The moment at which the creature comes to life differs between the film and novel version. In Shelley’s novel, Dr. Frankenstein alone is witness to the reanimation, and he is so overcome with revulsion that he flees his lab without confronting his creation. Igor, Dr. Frankenstein’s assistant, does not appear in the novel, although the “It’s alive” scene in the movie remains the most well-known scene from the 1931 film nonetheless. The movie shows Dr. Frankenstein speaking with and accepting of his creation. The creature panics when the doctor’s assistant enters the room with a lit torch, and the two men mistake the creature’s fear for aggression. They lock it in a dungeon, taunting and torturing it until the creature goes mad and becomes murderous
Frankenstein admired nature and tried to imitate it by creating life. During a trip Frankenstein took to the mountains with a friend, he experienced nature as a soothing balm in the face of his own deep anxiety. Likewise, Frankenstein’s creature was fascinated by spring and the beauty of nature’s creations, despite his own horrid existence that he felt was not welcoming or beautiful. Both Frankenstein and his creation desired to learn more about their surroundings but came to believe knowledge was dangerous and full of negative consequences. Since both Frankenstein and the creature felt wronged by the other, even though they were of like mind on many things, they both felt justified when forming their individual plans for revenge against the other.