Chapters 12-15

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Chapters 12 and 13

The Monster observes the De Lacey family members and their kindness to one another. He hopes one day to reveal himself to them and be accepted into their family.

The De Laceys

The Monster is surprised and overjoyed by how kind the De Lacey family members are to one another.
He quickly realises they are poor, so stops taking their food and gathers wood for them, leaving it anonymously at their door.
He longs for knowledge and starts to learn French from listening to the family speak.
He catches sight of himself in a puddle and is appalled at his image.

Kindness

As the weather becomes more clement, the Monster does more anonymous tasks around the outside of the cottage.
He hopes that when he finally meets the cottagers (once he gains the courage to reveal himself) they will love him too for his kindness.

Learning

One day, as the Monster observes the family, he notes Felix's delight when a beautiful foreign woman visits the cottage.
The woman is Safie. As she cannot speak French, Felix uses the Ruin of Empires to teach her - and unknowingly the Monster - how to speak and read French.

Companionship

From this reading, the Monster starts to question his identity and creation, wondering "Was I then a monster?"
This existential questioning torments him and pushes the Monster to long for companionship.

‘Natural’ state

"Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind, when it has once seized on it, like a lichen on the rock. I wished sometimes to shake off all thought and feeling".
This epistemological rumination displays the growing consciousness of the Monster and its morality.
It almost wishes to return back to the ‘natural’ state that Rousseau glorifies.

Chapters 14 and 15

The Monster finds out about the history of the De Laceys and the relationship to Safie.

Downfall

The De Laceys used to be well off and lived an affluent lifestyle in Paris, but were ruined by Safie’s Turkish merchant father.
He was imprisoned unjustly by the Parisian government and Felix vowed to help him, mainly due to his growing affections for Safie.
The Merchant was sentenced to death but Felix helped him escape the night before he was due to be put to death.

Exile

The father, Felix and Safie fled to Italy, but after the authorities found out about Felix’s involvement in the escape, his family were put in prison for five months, their wealth was seized and their reputation destroyed.
The De Lacey family were exiled to Germany and Safie was ordered by her father to return to Turkey to a harem, rather than in a convent in Italy, to wait for Felix.

The Monster and Safie

Safie rebelled against her father and fled to Germany, ending up at the De Lacey’s cottage.
The Monster likens himself to Safie as they are both outsiders who had to learn the language and who were both betrayed by their parent/creator.
The Monster reads a variety of books (see Intertextual references section) and learns more about what it is to be human.

Revealing

The Monster longs for companionship and love so decides to reveal himself to the family.
He starts with the old man, whilst the rest are out, as he is blind so not able to judge him on his outward appearance.

Failure

He gains the old man’s sympathy but is interrupted by the returning cottagers, who are appalled and afraid of the Monster.
Safie flees, Agatha faints and Felix attacks the Monster with a stick.
Without fighting back, it retreats to its hovel, distraught at the reception it received.

Nature

"My spirits were elevated by the enchanting appearance of nature ... the future gilded by bright rays of hope and anticipations of joy."
Before he reveals himself to the De Lacey’s, the Monster, like Victor, finds peace and comfort in nature.