What Role Does Nature Play In The Life Of Victor Frankenstein

“I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murder.” words spoken by Victor Frankenstein himself (Shelley 88). Frankenstein was an extremely brilliant man that was constantly amazed by the world of science. His curiosity in turn lead him to the creation of the appalling monster introduced in the tale of Frankenstein. At first glance, Victor is both disgusted and horrified at his work. Later in the story Victor falls ill and is forever haunted by the monster he has brought to life. Victor’s creation led to the mass destruction of his loved ones but as the story plays out, it seems that Victor and his monster are not all that different after all. Victor Frankenstein and his creation are comparable in terms of their loving yet temperamental personalities,

He grew up in an intellectual household, as he had a doctor to look up to all of his life. This inspired Victor to push the boundaries of nature and knowledge and become the brilliantly successful scientist he grew to be. Victor took nature to a new level when he incorporated forces like lightning and electric eels to create a new form of life. Victor was presented with new opportunities to expand in the world of known science due to nature. The monster’s life was not nearly as positively affected by nature as Victor’s was. The monster continued to battle with nature throughout his lifetime, as his own existence defines what was previously known. Victor created a “freak of nature” that not only frightened himself, but everyone else that came in contact with it. Frankenstein was so appalled by his own creation that he fled and fell ill at the sight of it. “He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped, and rushed down stairs. I took refuge in the courtyard… where I remained during the rest of the night.” (Shelley 61). Victor was only the first of many to react in this manner at the sight of his creation that defied all previously known laws of nature and science. Nature and its laws were the reason behind the creation’s suffering and hatred, but was also the source of Victor’s

The monster struggled to obtain love or acceptance from anyone throughout his lifetime, though it is what he craved the most. In response to this disappointment, the monster reverted to threats and brutal behavior. He named Victor as the source of his pain, as he was the creator that brought him into this world only to leave him alone to suffer. In search of his creator for revenge, the monster came across Victor’s younger brother William. After making the connection between the two, the monster first killed William then planted the evidence on Victor’s family friend, Justine; leading to the murder of two of Victor’s close ones. Even after being responsible of two murders, the monster was still suffering and resulted in threatening both the lives of Victor and his soon-to-be wife, Elizabeth. This resulted in the eventual death of Victor’s wife as well. The monster took extreme actions in response to his own difficult upbringing, while Victor took a much less destructive yet cowardly approach. After Victor’s creation of the monster he made a break for the door, running away from his fears and leaving the monster behind. Shelly illustrates this of Victor as she writes “Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room, and continued a long time traversing my bedchamber, unable to