This deep dive covers Stage 2: SUPPLICANT — The Rational Appeal within The Creature (character) for GCSE English Literature. Revise The Creature (character) in Frankenstein for GCSE English Literature with 12 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 3 of 15 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
🧬 Stage 2: SUPPLICANT — The Rational Appeal
The De Lacey scene is Shelley's most morally precise moment. The Creature approaches old De Lacey — blind, and therefore unable to judge by appearance — and achieves genuine human connection. When Felix attacks him, Shelley writes that the Creature restrains himself from violence: he could kill them; he does not. He burns the cottage "in rage" only after they flee, never to return.
His confrontation with Victor on Mont Blanc (Chapter 10) shifts the reader's moral footing entirely. The Creature speaks in complete, philosophically coherent sentences. He argues that his evil is caused by isolation, not by nature: "I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend." Shelley structures this as a rational proposition, not a threat.
The demand for a female companion (Chapter 17) is the Creature's most legally and morally precise argument. He does not beg. He reasons: he deserves happiness; Victor created his loneliness; a companion would allow peaceful withdrawal from human society. Shelley makes the argument almost irrefutable — Victor initially agrees, which is why his later betrayal is so devastating.
Quick Check: Shelley structures the Chapter 10 confrontation so the Creature speaks in elaborate, philosophically reasoned sentences. What does this stylistic choice suggest about Shelley's argument?
Eloquence is usually the mark of civilisation and moral authority in Romantic literature. Shelley gives the most eloquent voice in Chapter 10 to the character everyone else calls a monster — and the least coherent response to Victor, who runs away. The implication is that reason and articulate argument belong to the Creature, not to his creator. Shelley uses form (who speaks most fluently) to reverse the moral hierarchy the reader expects, making the "monster" the civilised one and the scientist the one who refuses to engage rationally.
Practice questions for The Creature (character)
Which book does the Creature read as part of his self-education beside the De Lacey cottage?
Identify ONE technique Shelley uses in her presentation of the Creature and explain its effect on the reader. (2 marks)