Ugliness in Frankenstein

 I view Frankenstein as, among many other possibilities, a tale of the effect that perceived ugliness has on the individual. Victor is rejected by all who lays eyes on him. He is not only hideous, he is repugnant and horrifying. Even Frankenstein's family, his rightful family as the creation of Frankenstein, does not accept him. Individuals who are isolated from society because of their differentness suffer great psychological turmoil because of it. This made me think more contemporarily of individuals who are singled out for physical defects such as cleft lip, dwarfism, down syndrome, and the distress it must cause them. I wondered if my earlier conviction that people like this should not seek out plastic surgery to normalize their differences was a bit naive for the reality of the world. I changed my mind, deciding instead that the only chance these people had to live normal lives was to have plastic surgery.