Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jose Calles
CW R1A
6 October 2017
When people think of Frankenstein they think of the stereotypical monster , created by a
mad scientist, that has been displayed in many movies, plays, and cartoons. In fact the truth
about Victor Frankenstein is that he is the creator of the monster. Mary Shelley's novel
Frankenstein, or the Modern Day Prometheus reflects many interesting themes. Shelley uses
Victors background and actions to help build many of the themes in the novel. Although Victor
is the main character, he is viewed as the antagonist because he acts selfishly, he has abnormal
intentions while have excellent knowledge , and he places himself above nature. Victor is also
viewed as the protagonist because he is able to use his knowledge to make a huge jump in
science.
When Victor decided to not speak out during Justines trial he immediately was full of
guilt, as he knew that not only did he claim the murder of William , but that of Justine as well.
Shelley wrote, a thousand times rather I would have confessed myself guilty of the crime
ascribed to Justine (Shelley 61) Victor feels responsible as the guilt starts to settle in. He didn't
know what to expect from the other if he told them the truth. At the time he was only thinking of
himself, which lead him to not tell anyone the truth. Throughout the novel he regrets not
speaking out during Justines trial and accepts that he is responsible for her death. By accepting
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responsibility he does feel the need to tell anyone else, which makes him feel better; Moreover, it
shows that he is a coward and his reputation is more important than the life of another human.
Throughout the novel, Victors actions and mistakes come back to haunt him. The
monster he created becomes very cold hearted due to the fact that he was abandoned by his
creator, which fuels him with anger and revenge. The monsters gain of knowledge propels him
to retaliate against Victor. The monster becomes a cold blooded murderer as he seeks revenge.
Afterward, the monster confronts Victor and describes what he had to go through after he
was abandoned. The monster confesses am I not alone, miserably alone? You my creator
abhor me. He justifies that being alone in the world with no love has caused him to become a
horrible monster. (Shelley 78) He then insists that Victor should create him a companion and in
return he would promise to leave him alone. Victor agrees to the monsters proposition; even
though, he has doubts of whether it is right to bring another creature like the monster into the
world. He eventually destroys the second creature without thinking of the consequences and
ultimately deciding the fate of those whom he dearly loves. Victor acted on what he felt was best
for himself rather than his loved ones. His actions were based on observations that he gathered
from the monster he created and he felt that having two can bring havoc to the whole world. He
wasn't sure how the second creature would react if it felt like it was rejected by the world. Henry
Clerval, Victors best friend, was murdered by the monster the night that Victor destroyed the
second creature. Throughout the ending of the novel Victor is extremely paranoid as the monster
promised to bring destruction upon him. The monster then proceeded to kill Victors wife. The
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terrible news lead to the death of Victor's father. Shelley used the theme selfish actions to show
the effects a simple action can cause whether it being minor or major .
At this point, Victor is feeling very empty after having destroyed the second creature,
which makes him fear that destruction awaits him in the near future: I looked at the heavens
which were covered by clouds that flew before the wind only to be replaced by the others: I
looked upon the sea, it was to be my grave (Shelley 144) The quote shows how nature is turning
against Victor due to all his wrongdoings. Victor took the role of a creator which is the power of
a god. The quote seems to imply that the heavens are closing on Victor as he has brought harm to
the world without accepting responsibility. He decided to use natures power without realizing
In addition, Shelley uses nature in the novel in many ways; After the creation of the
monster, nature seems to have major effects in Victor's life. Natures power proves to be out of
Victors control. Mary uses nature to provided vivid descriptions of the setting and to provide the
tone for many passages. She seems to make nature more noticeable in the times of a tragic event.
Right before Victor is confronted by the monster, nature seems to be acting against Victor as he
says I was troubled: a mist came over my eyes and I felt a faintness seize me; but I was
quickly restored by the cold gale of the mountains. (Shelley 76) Mary shows an example of
natures true power by making nature seem as a human and covering the eyes of Victor but as the
monster gets closer it snaps him back to reality to face what he has been trying to avoid. Victor
feels confused because he doesn't understand why he is being punished. He feels that his creation
is a major step in science and that the monster acted on its on.
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At the same time, Victor's actions were righteous and his creation was giant leap for the
science. He had used his scientific knowledge to bring back life. He was felt extremely
accomplished to have finished, but he was unsatisfied with the creature's appearance. The
Monster was also capable of making the right decisions rather than going on a rampage and
killing most of the Frankenstein family. He had gain knowledge, which showed that he knew
right from wrong. In fact, he became so smart that he was capable of setting up others as the
culprit. After all, the blame still falls on Victor as he is the creator and refused to take
responsibility.Victors creation proved how dangerous knowledge can be to the human mind:
how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes
his own native town to be the world, than who aspires to become greater than his nature will
allow.(Shelley 35) Victor had realized how dangerous it was to have the knowledge he had ,
and how his life would have been different had he not created the monster. It shows that even in
the real world some things are best if they are left alone.
the real world by modifying food and using nuclear weapons in war. She also provides examples
of consequences that come with selfish decisions. She describes that knowledge can be very and
helpful and lead to many discoveries, but if its used in the wrong way it can bring harm to the
world. The themes are used to show many problems she experienced growing up and to help
Works Cited
Butler, Marilyn, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Frankenstein. 1818th ed., Oxford University Press,
2008.