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Chapter 10
Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.
The monster speaks these lines in Chapter 10 to explain the origin of his violent behavior. He makes it clear that he was not initially a bad individual, but that because he was abandoned, neglected, and lonely, he began to lash out. This quote is important because it illustrates the perspective that individuals are generally born good, no matter what their appearance, but that environmental influences are the most powerful determinants of their later behavior.
Read more about the monster as the novel's antagonist.
Chapter 12
What chiefly struck me was the gentle manners of these people; and I longed to join them, but dared not.
This Chapter 12 quote shows the perspective of the monster as he observes the De Lacey family. Since this is his first chance to closely observe human beings, he could be struck by many things, but he focuses on the kindness and consideration they show to one another. This interest reveals the monster’s desire to learn to function as part of a family and his tendency to naturally gravitate towards goodness.
Read an essay about whether the monster could be considered "good."
I afterwards found that these labours, performed by an invisible hand, greatly astonished them; and once or twice I heard them, on these occasions, utter the words “good spirit” “wonderful.”
This Chapter 12 quotation describes the reaction of the De Lacey family to the work the monster does to help them. He takes it upon himself to bring them extra firewood and other supplies, and they are very grateful since they live in poverty. Based on the kindness of these acts, the family assumes that whoever is helping them is good and benevolent. However, when they actually encounter the monster, they are unable to see past his repulsive appearance. It seems impossible to them that kind actions could be performed by a grotesque being.
Walton, in Continuation
Am I to be thought the only criminal, when all humankind sinned against me?
The monster speaks these lines to Walton in “Walton, in Continuation” to call attention to the way in which his actions are rooted in the trauma he experienced. While he doesn’t deny his role in the violent deaths of several characters, he insists on the fact that he is also a victim. He cannot accept being positioned as the villain when he believes that the humans around him have also been cruel and uncompassionate. The gruesome murders of so many innocent people that the creature has committed make it easy to condemn him as being violent and even “monstrous,” but we should also consider what—and who—made him that way.
Read more about Literal and Metaphorical Monstrosity as a theme.
