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In the meanwhile also the black ground was covered with herbage, and the green banks interspersed with innumerable flowers, sweet to the scent and the eyes, stars of pale radiance among the moonlight woods; the sun became warmer, the nights clear and balmy; and my nocturnal rambles were an extreme pleasure to me, although they were considerably shortened by the late setting and early rising of the sun, for I never ventured abroad during daylight, fearful of meeting with the same treatment I had formerly endured in the first village which I entered.
In this quote from Chapter 13, the monster’s recounting of the time he spent watching and learning from the De Lacey family he mentions that the weather became warmer and plants became lush during this happy time for him. The explanation for this quote in Quotes by Setting: Europe discusses how climate and weather conditions in Frankenstein often correlate to what is happening in the story.
My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian, who understood very little.
In this Chapter 13 quote, the monster explains that he learned to speak by watching the De Lacey family teach Safie, Felix's fiancée. He paid close attention to the lessons they gave her and learned more quickly than she did, a point of pride for him. He felt it was crucial that he learned to communicate in their language before introducing himself to the De Laceys, hoping to avoid the painful rejection he experienced from the people he encountered earlier.
For a long time I could not conceive how one man could go forth to murder his fellow, or even why there were laws and governments; but when I heard details of vice and bloodshed, my wonder ceased, and I turned away with disgust and loathing.
This quote from the monster in Chapter 13 provides a clear example of how he learned about humanity by observing the De Lancey family. He tells us that when he first heard about murder, he was so naive and full of hope that he thought the concept to be impossible, but that when he learned more about the defects of mankind, the more it seemed not just plausible, but sadly typical of the wretched human race. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Character: The Monster.
Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?
As the monster listens to the De Laceys teach Safie to speak French in Chapter 13, he not only learns language but also gains insight about human society. He realizes that he possesses none of the qualities that seem to give a person value (such as wealth, friends, social status, and property), and on top of that, he is also cursed "with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; [he] was not even of the same nature as man." He understands for the first time that he is completely different than everyone else, an outcast who is utterly alone. This realization reflects his painful awareness of his isolation; he longs to be accepted but is agonized to realize that he will likely never know friendship or love.
I had never yet seen a being resembling me, or who claimed any intercourse with me. What was I?
Near the end of Chapter 13, in one of the most plaintive quotes in classic literature, the monster laments his utter isolation in the world. He realizes that he doubly cursed: being intelligent enough to understand and deeply feel the necessity of having contact with others but also knowing that he is condemned to never being able to experience it. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Theme: The Effects of Isolation.
