Obsession in Frankenstein

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Recommended: Frankenstein and the pursuit of knowledge

Many characters in the story Frankenstein have some sort of obsession. All the big characters had a passion which drove their existence. Caroline Frankenstein’s obsession was helping those in need. Victor Frankenstein obsesses over knowledge and creation of life that he learned much about as he grew up. The creature of Frankenstein is driven by his search for acceptance and companionship. Robert Walton, much like Victor, is obsessed with knowledge and scientific accomplishment. He is on a journey find an Arctic passage to connect the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Most of the characters in Frankenstein are all driven by their passion which leads to disappointment and anger.
Victor is obsessed with the creation of life. “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless disgust and horror filled my heart” (Shelley 43). Victor has spent almost two years of his life doing nothing but working on his creation of the creature. He even says that it was an obsession when he says that he desired it with a passion more than normal. This obsession led to Victor’s disappointment with what he had created. He was certain that he would love his creature and that it would be beautiful but once his dream came to life, he was severely disappointed. He says his heart was filled with hate and disgust. Victor wasn’t even able to stay and look at it so he rushed from the room and then obsessed over hating the creature. If Victor didn’t obsess over the creature as much as he did he wouldn’t have been so disappoin...

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...by cowardice and indecision; I come back ignorant and disappointed. It requires more philosophy than I possess to bear this injustice with patience” (Shelly 206). Walton chooses safety of scientific exploration unlike Victor did. His obsession gets fixed when Victor sets him straight.
The characters in Frankenstein are all driven to fulfill an obsession in their lives. Victor is driven by scientific knowledge and creating life. He grew up learning science and it was a huge part of life and soon became the biggest part of his life. The creature is obsessed with gaining acceptance which he realizes he can never get because of human nature. Robert Walton is obsessed with discovering a passage in the Arctic. Walton is the only one who learns not to let his life be dominated by one factor.

Works Cited

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003. Print.

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