"I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on."
I find this line in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to be very interesting because the monster's point of view is surprisingly compelling. There is such strong language in this line. Consider the word 'abortion'. What a highly controversial and polarizing word this is! You see, often, we are not able to relate to so-called 'monsters', but I found myself sympathizing with Dr. Frankenstein's sorry creation despite myself. Think about it: this poor thing was created out of human remains and shocked into life; he didn't ask for to be created. When he tried to befriend the human race, they ran from him and tried to exterminate him--remember Felix and Agatha?
All the monster really wanted in this book was a companion--someone who could relate to him and keep him company. To be a hideous fiend in a world full of judgmental and violent human beings is, actually, a really sad life. Even the monster's creator, Dr. Frankenstein himself, rejects him. The loneliness, betrayal, and hurt the monster felt in this book would be enough to send anyone on a rampage. And, as we know, the monster does go on a rampage. A very murderous one, at that.
One of the big surprises for readers coming to this novel is the way Mary Shelley invites our sympathies for the creature. The more we identify with what he wants--and his wants are, after all, fundamentally human, the same as ours--then the more we understand the destructive spiral of his emotions when those basic human needs are denied him. Well said.
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