Frankenstein Criminality Quotes

Dr. Waldman's dead, of course, strangled by that nasty monster. So, okay—murder is criminal; no doubt about that. But the monster only strangles Waldman in self-defense; the doctor is trying to cut him open and examine his insides before killing him once and for all.

Similarly, the monster kills Fritz because Fritz's tormenting him. These are not cut and dried criminal acts; a jury might well acquit the big guy for either one. If the monster is a criminal, it's only because people attack him and…well, treat him like a criminal and a monster. He becomes what they have decided he's going to be. They made a monster, so he acts like a monster.

The monster tosses Maria in the pond, drowning her. Drowning a child: that's not something you can approve of. But is it a criminal act? He seems to be trying to play with her; he thinks she'll float like the flowers they've been tossing in the water. This is both the scene which convicts him as a criminal, and the scene which suggests he's innocent, like a child. Basically, the monster is bad because Frankenstein's a bad parent. If only he'd loved his monster more, it wouldn't have had to come to this.