Why does the monster refer to the cottagers as his protectors even though he has not revealed himself to them?
"One knight, during my accustomed visit to the neighboring wood, where I collect my own food, and brought home firing for my protectors, I found on the ground a leathern portmanteau?"(114)
Frankenstein refers to the cottagers as his protectors because of what he learned from then. "Such was the history of my beloved cottagers. It impressed me deeply. I learned, from the views of social life which it developed, to admire their virtues, and to depecate the vices of mankind." (Shelley 114). Frankenstein learned many things from the cottagers like how to read, how to communicate verbally, world history , and emotions one might share with others. Even though Frankenstein has not revealed himself to the cottagers, he feels that he has a strong connection with them and is somewhat part of the family. The monster shows the emotion of caring to the cottagers by not taking as much food and bringing them wood for their needs.
ReplyDeleteThe creature implies in chapter 15 how the cottagers teach him how to read. He learns by studying and observing their books. "Fortunately the books were written in the language, the elements of which i had acquired at the cottage: they consist of Paradise Lost, volume of Plutarch's Lives and the Sorrows of Werter." (Shelly 123) Also through watching the cottagers he recognized how the people were generous to each other. Frankenstein embodies the characteristics of how the cottagers act between each other.
ReplyDeletethe Creature refers to the cottagers as his protector because he learned many things form the Peasants family through the crack. They protected him from loneliness and boredom. At time pass by he has a felling, a connection and he wants to be the part of The De Lacey to be a part of their family even thought they didn't know he exist.
ReplyDeleteThey are the only humans who have ever opened their hearts to him. He idolizes them ["I had admired the perfect forms...and delicate complexions (Shelley 108)"] and ["I looked upon them...my future destiny (Shelley 109)"]. He learned how to speak English from them ["I found that these people....such as 'good', 'dearest', 'unhappy.'(Shelley 106-107)"], began experiencing human feelings ["The gentle manners...I sympathized in their joys (Shelley 107)"]. He hardly sees any other human beings ["I saw few human beings...the superior accomplishments of my friend (Shelley 107)"]. He views them as his teachers and his saviors since they took him when everyone else rejected him. The monster wants to feel loved and valued, and the closest he got to those feelings were the De Lacey family. They were the only humans who really taught him to be "human".
ReplyDeleteThe monster refers to the people as his protectors because he cared for them. It was their teaching that made him understand words and reading. It was their appreciation of the monster's hard work that made them his protectors. Even though the monster did not reveal himself yet, he cared for them and thought highly of them. If it was not for the family he stumbled on he would not have been the monster that he is.
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