Character Development in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein In any novel the author is free to create and shape his characters as he sees fit. In Frankenstein, Shelley does a great job of fleshing out his characters, however small their part in the story, so that the reader has a clear picture of Shelley's creations. It seems that each character in Shelley's Frankenstein is created by Shelley to give the reader a certain impression of the character. In this way Shelley creates characters the way she wants us to see them. She tells us some things about them and gives them certain traits so they fit the story the way she wants. In particular I will examine the characters of the monster, Elizabeth, and the old De Lacey. One of the more minor characters but still an intricate part of the story is the older De Lacy. He is the father of the family that the monster guards after leaving the place of his creation in Ingolstadt. The monster learns from his family and feels a new closeness towards them. The fact that the old man is blind is no coincidence at all. Shelly made him blind on purpose so that he could not be affected by the monster's hideous appearance. When the monster finally finds the courage and the old man is finally alone in the little house, the monster makes his move. He enters claiming to be a traveler looking for a place of refuge and rest. As he recounts his predicament he appears to befriend the old man, appears to speak the English language fluently, and for all intents and purposes, seems like a normal person. It is only when the old man's children arrive home and he is alarmed by the screams of Felix and Agatha, that the monster is seen as any...... middle of paper ...... they are more complex like those like monster , some like the old man are introduced to make a point, and some like Elizabeth are created in a way that enhances the imperfections of others. Each of the characters in Frankenstein has a role or purpose in the story and is created in a way that adds to the plot and the overall novel. By creating each character and molding them into a specific likeness, Shelley created a complex story and one of the greatest classics of English literature. Work cited Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Critical Edition by Norton. and. J. Paul Hunter. New York: WW Norton, 1996. Works consulted Levine, George. Frankenstein's Resistance. Los Angeles: Moers, 1974. Patterson, Arthur Paul. A study of Frankenstein. http://www.watershed.winnipeg.mb.ca/Frankenstein.htmlSpark, Muriel. Maria Shelly. New York: Dutton, 1987.