Explore the significance of character's attitudes towards humanity in Frankenstein.

    In the extract, the Creature contemplates on the DeLacey family and reveals much about his attitudes towards humanity. Shelley writes that the Creature “saw no reason for their unhappiness” but that he “was deeply affected by it”: the adjective “affected” describes the state of empathy the Creature is able to feel for the family’s “unhappiness” which, arguably, is a trait that makes one a functional part of humanity. Even more than this, the Creature is described to feel this empathy by the intensifying premodifier “deeply” showing the potential for his ability to be humane.    However, the Creature sees himself as “imperfect and solitary” which signifies how alienated the Creature has been made to feel, due to Victor’s abandonment of him after he berates his own creation as being “abhorred” and like a “devil”. Due to his lack of participation in society, the Creature feels as though he does not deserve the same happiness as those with families and those who are able to interact with humans and, more importantly, show their humanity. This is supported by how he describes his own unhappiness through the superlative “less” in calling his ‘wretchedness’ “less strange”, as it signifies how due to his loneliness he is less deserving perhaps of happiness. This shows how the Creature believes that humanity is to be human, and be human among others.    This becomes incredibly significant when the Creature asks for a female companion. The Creature explains “I am malicious because I am miserable”: the adjective “malicious” describes his immoral behaviour such as setting fire to the village and murdering William out of revenge, however appears to contradict the empathy he is also able to experience which indicates that this maliciousness is not out of lacking an ability to be humane, but rather as he denounces it because he is miserable. Shelley writes that the Creature “demands a creature of another sex” to remedy the wasted potential of his humanity as he seems to only be able to portray this humanity towards beings like himself. This ultimately places a significant role of family and nurturing when regarding humanity itself, and indeed takes into account philosophy of Shelley’s time from Locke as it questions if our humanity is what we were born with (or, rather, born without) as opposed to what humanity we are taught. Both instances for the Creature would fail him, as he was made non-human and lacked any direct company to allow him to portray any humanity.