The multiple narrators of Robert, Frankenstein and the creature combined with the framed narrative from all three of the individuals points of view and some unreliable narrators make for many different interpretations of the book and the story within. As I said, there are three narrators in the book. The first is Robert Walton a British Explorer who starts his narration in Russia. He is trying to find a crew and ship or a voyage to the North Pole where he hopes to discover new places or animals so that when he goes back to Britain he will become a rich and well-known man. He then continues his narrative in the form of letters up to the point where he finds Victor and helps him onto his ship.
Next the narration is by Victor Frankenstein who is telling his story to Robert. Later the Creature tells his story by talking to Victor who then tells Robert. After this Frankenstein continues the story until the end when Robert writes his final letters. All these different types of narration from different types of people make the reader unclear whom they should sympathise with. For instance in some parts of the book Frankenstein tries, it seems, to beg the reader for forgiveness for making the creature but not for leaving it and hurting it physiologically.
“But I was in reality very ill and surely nothing but the un-bounded and un-relenting attentions of my friend could have restored me to life” (Chapter 5) Also the way the Creature speaks to Victor once he has killed and hurt humans is like he is trying to shift the blame to Frankenstein for creating him and the human race for detesting him even though they know nothing of his inner feelings. “This was the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhe under the miserable pain of a wound” (Chapter 16)
This is true because I think the creature did not initially want to hurt anyone, especially humans, but as time went past, he suffered many different types of violence and abuse. Then he finally breaks after being shot because people thought that he was trying to hurt them when he had just saved a young girl from drowning. “Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance on mankind” (Chapter 16)
In this section, I think that the Nature/Nurture debate should be included as it has direct consequences on how we could or should interpret the Creature and maybe Frankenstein himself. On the nature side of the argument is that the Creature was probably not “created” evil as Frankenstein did not want that he wanted a Creature that could help himself and humanity and its only when the hate of humans that he becomes evil.
Now on the side of Nurture side is that when he is first “created” he did have contact with humans in the form of Frankenstein who gave him his first impressions of humans which was that they would be scared of him and may hurt him. Eventually I think that Nurture wins as it is when he reveals himself to the De Lacey’s and every other meeting with a human he learns that he is not liked and as this is by Nurturing it wins and gives its impact on the readers interpretation. This is what I think the multiple narrators do to the reader’s interpretation of the book.
Another factor for why the reader’s interpretations may be influenced is by the book having two quite unreliable narrators: Frankenstein and the Creature. Firstly, Frankenstein I think is unreliable mostly in the latter parts of the book but also sometime just in the beginning. In Chapter 5 after when he has “created” the creature, he runs out of his laboratory and into his bed where he has nightmares. Until he is woken by the creature standing by his bed with his hand outstretched, which to Victor means he is trying to kill or detain him, but I think that the creature is holding out his hand for his “creator” to hold so he can feel loved and as a sign that he wants Victor to be his “Father”.
