Chapter 20
The Creature's Rage—From Rejection to Murder
“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. “When night came I quitted my retreat and wandered in the wood; and now, no longer restrained by the fear of discovery, I gave vent to my anguish in fearful howlings. I was like a wild…
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Key Quotes & Analysis
"From that moment I declared everlasting war against the species, and more than all, against him who had formed me and sent me forth to this insupportable misery."
Context: After the De Laceys flee and reject him
The creature moves from private grief to public war. Rejection ceases to be pain alone and becomes policy aimed at Victor and mankind.
In Today's Words:
From that moment I declared everlasting war against the species and especially against the man who made me and sent me into this unbearable misery. Rejection stopped being private pain and became a campaign I would wage with every tool intelligence and hatred could supply.
"This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone."
Context: Shot after rescuing a girl from drowning
An act of heroism earns violence, teaching the creature that kindness toward humans will be punished whenever he is seen.
In Today's Words:
That was the reward for my kindness: I pulled a girl from the river and the man with the gun shot me for it. Benevolence had been punished once too often, and I learned that showing my face to humans would always end in blood.
"I too can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him."
Context: After murdering William Frankenstein
Revenge becomes strategic. The creature targets Victor's family because he understands that emotional loss will wound the creator more than any direct attack.
In Today's Words:
I too can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable, and killing William would carry despair to Victor in a way no speech ever could. Revenge was no longer howling in the woods; it was deliberate strategy aimed at the family that once looked untouchable.
"Frankenstein! you belong then to my enemy, to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim."
Context: William reveals his father's name before the murder
The child's innocent words connect the creature's rage to Victor's house. What began as a search for companionship ends as calculated destruction of the Frankenstein line.
In Today's Words:
Frankenstein, you belong to my enemy, the man I have sworn to destroy, so you will be my first victim. A child's innocent words tied my rage to Victor's house and turned a search for companionship into the opening move of a war on his bloodline.
Thematic Threads
Abandonment
In This Chapter
Victor's complete abandonment of his creation leads directly to the creature's transformation from innocent to vengeful
Development
Evolved from Victor's initial flight to this deeper exploration of abandonment's long-term psychological consequences
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when a colleague or family member becomes increasingly difficult after being consistently ignored or dismissed.
Social Belonging
In This Chapter
The creature's desperate desire to belong to the De Lacey family shows the fundamental human need for acceptance
Development
Introduced here as the creature's core motivation and deepest wound
In Your Life:
You see this in your own need to fit in at work or in social groups, and how rejection from these groups affects your behavior.
Identity Formation
In This Chapter
The creature learns who he is through others' reactions - fear, horror, violence - shaping his self-concept
Development
Builds on earlier hints about the creature's nature, now showing how identity forms through social interaction
In Your Life:
You might notice how others' treatment of you - as competent or incompetent, valuable or disposable - shapes how you see yourself.
Class Exclusion
In This Chapter
The creature is permanently excluded from human society based on his appearance, regardless of his intelligence or capacity for feeling
Development
Introduced here as a form of ultimate social exclusion based on physical difference
In Your Life:
You might experience this through economic class barriers, educational background, or other markers that keep you out of certain social circles.
Responsibility
In This Chapter
Victor's refusal to take responsibility for his creation's wellbeing directly causes the creature's turn to violence
Development
Deepens the theme from Victor's earlier avoidance to show the real-world consequences of shirking responsibility
In Your Life:
You see this when parents, bosses, or leaders create problems then refuse to help solve them, leaving others to deal with the fallout.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
What does the creature do after the De Laceys reject him?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
He howls in the woods, burns the cottage, and declares everlasting war against humanity.
- 2
What happens when the creature tries to save a drowning girl?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
He is shot and wounded as reward for heroism—kindness answered with violence extinguishes remaining hope.
- 3
Why does the creature kill William Frankenstein?
application • mediumOne way to read it
Near Geneva he encounters the beautiful child, learns he is Victor's brother, and kills him in rage against his creator's family.
- 4
How does the creature frame William's murder as revenge on Victor?
application • deepOne way to read it
He places the locket in Justine's pocket and lets society finish the punishment—private vengeance using public injustice.
- 5
When have you seen someone hurt innocents to punish a person they could not reach?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
William's death completes the creature's turn from rejected child to agent of retribution.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Own Rejection Points
Think of a time when you felt rejected or excluded from something you wanted to belong to. Map out what happened: What did you want? How were you rejected? How did it change your behavior toward that person or group? Did you become more defensive, angry, or withdrawn? Now consider someone in your life who might be experiencing rejection. What small gesture could interrupt their rejection loop before it hardens into something destructive?
Consider:
- •Notice how rejection changes your behavior toward the rejector - do you become what they expected?
- •Consider whether your defensive reactions sometimes create more rejection
- •Think about times when one person's acceptance helped you recover from others' rejection
Journaling Prompt
Write about a relationship where you might be unknowingly creating the very behavior you're complaining about through rejection or dismissal. How could you break this cycle?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 21: The Creature Demands a Mate
The creature finishes his tale at the hut door, having traced every murder back to Victor's abandonment. Now he demands a mate of his own kind, and Victor must decide whether another creation is mercy or catastrophe.
