"How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but withing oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light."
     -Barry Lopez
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a tale of science and nature, a comparison of humanity, and most importantly a struggle of good versus evil.  The quote above sums up all of the internal conflicts within both Frankenstein and his monster during this novel.  Dr. Frankenstein constantly goes through extreme bouts of guilt, blaming himself for the murders committed by his monster; however, there is a greater question than whether or not Dr. Frankenstein himself is guilty:  is the monster that he created evil?
To properly understand if the monster is in fact evil, it is necessary to understand what constitutes good and evil.  Can anyone really understand what good and evil is?  Most would agree that murder is an evil, that taking a life is a power that no man or woman should hold over another, except in the most dire of circumstances.  However, this is an aspect of humanity rarely seen, if ever. People are inherently programmed to be selfish through survivalist instincts. As we have seen in books such a Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels the human condition is that while we can still think intellectually and develop complex theories, at the base of it all we are still animals.  We still defecate, and we most definitely have selfish primal instinct; thus, being “good” is almost an unattainable goal.
 On the other hand there is evil. Evil can best be defined in modern society as the intent to commit unjust actions upon others.  However, this quote almost argues that the “evil,” in the monsters case, is almost justified. How can the monster have compassion when his own creator won't even look at him because he is so hideous, let alone the rest of the world?  While the monster may not be “making [his] life a worthy expression of leaning into the light,” he most certainly cannot have compassion or keep human morals. Why should he care for the humans who shun him and reject him for his appearance?
 However, despite these true definitions, the theory of good and evil is all based off perception, and perception is not a constant. Humanity sees the monster as an evil figure because he is killing other people for the sins of one man, and beyond that, he is killing people period. Human nature, while selfish, is also protective, not necessarily of others, but rather, of itself. If humans feel concerned for their well being, the other end is always ‘evil.’ An example in current day situations is war. Both sides are evil to each other, not because one or the other are committing injustices, as rather they both are, but instead because there is hostility, bringing forth more primal instincts of the human condition. Thus, by popular perception, Frankenstein's monster is evil.
 The monster is, beyond being evil, an exemplary Byronic hero. The Byronic hero, created the image of the romantic poet Lord Byron. The Byronic hero is