creature who could exist in the ice caves of the glaciers and hide himself from pursuit among the ridges of inaccessible precipices was a being possessing faculties it would be vain to cope with. After a long pause of reflection I concluded that the justice due both to him and my fellow creatures demanded of me that I should comply with his request. Turning to him, therefore, I said,
"I consent to your demand, on your solemn oath to quit Europe forever, and every other place in the neighbourhood of man, as soon as I shall deliver into your hands a female who will accompany you in your exile."
"I swear," he cried, "by the sun, and by the blue sky of heaven, and by the fire of love that burns in my heart, that if you grant my prayer, while they exist you shall never behold me again. Depart to your home and commence your labours; I shall watch their progress with unutterable anxiety; and fear not but that when you are ready I shall appear."
Saying this, he suddenly quitted me, fearful, perhaps, of any change in my sentiments. I saw him descend the mountain with greater speed than the flight of an eagle, and quickly lost among the undulations of the sea of ice.
His tale had occupied the whole day, and the sun was upon the verge of the horizon when he departed. I knew that I ought to hasten my descent towards the valley, as I should soon be encompassed in darkness; but my heart was heavy, and my steps slow. The labour of winding among the little paths of the mountain and fixing my feet firmly as I advanced perplexed me, occupied as I was by the emotions which the occurrences of the day had produced. Night was far advanced when I came to the halfway resting-place and seated myself beside the fountain. The stars shone at intervals as the clouds passed from over them; the dark pines rose before me, and every here and there a broken tree lay on the ground; it was a scene of wonderful solemnity and stirred strange thoughts within me. I wept bitterly, and clasping my hands in agony, I exclaimed, "Oh! Stars and clouds and winds, ye are all about to mock me; if ye really pity me, crush sensation and memory; let me become as nought; but if not, depart, depart, and leave me in darkness.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
When we create something dependent on us then abandon it, we don't escape consequences—we create a dangerous force that will eventually return to demand accountability.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when something we've created or started is coming back to demand our attention.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when problems at work or home trace back to something you started but didn't finish—then ask yourself if addressing it now might prevent bigger issues later.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"I am malicious because I am miserable."
Context: The creature explains why he has become violent and vengeful.
This reveals the core tragedy - the creature wasn't born evil, but became so through suffering. It's both an explanation and an excuse, showing how pain can justify harmful actions in our own minds.
In Today's Words:
I hurt people because I'm hurting.
"You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!"
Context: The creature asserts power over Victor by threatening consequences if his demands aren't met.
This power reversal shows how abandoned children often gain control over their neglectful parents through guilt and fear. The creature has learned to weaponize Victor's conscience.
In Today's Words:
You made this mess, so now you have to fix it - or else.
"I will be with you on your wedding night."
Context: The creature's final threat if Victor refuses to create a companion.
This ominous promise shows how the creature will destroy Victor's chance at happiness if denied his own. It's both a specific threat and a promise of lifelong torment.
In Today's Words:
I'll ruin the best day of your life if you don't give me what I want.
"If I have no ties and no affections, hatred and vice must be my portion."
Context: The creature explains how isolation has corrupted his nature.
This shows the creature's understanding that love and connection are necessary for goodness. Without them, he argues, evil is inevitable. It's both insight and manipulation.
In Today's Words:
If nobody loves me, then I'll have no choice but to be bad.
Thematic Threads
Responsibility
In This Chapter
Victor faces the full weight of abandoning his creation, who eloquently demands accountability for his suffering
Development
Evolved from Victor's initial flight from responsibility to direct confrontation with consequences
In Your Life:
You might see this when avoiding difficult conversations or neglecting relationships until they reach a crisis point
Social Rejection
In This Chapter
The creature's story reveals how complete social isolation corrupted his naturally good impulses
Development
Introduced here through the creature's perspective on his treatment by humanity
In Your Life:
You might recognize this in how workplace exclusion or family rejection can make people bitter and reactive
Class
In This Chapter
The creature is rejected not for his actions but for his appearance—judged instantly as unworthy of human society
Development
New angle showing how physical appearance determines social acceptance
In Your Life:
You might experience this when people make assumptions about your worth based on how you look or where you're from
Identity
In This Chapter
The creature struggles with self-understanding, learning about humanity while being excluded from it
Development
Introduced here as the creature grapples with what he is and where he belongs
In Your Life:
You might feel this when caught between different worlds—not quite fitting into any group completely
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
The creature's demand for a companion reveals how fundamental connection is to psychological health
Development
New perspective showing how relationship needs drive desperate behavior
In Your Life:
You might see this in how isolation makes people act in increasingly extreme ways to get attention or connection
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What does the creature tell Victor about how he learned to understand human society, and why couldn't he join it?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does the creature believe Victor owes him a companion, and what does this reveal about the relationship between creator and creation?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see the pattern of abandonment creating bigger problems in workplaces, families, or communities today?
application • medium - 4
If you were Victor, how would you weigh your responsibility to the creature against the potential danger to others?
application • deep - 5
What does the creature's story teach us about how isolation and rejection can change someone's character over time?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Abandoned Responsibilities
Think about something you started or someone you took responsibility for, then abandoned or neglected. Write down what you created or took on, why you stepped back, and what consequences followed. Then consider: Is this responsibility still demanding your attention in some way? What would facing it directly look like now?
Consider:
- •Abandoned responsibilities don't disappear - they often grow into bigger problems
- •Sometimes stepping back was necessary for your wellbeing, but acknowledgment is still needed
- •The goal isn't guilt but recognition of patterns and potential solutions
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone abandoned a responsibility to you. How did it affect you, and what would repair look like now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 22: Delayed Promise—Journey to Create the Mate
Victor returns home and begins the horrifying work of creating a second creature, but doubts plague him with every stitch. What if he's making an even worse mistake?
