Frankenstein The Monster Quotes

The Monster

Quote 10

"Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery. (16.1).

Oops. It seems like the monster is getting mixed up: he starts out all mad at his creator, and he ends up by wanting to destroy the cottage and its inhabitants. (He manages to stick to burning down the cottage.) It looks like revenge can have collateral damage.

The Monster

Quote 11

"I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of utter and stupid despair. My protectors had departed and had broken the only link that held me to the world. For the first time the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to control them, but allowing myself to be borne away by the stream, I bent my mind towards injury and death. (16.12)

You know that feeling when you stop trying to be a good person and just let yourself think nasty thoughts about the celebrity on the cover of US Weekly? That's how the monster feels here: he's just had it trying to be the better person.

The Monster

Quote 12

The nearer I approached to your habitation, the more deeply did I feel the spirit of revenge enkindled in my heart. (16.17)

As every teen pop star knows when they write about their first heartbreak, love and hate are two sides of the same coin—that appears to be the case here too. The Monster feels rage deep down in his heart as he approaches Dr. Frankenstein's home.