The subjectivity of time is evident through Frankenstein and is revealed when the creature explains what led to the murder of William. William’s importance to Victor is emphasized from the beginning when …show more content…
Similar to that of Milton’s Paradise Lost, the creature compares himself and Victor as Satan and God; in the same way Milton brought sympathy to Satan, and allows readers to relate to Satan, the creature is one that the reader can relate to. When the creature says to Victor, “Remember, that I am thy creature: I ought to by thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel” (118-9), he alludes to Milton, emphasizing that the creature’s actions—namely, murdering William—are driven by his abandonment and loneliness he felt from his creator: Frankenstein. Additionally, the creature proclaiming: “I declared everlasting war against the species” (149), shows his similarity to Milton’s Satan, in how his abandonment from his creator led to his revenge against humanity. Through this, Shelley reiterates what Milton’s emphasized: Satan, and the creature, are like us, the readers—looking for companionship and acceptance from our creator.
The humanization of the creature in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is revealed through the manipulation of time, narrative, and revelation of truth. Readers of the novel are able to sympathize for the creature through his narrative in defence against his action of killing William. The lessons that Shelley teaches through her novel go beyond Frankenstein: it reminds the reader to always question the truth in