Loss of Innocence

Innocence itself is a truly delicate and and easily breakable aspect of life that resonates in each and every one of us. However, the moment we lose our innocence, it is impossible to reverse the process and revert back to our simple, naive state of mind. When the idea of the loss of innocence arises, we automatically connect it to childhood. As a child, we experience the most genuine and innocent ideas by which we understand the world to be pure and gentle. However, this perception of the world is eventually manipulated and distorted until we are forced to accept the evils of the world, hence our loss of innocence. Although this is true, a complete loss of innocence is difficult to achieve in one stage, and especially in this novel, is more fragmented and messy than a clean cut. Victor Frankenstein's monster experiences the most fragmented loss of innocence, and of the chapters which we have already read, there has been one quote which made me abruptly stop and recognize this.

"Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom though drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I an irrevocably excluded." (P.87)

Frankenstein's monster is undoubtedly torn between his experiences and his desires which create a conflict between the preservation of his innocence and the loss of it. He resents his creator for casting him away such as Lucifer was casted out from Heaven when he feels as though he should be treated as Victor's Adam, or prized creation. Neither Lucifer nor the monster committed any wrongdoing for them to be cast away by their father, and to be treated as insignificant as a speck of dirt. Now, before you jump to argue about Lucifer and how he was evil for desiring to become God, think about it. Is it really such a crime to desire more power? Or is it just an undeniable aspect that comes with being human? Even though Lucifer, like the monster, would not fall under our definition of human, they have humanistic qualities and needs which ultimately make them no less human than you or me. Being human comes with the innocence which my fellow groupmates and I have been addressing, and what better way to lose it than by being completely rejected by your creator? The monster was abandoned by Victor and was forced to grow up on his own, living in hatred and disgust of himself rather than the love and sense of protection that a child should be brought up in. This greatly impacts the monster's innocence, yet doesn't demolish it. Despite his thirst for revenge and resentment toward Frankenstein, the monster retains his desire for love and acceptance. Even though he has most likely endured an overwhelming amount of hardship that can shatter anyone's innocence, he continues to cling to the childlike strive for attention and companionship. If the monster had fully lost his innocence, he wouldn't experience the need to find his creator and relate his story, nor would he find it necessary to kill his creator's brother (William) out of spite. You might wonder how killing someone can display an aura of innocence, yet what truly makes this action innocent is that the monster doesn't know that what he is doing is wrong. Much like a child, he has completed an action which society views as wrong, but due to his innocence, he is unable to recognize that it is wrong. In his own mind, killing William was the right thing to do since it offered him a way to feel better. We don't have the ability differentiate right from wrong until someone tells us, and in the monster's case, no one was there to teach him how to behave. Until then, until we actually come to terms with the fact that there is evil in the world, we simply act on impulse.

-Number Six