Though the monster does deserve much sympathy for his being abandoned by his creator and father, he can also be seen as not deserving sympathy for his terrible deeds he is brought to. The "monster" is highly upset by Frankenstein deciding to not create his companion that he decides to take it out on him. The "monster" is brought to the point of threatening Frankenstein, which is a quality very undeserving of sympathy. He tells Frankenstein "I shall be with you on your wedding-night." This threat is a major part of the reason Frankenstein even agrees to complete the task that he is skeptical of. Not only does the "monster" threaten Frankenstein, he is also brought to the unbecoming task of murder. The "monster" is so angered by Frankenstein not keeping his promise that he decides to kill the people closest to Frankenstein. Frankenstein has the regretful duty of finding his dear friend Henry dead. A murder which Frankenstein is even accused of. Frankenstein even has to find Elizabeth's body, "the murderous mark of the fiend's grasp was on her neck, and the breath had ceased to be the Elizabeth whom I had loved." For his terrible deeds he did in order to avenge himself, the "monster" deserves no sympathy.

The "monster" of Frankenstein does deserve some amount of sympathy. The "monster" states that he wants a female companion because he feels that "[he is] malicious because [he is] miserable (pg. 104)." He even realizes that Frankenstein, his creator, "would tear [him] to pieces, and triumph (pg. 104)". The "monster" deserves sympathy because he is despised by his own creator. All the monster wants is a "creature of another sex, but as hideous as [himself] (pg. 105)". He doesn't ask for much, just one who can love him the way he deserves. The "monster" only wants another creature so he can feel what humans do: love. He is terrifying to all who see him because of his looks. They do not give him a chance, therefore he feels he needs a companion who can help him cope with the frustration he feels. His own creator abandoned him, which makes him very deserving of sympathy. He is very compassionate, yet he feels much anger towards the humans who do not accept him simply due to his frightening looks. He is willing to go away forever with his companion so as not to deal with any humans who will judge him. If Frankenstein had not abandoned the "monster," it is likely he would not be so frightening to people, though it would keep people from being sympathetic towards him.

The human Frankenstein creates is the protagonist of this story. He is what Frankenstein calls a “monster” though he is truly a misunderstood creature whose father/creator abandons him. He does not mean to do the terrible things he does, like murder and framing another. He is a creature who people cower from because they refuse to accept him simply due to his looks. The creature states that his soul “glowed with love and humanity.” He did not mean to do the terrible things he had done, he simply had no other means of getting his point across because no one would give him the chance. He works hard to get people to accept him, including his creator, but his is unable because he looks so different from everyone else. Frankenstein set this “monster” up for failure by abandoning him.

I think that Victor Frankenstein is the antagonist of the story, not the protagonist. Though he seems to be the protagonist because of his main role in telling the story, he is truly the antagonist for his battles with the so-called monster he created. He feels the monster is something terrible and spends most of his time trying to stay away from it and neglect his one simple want. Frankenstein is by no means the protagonist in his own tale because he only tries to save himself and better his own life. He cares not about even hearing the one request the monster had. He doesn't wish to listen to the monster only saying "Begone!...There can be no community between you and me; we are enemies." Frankenstein does not care that he devoted a long time to creating this being, only that when he abandoned it, it turned violent.

Frankenstein and Clerval are both very interested in school. They both seem very attentive in learning all that they can. Frankenstein went off to school after his mother died. He was very interested in the natural sciences. When he went to school he became quite engrossed in the subject and quickly forgot the rest of the world. He worked hard to broaden his mind in the subject. He read all that he could on the subject and asked many questions about what he wanted to know. Clerval was also quite interested in learning. He worked hard to get his father allow him to go to school. Once he got to school, he had to put learning on hold to take care of Frankenstein, but once Frankenstein got better, Henry once again became captivated with the idea of schooling. Both men were intelligent and willing to learn new things about the subjects they were interested in. They are similar in that they both want to grow in knowledge. This helps the reader to understand that with knowledge comes great responsibility and that knowledge can help one grow.

These chapters reveal that Victor and Henry are opposites when it comes to the feelings of others. Frankenstein cares little about others, while Clerval put his life on hold for the betterment of his friend. When Frankenstein was completely engrossed with his project of creating a human, he paid little to no attention to his family he left behind when he went to school. Once the person was finally created, Frankenstein became terrified of it and tried his hardest to avoid it completely, even running away from it. He cared little about the feelings of his family and how frightened they might be to not hear from him very often. He also showed little sympathy for the “monster” he created, simply because it scared him. He cared not that he had created it and he was responsible for it. He even states that “the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart (pg 35).” Clerval on the other hand, cared very much for the feelings of others. As soon as he realized Frankenstein was sick, he put his schooling dreams on hold, despite the fact that it was quite difficult for him to even be able to attend school (pg 37). Clerval takes the time to write to Victor’s family and is careful what he reveals so as not to cause them unrest. He is even so kind as to be aware of what angers and upsets Victor and he quickly removes Victor from any situation that might cause turmoil. Clerval deeply cares about others, while Frankenstein cares more about himself and his own well-being. Knowing this about these two men allows the reader to understand how selfishness can lead to destruction (Frankenstein becoming sick), while putting others first can lead to further happiness (Clerval gets to enjoy school).