On chapter 4, volume II of the novel
Frankenstein the creature analyzed the behaviors of the De Lacey
family members, and concluded that something was really bothering them to the point of
tears.
In the creature's
words:
They
were not entirely happy. The young man and his companion often went apart, and appeared
to weep. I saw no cause for their unhappiness; but I was deeply affected by
it.
As the creature continued
to observe those reactions, he identified what he refered to as "one of the causes of
their uneasiness." The cause of uneasiness was poverty.
The
poverty that the De Lacey family suffered caused them a lot of pain particularly because
of their need for food. The creature was very sympathetic of their sadness and was
amazed at how the younger De Laceys sacrificed their food rations to be able to feed
their father.
The monster expressed his sympathy by
noticing how much the family members were willing to do for each
other:
Their
nourishment consisted entirely of the vegetables of their garden, and the milk of one
cow, who gave very little during the winter, when its masters could scarcely procure
food to support it. They often, I believe, suffered the pangs of hunger very poignantly,
especially the two younger cottagers; for several times they placed food before the old
man, when they reserved none for
themselves.
As a result, the
monster began to feel guilty because he had a habit of taking food from the family
storage at nights. Acting as if he were a part of the De Lacey family himself, he also
went through a similar period of abstinence in which he was content with finding
nourishment in the berries that he found in the forest, all for the sake of helping the
De Laceys somehow. This was a way for the monster to feel as if he were one of them, and
it was an imaginary way to attempt to feel the warmth of love in his
life.
No comments:
Post a Comment