Who is the real monster in Frankenstein?

The novel refuses a single answer, and that refusal is the point. The creature murders; Victor abandons, lies, and lets Justine die. Village prejudice judges a face; Victor’s science judges a triumph. Shelley keeps both accountable: monstrosity is an action and a refusal of care, not a birthmark.

A useful reading treats “monster” as a role people assign when they will not recognize a claim — for companionship, for justice, for responsibility. Point students to Justine’s trial, the creature’s request for a companion, and Walton’s choice to turn back. The question is a doorway into creation-and-abandonment and appearance, not a vote.