Victor Frankenstein
He reads the works of the ancient and outdated
alchemists, a background that serves him ill when at university, where he
learns about modern science. Fascinated with the “secret of life,” he discovers it, and brings a hideous monster
to life. Though torn by remorse, shame, and guilt, Victor refuses to admit the
horror of what he has created.
Victor changes over the course of the novel from
an innocent young man fascinated by the prospects of science into a
disillusioned man determined to destroy the fruits of his arrogant scientific experiment. Victor is doomed by a lack of humanness, he
cuts himself off from the world and
commits himself to the obsession with revenging himself upon the
monster.
At the end of the novel Victor relates his story
to Robert Walton and then dies. With its multiple narrators and multiple
perspectives, the novel gives contrasting interpretations of Victor: mad
scientist, transgressing all boundaries without concern, or brave adventurer
into unknown scientific lands, not to be held responsible for the consequences
of his explorations.
The monster is Victor Frankenstein’s creation,
assembled from old body parts and strange chemicals, animated by a mysterious
spark. Eight feet tall and very strong but with the mind of a newborn, abandoned
by his creator and confused, he tries to integrate himself into society, only
to be shunned. He realizes his physical grotesqueness blinds society to his initially gentle, kind
nature. Seeking revenge on his creator, he kills all the people near to Victor,
particularly after the destruction of the female monster meant to ease his loneliness.
While Victor feels only hatred for his creation,
the monster is not a purely evil being. The monster’s narration of events, provided
by Victor, reveals his sensitivity but
because of his outward appearance, he is rewarded only with beatings and
disgust. Torn between revenge and compassion, the monster is lonely and
tormented by remorse. The death of his creator-destroyer gives no real relief:
joy because Victor has caused him so much suffering, sadness because Victor is
the only person with whom he has had any sort of relationship.
Walton is the captain of a North Pole–bound ship
trapped in ice. He and his crew rescue Victor, weak and emaciated from his long
chase after the monster.
Walton’s role parallels Victor’s in many ways.
Like Victor, Walton is an explorer, chasing after that “country of eternal
light” -- unpossessed knowledge. In his
decision to terminate his dangerous expedition, Walton is a foil (someone whose
traits or actions contrast with, and highlight, those of another character) to
Victor, either not obsessive enough to risk almost-certain death or not
courageous enough to allow his passion to drive him.
Dangerous Knowledge
The pursuit of knowledge is at the heart of Frankenstein,
as Victor attempts to go beyond accepted human limits and access the secret
of life, and Robert Walton attempts to surpass human explorations by trying to
reach the North Pole. This pursuit of knowledge proves dangerous: Victor’s act
of creation results in the destruction of everyone dear to him, and Walton
finds himself trapped in ice. Victor’s
obsessive hatred of the monster drives him to his death, Walton pulls back from
his dangerous mission, having learned from Victor’s example how destructive the
thirst for knowledge can be.
Sublime Nature
The influence of nature on mood is evident
throughout the novel, but for Victor, the natural world’s power to console him
wanes when he realizes that the monster will haunt him anywhere. By the end, as
Victor chases the monster, nature (-- the Arctic desert) functions as the place
for his struggle against the monster.
Monstrosity
This theme pervades the entire novel: eight feet
tall and ugly, the monster is rejected by society. His monstrosity results not
only from his grotesque appearance but also from the unnatural manner of his
creation, the product not of collaborative scientific effort but of dark,
supernatural workings.
Victor himself is a kind of monster: his
ambition, secrecy, and selfishness alienate him from human society. Ordinary on
the outside, he is the true “monster” inside, consumed by an obsessive hatred
of his creation.
Secrecy
Victor’s idea of science is that of a mystery to
be probed; its secrets, once discovered, must be guarded. Victor’s obsession
with creating life is shrouded in secrecy, and his obsession with destroying
the monster remains secret until Walton hears his tale.
Victor continues in his secrecy out of shame and
guilt, the monster is forced into seclusion by his appearance. Walton serves as the final
confessor for both, and their tragic relationship becomes immortalized in
Walton’s letters
Passive Women
Frankenstein
is devoid of strong female characters. The novel is littered with passive
women who suffer calmly and then expire: which calls attention to the obsessive
and destructive behavior that Victor and the monster exhibit.
Light and Fire
In Frankenstein, light symbolizes knowledge,
discovery, and enlightenment. The natural world is a place of dark secrets and
unknown mechanisms; the goal of the scientist is to reach light. The presence
of fire in the text is related to the full title of the novel, Frankenstein:
or, The Modern Prometheus. The Greek god Prometheus gave fire to humanity
and was punished for it. Victor, a modern Prometheus, is punished, yet his “gift”, knowledge of the secret of life, remains
a secret.
CHARACTERS
• Both Captain
Walton and Doctor Frankenstein tried to go beyond human limits.
• The Monster is complementary
to his creator:
they both suffer from isolation
and they both begin with a desire to be good.
THE CREATION OF THE MONSTER
One stormy night, after months of labor, Victor
completes his creation. But when he brings it to life, its awful appearance
horrifies him. He rushes to the next room and tries to sleep, but he is
troubled by nightmares about Elizabeth and his mother’s corpse. He wakes to
discover the monster looming over his bed with a grotesque smile and rushes out
of the house. He spends the night pacing in his courtyard.
The setting is a rainy
November night, and the dominant colours are yellow black and white.
Frankenstein sees the dull
yellow eye of the creature open, he hears his hearing and the limbs move.
The description of the
creature points out its yellow eyes, yellow skin over muscles and arteries,
watery eyes, a shrivelled complexion and thin black lips.
The creation of the creature
is the result of two years of hard work, yet Frankenstein now feels only horror
and disgust for an unfinished creature, with a lifeless glance, a voice
uttering inarticulate sounds, a disturbing blend of organic and artificial, a
creature that does not fit with reason and logic, therefore without a name.
The creation of the monster is a grotesque act,
far from the desired triumph of scientific knowledge. Victor’s nightmares
reflect his horror at what he has done and foreshadow future events: the images
of Elizabeth “livid with the hue of death” prepare her death and connect it,
however indirectly, to the creation of the monster.
Victor views science as the only true route to
new knowledge: light reveals; it is essential for seeing, and seeing is the way
to knowledge.
The theme of secrecy manifests itself: Victor’s
studies draw him away from those who love and advise him. He conducts his
experiments alone, rejecting the openness of the new sciences.
Victor’s reaction to his creation initiates a
theme that persists throughout the novel—the sense that the monster is
inescapable, ever present, liable to appear at any moment and wreak havoc.
