Calles 1

Jose Calles

Professor Kim Freeman

CW R1A

6 October 2017

The Creation of Destruction

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
 Calles 2

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.

He kills Victor's younger brother William.

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
 Calles 3

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

that he could not control it .

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.
 Calles 4

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.

Shelley exemplifies how dangerous it can be to take advantage of nature, as humans do in

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

address certain issues of her time.

 Calles 5

Works Cited

Butler, Marilyn, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Frankenstein. 1818th ed., Oxford University Press,
2008.