Index IntroductionBeauty and Ugliness in FrankensteinConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionIn our society, people unconsciously judge each other based on their appearance. People have a preconceived opinion about someone's character based on their physical characteristics. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a character who is greatly influenced by society's attitude towards unattractive people is the central character, Victor Frankenstein's creation, the creature. Due to his hideous and hideous appearance, he is judged immensely based on his appearance, even though he is actually benevolent. Due to the judgments and attacks he receives from humans due to his physical appearance, he isolates himself from society and is filled with hatred and revenge. Feeling rejected and abandoned, the creature seeks revenge against its creator. Appearance plays an important role in determining how one is treated in society. Shelley shows that being unattractive leads to mistreatment. The contrast between people treating others as beautiful and ugly is shown by the female characters and the creature. Elizabeth, Safie, Caroline and Justine are judged favorably and treated better for their beauty. The creature, however, is judged negatively and treated worse for its ugliness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Beauty and Ugliness in Frankenstein Wishing to have a daughter, Caroline Frankenstein adopts a poor girl, Elizabeth Lavenza, because she is attracted to her beauty. Unlike her family, Victor describes that she “was thin and very fair, her hair was of the brightest living gold…and…her eyes cloudless blue” (Shelley 22). Elizabeth possesses a delicate and delicate beauty that easily attracts people due to her charming appearance. Her physical characteristics reflect her personality when she is described "as of a distinct species, a heaven-sent being, and bears a celestial imprint in all her features." Unlike the creature whose devilish appearance is intolerable to humans, she is depicted as an angelic being, kind and beautiful inside and out. In the same way that Caroline is attracted to Elizabeth at first sight, as soon as the creature sees Safie, he is immediately drawn to her beautiful face. He describes having “saw a face of angelic beauty and expression…His features were of regular proportions and his complexion wonderfully beautiful.” This is the first time the creature talks about a character's appearance. Whereas Safie's beauty attracts the creature's attention, it fascinates her lover, Felix, son of old De Lacey, even more. For example, when he sees her in prison visiting his father, he falls in love with her at first sight due to her beauty. However, when Felix, Agatha and Safie see the creature for the first time, they are terrified by its appearance and Felix violently attacks it. This shows that because of the creature's monstrous face, it is driven away by those who see it. Another beautiful character the creature sees is Victor's mother, Caroline Frankenstein. When the creature takes the locket with her portrait, he describes that she is "a very lovely woman...possessing...dark eyes, fringed with deep eyelashes, and...lovely lips" (144). The creature is softened and hypnotized by its attractiveness. Caroline is the epitome of beauty, not only because she has beautiful physical attributes, but because she is also kind-hearted. However, his anger returns when he remembers that he is "deprived of the delights such creatures could bestow." He can't stand itof being in awe of someone so beautiful while constantly being rejected by humans who perceive him as ugly and scary, unlike Caroline. Shortly after, the creature compares Justine's beauty to that of Coraline when it sees Justine sleeping in a stable. Although she is not as beautiful as Coraline, she states that she is "blossoming into the beauty of youth and health... Yet, here... one of those joy-giving smiles bestowed on everyone but me." The creature thinks it has been robbed of all the smiles it can get due to its frightening and monstrous appearance. Because the creature feels robbed of happiness and being treated well, this drives him to frame Justine for the murder she committed. Despite being beautiful, Justine is an example that proves that the statement “being unattractive leads to mistreatment” is wrong, because her beauty was not enough to prove her innocence and save her from injustice. The creature's injustice and mistreatment come into play when its hideous appearance pushes Victor to abandon his newly created species. When he first sees the creature, he sees that it has "yellow skin,... hair... shining black,... pearly white teeth,... a withered complexion, and straight black lips." Unable to bear the sight of his miserable creation, Victor flees from the creature, leaving him to survive alone in an unknown world. During his first encounter with a human being, an old man, he says that “sensing him, the old man cried out loudly… and… ran across the fields.” He surprises the creature who runs away from him. When he arrives in a village, the villagers scream, faint, flee, or attack him after seeing his grisly face. Unaware of why humans fear and mistreat him, he sees a reflection of himself for the first time, unable to believe that "he was actually the monster that he is, and that...he didn't fully know the fatal effects of this miserable deformity." This shows that the creature begins to see itself as the monster that everyone sees. A second instance in which the creature is mistreated because of its appearance is when it turns to its blind father De Lacey for acceptance. The blind father says he is "blind and cannot judge the face of the creature". He sees the creature like everyone else, referring to him as a "human creature". Since the blind father is unable to see and judge someone based on their appearance, he is the only character who sees their sincerity and kindness. However, like Victor, the creature is rejected and chased away by his prejudiced children, one of whom attacks him. Another example that shows the creature's mistreatment is when it saves a young girl from drowning. He says that “he had saved a human being from destruction, and as a reward he was now writhing under the miserable pain of a wound.” Even after all the humans he meets mistreat him, he saves the young girl but is shot in return for his benevolence after witnessing her appearance, showing her injustice. With more resentment towards his creator, he goes to Geneva and sees William, a beautiful child who "was free from prejudice and had lived too little to have absorbed the horror of deformity." The creature becomes desperate to befriend William but fails when he screams at the sight of his face, fearing him just like everyone else. Due to its physical appearance, the creature cannot be seen as anything other than a monster, a hideous monster that does not deserve to be treated as if it were human. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Ultimately, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein shows that being unattractive requires a great deal.