'Frankenstein' - a cautionary tale of bad parenting

by Susan Coulter
In this essay, I shall be examining the two main characters, Victor Frankenstein and the
creature, and considering what Shelley could be telling us about parenting, child
development, and education through their experiences. As a young child, it could be said that
Victor Frankenstein is indulged and spoilt by his parents, and later on by his adopted sister,
Elizabeth and his friend, Henry Clerval.
In the first chapter, as Frankenstein is recounting his story to the mariner, Walton, we learn
that he was born into a wealthy family from Geneva, and lived in Italy for the first part of his
life. His mother was the daughter of his father’s friend, and, therefore much younger than he.
We are told that she was caring and dutiful, that she, "possessed a mind of an uncommon
mould" (page 32), and had nursed and kept her own father during his illness until his death.
Frankenstein’s parents are very much in love, and he was an only child for the first five years,
doted on by them as we can see when he says, "they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of
affection from a very mine of love to bestow them on me." (page 33). Victor’s first
recollections are of his, "mother’s tender caresses", and his, "father’s smile of benevolent
pleasure" (page 33). They regard him as being, "bestowed on them by heaven", and recognise
that his future, "was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery". He also tells Walton that
his mother and father felt that they, "owed" something to him because they had given him
life.
At the age of seven, having moved to Geneva with his family, he meets Henry Clerval with
whom he becomes great friends, although it is interesting to note that he chooses not to mix
with the other local children. At the beginning of chapter two, Victor describes his childhood
thus:
No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were
possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence. We felt that they were not the tyrants
to rule our lot according to their caprice, but the agents and creators of all the many delights
which we enjoyed. (page 37)
But even though he was growing up in what could be perceived as an idyllic family, he
comments to Walton that, "My temper was sometimes violent and my passions vehement"
(page 37). He was also prone to, "become sullen" (page 37), but Elizabeth seems always to
have been ready to soothe and comfort him, to,"subdue", him, "to a semblance of her own
gentleness." (page 37) , and whilst Clerval is enthusiastically learning all he could about life,
and the world around him, Victor is interested only in "the physical secrets of the world."
(page 37.
We can see that Victor is very much left to his own devices without much direction from his
parents, when he retells the events when, at the age of thirteen he found a book by Cornelius
Agrippa which sparked his interest in alchemy. Even he recognises that his father should
have given him more guidance when he tells how his father,"looked carelessly at the title
page" (page 38), and merely dismissed the work as, "sad trash." (page 38) . He states that, if
instead, his father had taken the time to explain that alchemy had been disproved, then, "It is
even possible that the train of my ideas would never have received the fatal impulse that led
to my ruin." (page 38-39). It seems that his father is not interested enough in what his son is
studying, and takes little notice of what he is doing. Frankenstein says of himself, "I was to a
great degree, self taught" (page 39), and that,
My father was not scientific, and I was left to struggle with a child’s blindness added to a
student’s thirst for knowledge. (page 39).
So without any supervision, he engrosses himself in his studies, concentrating on the more
altruistic side of alchemy - the secret of eternal life. Frankenstein’s first experience of real
sadness comes when he is seventeen and his mother dies having contracted scarlet fever
whilst nursing Elizabeth back to health. We are told that, "her countenance expressed
affection even in death."., and he describes death as, "that most irrepairable evil;". This event
appears to make him even more determined to find a cure for this "evil". There is now only
Elizabeth to give a feminine balance to his life, but he leaves for university with Clerval,
having agreed to his mother’s deathbed wish that he and Elizabeth would one day marry.
At university in Ingolstadt he is persuaded that alchemy has been superseded by natural
philosophy, and his aptitude for science impresses both students and tutors alike. However,
having decided to try and create life by scientific methods, he isolates himself from any
friendly support and advice he may have received from Clerval, and the professional
opinions of his tutors. He is, of course, away from his family, and so works alone.
Shelley could be seen to be saying through Frankenstein’s tale, that parents’ love alone is not
enough for a child’s healthy development. Unless love is given together with discipline and
guidance, the child is unable to develop into a well rounded adult who can be assimilated into
the wider society, and have a balanced view of themselves and the world around them. Not
only does Victor appear to be selfish and too introspective, he seems never to mature and
develop self discipline, as his obsessional nature seems to show. The cosseting he has
received as a child has led him to grow into adulthood with no true sense of responsibility for
his actions. This is highlighted when, having created the creature, on seeing the contrast
between his dream and the reality of the, ""..miserable monster."(page 57), he flees from his
apartment, and when, on returning, he realises that the creature has escaped, he remarks, "I
clapped my hands for joy" (page 60). It is not until the desperate and unhappy creature has
already murdered his young brother, William, and tells him his story, begging for a mate, that
Frankenstein briefly feels the slightest responsibility for him. It is at this point in the novel
that he thinks to himself,
and did I not as his maker, owe him all the portion of happiness that it was in my power to
bestow?
Shelley seems also to be showing the reader that self-education is not always a good thing.
Unless supervised, the autodidact is in danger of gaining knowledge in a very narrow field,
for instance, Frankenstein’s learning seems to be solely focused on science, without any
education in morals, the arts, or social skills which would have helped him to mature and be a
more social and compassionate individual.
The creature’s ’childhood’ is condensed into a matter of months. His first experience of
Victor, his parent and maker is one of rejection, and this sets the pattern for his life. We are
told that, on being ’born’, the creature made his way to Frankenstein’s bedside,
He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me.
His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks.
He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me
(page 57)
In all probability, the creature was reaching out, as a small child does to their mother, but his
ugly appearance only frightened Victor into running away.
With no one to love him or care for him, the creature spends his first days in the forest near
Ingolstadt. Through his narrative, we learn that, at first he was like an abandoned baby, alone,
and in his own words:
I knew, and could distinguish nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and
wept. (page 99)
At this point in his life, he has only a basic sensory awareness, and we are told,
No distinct ideas occupied my mind; all was confused. I felt light and hunger, and thirst, and
darkness; innumerable sounds rang in my ears, and on all sides various scents saluted me: the
only object that I could distinguish was the bright moon, and I fixed my eyes on that with
pleasure. (page 100).
Eventually he learns that drinking from the stream will quench his thirst, eating nuts and
berries will sate his hunger, and he can be shaded by the trees. He has an instinctive
appreciation for nature, and even tries to mimic the birdsong that give him so much pleasure,
but the, "uncouth and inarticulate sounds" (page 100) that he utters, frighten him into silence.
The creature discovers an abandoned fire and, just as a young unsupervised child would, he
learns about its heat by putting his hand into it and feeling the pain of the burn. However, he
also finds it can keep him warm, and that nuts and berries taste good when cooked in it. At
this stage, he still has no idea or curiosity about his appearance, and is therefore surprised
when his arrival at a shepherds hut causes the old man to run away in terror. His next
encounter with humans is even more negative than the last, and he is pelted with stones when
he enters a village. Again, he is puzzled by people’s reactions to him.
This last experience teaches him to be cautious of interaction with humans, and he decides to
take refuge in a hovel which is built onto the back of a forest hut, but not to make his
presence there known to the inhabitants. The first thing he learns about people is their,
"barbarity" (page 103). From his position in the hovel, through a crevice, he can observe the
family who live in the hut. It is during this period in his life that most of his education takes
place. He first appreciates the beauty of M. De Lacey, the old man, with his, "silver hair and
benevolent countenance" (page 104), and that of Agatha, his daughter, who is described as a,
"fair creature." With, "gentle manners" (page 104). He sees the love and care that the family
show towards each other, and watching them together, he also feels emotions which he has
not experienced before. When Agatha is upset and her father comforts her, the creature
recalls that he,
felt sensations of a peculiar and overpowering nature: they were a mixture of pain and
pleasure, such as I had never before experienced, either from hunger or cold, warmth or
food;" (page 104)
At this moment he has begun to develop more sophisticated emotions as he becomes aware
of others, and feels compassion, sharing their joy and sorrow. His emotions are no longer
purely based on his own basic needs and his senses. Just as a small child learns about their
relationships with others, the creature also learns, although from a distance.
The creature spends many months in the hovel, and learns to speak, partly by listening to the
De Laceys, and then by listening to the French instruction that they give to Safie. Whereas, in
the beginning his education had been, for the most part experiential, he is now able to follow
these lessons.
It is once he has learned to read, that that his thoughts and ideas about the world he has found
himself in, start to form. He has found three books in the forest; Plutarch's 'Lives', 'The
Sorrows of Werter' by Goethe, and Milton's 'Paradise Lost'. The creature learns something
different about life from each book. In 'Paradise Lost', he can see similarities between himself
and Adam, and is introduced to the idea of God, the Christian myth, and good and evil. He
realises that wealth and social standing, are most highly prized in society, from Plutarch's
'Lives', and in Goethe's work, he reads that suicide can be an option for a desperately
unhappy person. In the same way that Frankenstein is self educated, the creature is also and,
like his creator, he is learning in a vacuum, with no other influences to balance his views.
It may be interesting to note that, a century after Shelley's novel was published, the
psychologist, Maslow, listed what he described as the 'Hierarchy of Needs' in human
development, including:
 1. Physiological - The need for food, drink, shelter, warmth and relief from pain
2. Safety and security - The need to feel safe and secure
3. Social and affiliation - The need for friendship and interaction with others
4. Esteem - The need for self esteem and the esteem for others (1943)
The creature appears to follow these steps in his development but, unfortunately, although he
feels these needs, they are not all met. He never manages to interact positively with others or
find friendship, and we can see his self esteem sink lower and lower, the more he is rejected,
and becomes lonelier and more alienated from society. It is at this that eventually changes
him from a kind, affectionate, and reasonable being, to a bitter murderer. He tells
Frankenstein,
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 an interchange of kindness; and, instead
of injury I would bestow every benefit upon him with tears of gratitude at his acceptance.
(page 140).
It could be suggested that his education and intellect have betrayed him. They have served
only to highlight his misery. His understanding of his predicament, and how he falls short of
society's norms and aspirations, can only make him more wretched. Apart from hearing his
voice when trying to sing, he no real self awareness until, like a perverse Narcissus, he sees
his reflection in a pool, and becomes, "fully convinced that I was in reality the monster I am"
(page 110). Now he can see himself as others see him. Through reading, his knowledge of
man's capacity for evil gives him a more realistic view of society, and his place in it. Like
Adam and Eve and their consequent banishment from the Garden of Eden after eating from
the tree of knowledge , he has developed from a 'noble savage', as unselfconscious and close
to nature as an animal, to acquiring knowledge and the loss of innocence that accompanies it.
He has, in effect, been cast out like Adam and Eve before him.
Considering all the points I have discussed above, Shelley seems to me, to be telling us that
without unconditional love, but also with discipline and guidance as children, we can never
develop to our full potential. Victor received weak parenting, love but without discipline, and
therefore, grows into a self centred and immature adult. The creature has received no
affection whatsoever, only rejection. He is first rejected by his parent/creator on first seeing
him, an this is followed by rejection and prejudice by everyone else he meets, be it the
villagers who stone him, the man who shoots him after he has saved the little girl's life, the
DeLacey's who beat him and then disappear overnight or William, who even though he is a
child, shows the very same prejudice because of the creature's appearance. No matter how
kind he is, or how educated and civilised he becomes, the result is always the same.
To benefit from an exchange of ideas or another perspective on their studies. Shelley appears
to be showing us, through the creature's development that, although children will, on the
whole, follow the same basic developmental pattern, regardless of outside influences, love,
nurture and respect are important if the instinct for goodness they are born with is not to be
lost, and through the events in the novel, Shelley also shows us, that keeping in balance and
harmony with the world around us, including society and especially nature is crucial for our
well being.
Bibliography
Shelley. Mary: 'Frankenstein' (Penguin. London, 1992)
Maslow. A.H: 'A theory of human motivation' (Psycol. Rev, 50, 370-396, 1943)