When comparing Mary Shelley's gothic novel, “Frankenstein” to the 2008 film, “The Tale of Despereaux,” a common theme runs through the novel he is the archetypal character of innocence to evil. In "The Tale of Despereaux", one of the main characters in the story is Chiaroscuro, or Roscuro. Roscuro is a mouse misunderstood by people who have not yet met him. He travels with a human companion by boat and docks in the kingdom of Dor during the annual Royal Soup Day. Roscuro, enchanted by the aroma of the soup, travels along the chandelier in the royal dining room and ends up falling into the Queen's soup, giving her a scared enough to have a heart attack and die. Roscuro, feeling guilty for the Queen's death, goes to see Princess Pea to apologize for all the trouble he has caused. The princess, terrified by the sight of Roscuro, immediately rejects him before he has a chance to explain himself. Heartbroken when he is driven away, Roscuro vows revenge on the princess. This is one of the main similarities between Roscuro and the creature in "Frankenstein" because the creature swears revenge on all humanity. The creature finally finds the courage to approach Mr. Delacey, knowing that he is blind and that the old man will not judge him based on his appearance alone. However, when Safie, Agatha and Felix return home, he is immediately rejected and kicked out without giving them any explanation. Roscuro and the creature are both very similar because they were both never given a chance to explain themselves and were immediately sent away. Once Roscuro and the creature are rejected by the people from whom they most desire forgiveness or sympathy, they are devastated. Both transform from an innocent being into a cruel and merciless monster. “When you… at the center of the paper… and in the world; the creature, however, was always alone. Roscuro was found by Botticelli, the leader of the mouse world, in the prison beneath the castle. He also had help from Miggery Sow. The creature never had anyone to lend an ear to or help him in times of need. “The Tale of Despereaux” and “Frankenstein” both illustrate how two characters start out as innocent beings and transform into true monsters because they were judged too quickly based on their appearance alone, or because of a stereotype as they were prematurely labeled. Both of these stories teach a valuable lesson about not judging others before meeting them and tell of two good hearts damaged due to society's prejudices. Works Cited<“The Tale of Despereaux”; Dir. Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen; Matthew Broderick, Emma Watson, Dustin Hoffman; Universal images; 2008; DVD>