Victor's Irresponsibility and Subsequent Downfall Depicted in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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The Cause of all Miseries The infamous accident on the voyage across the Atlantic left the Titanic in ruins and hundreds of people dead. After hitting an iceberg, the great vessel gradually split in half and descended to the depths of the ocean. Had the crew better understood their proximity to the iceberg and also been prepared with enough lifeboats for all the passengers, they would not have crashed and, in the case of other possible accidents, easily evacuated everyone from the ship safely. The personnel working the ship failed to fulfill their duty of keeping the passengers and the vessel safe from danger because they were not responsible enough to handle the massive ocean liner nor were they prepared for the worst-case scenario. The actions and lack thereof of the crew and captain resulted in the tragic deaths of many, just as Victor’s actions led to lamentable results in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. Victor’s irresponsibility caused his downfall. His lack of preparation and abandonment of his creation turned the creature evil. Once Victor had the chance to prevent the monster’s actions, he did not. Victor’s determination of creating “life” made him ignorant of properly preparing for how to control his creation. Victor became increasingly immersed in his research, spending “days and nights of incredible labour and fatigue” working towards his goal of “bestowing animation upon lifeless matter” (38). Victor did not think about nor concern himself with anything besides his work, for he was deeply engrossed in his occupation (42). As he became more disillusioned with the thought of bringing life to a motionless figure, he did not ponder what his actions should be after his experiment was complete. Once his creature had been b... ... middle of paper ... ...or was not thinking of others in his actions, but only of himself. He did not consider the tumult the abnormally large creature could cause in the world, nor what the feelings of the monster would be towards him if he abandoned him. Victor also did not contemplate the safety of his friends, as he had the chance to stop the creature’s misdoings but failed to do so, risking the life of his friends. Therefore, Victor was a selfish being, who only concerned himself with his wishes and never evaluated the situation of his loved ones, ultimately causing their demise. The misfortunate events that occurred through Victor’s life could have been prevented, and also discontinued when Victor had the chance. However, Victor’s irresponsibility overcame these opportunities and he in turn, caused misfortunes for himself as well as his loved ones.

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