Frankenstein - the Child Monster

In Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," main character Victor Frankenstein describes one of the first encounters with his monster during the night of its creation:

By the dim and yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way through the window
shutters, I beheld the wretch - the miserable monster whom I had created. He
held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed
on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin
wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was
stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs (page
106).

This instance of bringing a new life into the world is extremely opposite from the way that the birth of a child is normally perceived. However, in many ways Frankenstein's monster is a child, and although he is described as a man, and certainly built like one, he is introduced to the world with no prior knowledge of anything, and therefore must learn about things the way a child would.

Due to his fully grown physical form, the monster is able to walk, and does not need to be taught proper coordination from a parent the way a baby would. In this sense he is more like an animal, many of which are able to walk shortly after birth.

The monster's first act as a living creature is to seek his creator. He fixes his eyes on his "parent" the way a child would in his/her mother in the beginning. Even after Victor Frankenstein flees the area, the monster continues to pursue him. Victor himself senses (and fears) this in his brief encounter with the creature, as he notes that his hand was stretched out "seemingly to detain me."

According to Jacques Lacan, the first of the three main moments in a person's development is that of "need." Frankenstein shows this with his simple hand gesture, and initial pursuit of his creator. All he knows is to follow Frankenstein - who is in many ways his father and mother in one - and depend on him for nurture. However, this is not something that Victor is willing to give, and his fear and horror at what has happened cause him to desert his "child."