Victor Frankenstein Character Analysis

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Someone saves a girl and is shot due to an unfit understanding of his appearance (Shelley 140). Similarly, society adjudges those with abnormal appearances as immoral. Dr. Victor Frankenstein, not the creature, struggles to parent an inhuman individual in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Firstly, Victor experiments with parenting an inhuman individual in isolation, then this creature suffers alone due to his appearance’s amiss apprehensions. In other words, Shelley uses “parenting” experiences to amplify the ideas of isolation as an incommodity and how appearance provides a perverse perception of personality.
Victor’s isolated parenting experiments fetter friendships, furthering his isolation. For example, Dr. Frankenstein is “separated from” peers …show more content…

Victor’s creation is an obscene self-portrait, yet it makes “‘[him turn away] in disgust’” (Shelley 130). The Lord made humans after His beautiful image and Dr. Frankenstein attempts to do the same, except Victor’s mien is flawed (Shelley 130). Therefore, if Dr. Frankenstein is faulty, his creation has flaws, as it says when comparing his appearance to Victor’s: “‘[he] is a filthy [version of Dr. Frankenstein’s semblance]’” (Shelley 130). Consequently, this horrifying guise hampers Dr. Frankenstein’s willingness to parent. Hence, Victor’s deprivation of alacrity to care for his creature nourishes its isolation. Additionally, the monster’s apparent attributes differ from his emotions; the “scar[y]”, “unearthly,” and “ugl[y]” monster is “miserable,” “agon[izing],” “remorse[ful],” “bitter,” “loath[ful],” and “despair[ing],” in reality (Shelley 216-18). The creature’s look beclouds the lonesomeness he is languishing in. Furthermore, the creature attempts to assimilate as an outcast, yet is rejected on his appearance. Correspondingly, this rejection renders the creature meaningless, sending him into depression; the rejection sparks an existential crisis. In contrast to Dr. Frankenstein’s parenting, his parents treat his adopted sister, Elizabeth Lavenza, with “fond[ness] . . . passion and . . . reveren[ce]” (Shelley 31). Elizabeth’s “crown of distinction” causes this different parenting; Elizabeth’s “fair[ness]” “attracts . . . [Victor’s] mother” to cherish her forever (Shelley 30). When contrasting Elizabeth and the creature, the differences are appearance and parenting: bright Elizabeth is prized, while the terrifying creature is

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