The poem The Children's Cry by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley depict acts of cruelty in an attempt to arouse pity in readers. In each case, victims experience bitter self-pity and react with resentment toward those who have wronged them. The working class children in the poem and the Monster in Frankenstein are pitiful characters because of the way they are treated, but they are not completely helpless. They can still exercise free will and choose how to respond to their treatment. There is a big difference in their outward dispositions, even if their initial feelings are similar. Both authors create characters who suffer injustices and desire pity, but their characters' response to their challenges determines whether or not they deserve readers' sympathy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The children in Browning's poem feel grief and general despair about their lives. They look forward to death, saying, “It's good when it happens” (Browning, line 51). Children are brave in the face of something that is universally feared. Browning uses the unexpected attitude of children to show how they cope with difficulties. They say to those who suggest they quit their work and play in the countryside: “Leave us… from your pleasures, beautiful and beautiful! » (Browning, lines 63-64). The work never seems to end, as Browning emphasizes by using the phrase "all day" three times between lines 73 to 77. Browning emphasizes the children's misery by showing that they don't even want to think about running and to play: “If we took care of all the meadows, it was enough just to drop down there and sleep” (Browning, lines 67-68). Children feel resentful toward those who don't sympathize with them, but they don't dwell on things they can't have. In contrast, the monster in Shelley's novel allows himself to be consumed by his grief until it turns into anger. At the beginning of the story, he resembles the children in Browning's poem. When he is alone and cold in the forest, he sits and cries (Shelley 68). However, after being rejected by his family, he tries to make friends, he says: “despair had not yet taken hold of me; my feelings were those of rage and vengeance” (Shelley 92). The family rejects the monster, but does not impose additional difficulties on him. His grief is justifiable, but his anger is not. The Monster continues by saying: “I did not seek to control them; but, letting myself be carried away by the stream, I turned my mind to injury and death” (Shelley 93). The Monster deliberately accumulates hatred in his heart. Shelley dispels the pity the audience may feel for the monster by slowly revealing his cruelty. Meanwhile, in Browning's poem, the children's response to the injustices they face is that they lack goodness, not that they should embrace evil. They have no faith, because they have received no religious instruction, as shown in stanza 10 when they say they only know two words of a single prayer. They also lack faith in God's benevolence. They say, “sorrow has made us unbelieving” (Browning, line 131). Browning's readers would have considered unfaithful children a tragedy. Browning, however, shows why his young protagonists think that God does not hear them. They say: “The human creatures near us / Pass without hearing oranswer a word. (Browning, lines 107-108). It is their simple reasoning that makes them doubt God, rather than any kind of innate cruelty. The Monster's reasoning is selfish and biased. He tries to present himself as innocent and seeking goodness, but contradicts himself several times. He states that he “felt rising within me the greatest ardor for virtue and the greatest horror for vice” (Shelley 87). However, he also admits that he feels a "bitter gall of envy" (Shelley 87) when he sees the happiness of the family he watches over. He feels entitled to share their happiness. He considers the scientist Frankenstein a divine figure for creating him, but curses man for leaving him alone (Shelley 88). The Monster cannot blame anyone for needlessly inflicting such emotional pain on him, but feels wronged because he sees pleasures in the world that he cannot access. Even the children in Browning's poem do not claim a right to happiness and do not curse God for their misery. All children want is peace. The Monster is able to support himself without help and could be freed from oppression, but could not be content with this kind of life. Regarding the family he observes, he says, “my heart longed to be known and loved by these kind creatures” (Shelley 89). The monster's desire for love is not a crime, but the resulting anger and plans for revenge make him guilty. He imposes himself on others and gets angry when they reject him. Like the Monster, children feel that their Creator does not love them, if he exists (Browning, lines 125-135). Their reaction, however, is nothing but crying. The Monster soon determines that Frankenstein is his enemy, calling him "the one against whom I have sworn eternal vengeance" (Shelley 97). He blames Frankenstein for all the suffering he experiences. Frankenstein, on the other hand, is not guilty of directly harming the monster. Granted, he doesn't like or care about the Monster either, but that is directly related to the hatred the Monster feels towards him. When the monster captures a boy and learns that he is related to Frankenstein, the monster strangles him out of hatred for Frankenstein. He even relishes this murderous act, saying that “my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph” (Shelley 97). The Monster believes he is right to seek revenge due to his unfulfilling existence. He says, “I am wicked because I am unhappy” (Shelley 98), implying that misery is sufficient justification for murder. He speaks as if he were the victim of injustices far more serious than those he suffered. He claims that he will not submit to “abject slavery” (Shelley 98), but no one wishes to enslave him in any way. He demonstrates that he is capable of deep thought, but persists in trying to justify his crimes in ways that far exceed those committed against him. Unlike the Monster, the children are forced to work in conditions close to slavery. They are oppressed and suffer physical suffering far worse than not being loved. Yet even as small children, they have more strength of character and tolerance than the Monster. They feel resentful about their grief; “The child's sob in silence curses deeper/Than the strong man in his anger” (Browning, lines 159-160). Even in this state, they do not harbor thoughts of revenge and murder. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Browning wrote his poem in order to arouse pity in his audience. His characters retain a certain virtue.