Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

Is Frankenstein a man, whose ambition led to a disaster; or a monster, which created a

life with disregard for the human race? Frankenstein, in my opinion, was the monster not the life

that he had created. Frankenstein never admitted to his family what he had done, never admitted

responsibility for his actions. He might as well have killed Elizabeth, William, Justine, and

Clerval with his own hand. The so called “Monster” only wanted companionship; he did not

want to murder those people. The circumstances forced him to commit murder. Frankenstein

was the instigator of those circumstances.

To me, Frankenstein and the monster are one and the same. While reading this book the

thought that kept occurring to me was that Victor had multiple personality disorder. Although

the book Frankenstein is a work of fiction, does it not suggest that Victor was the one

committing these vile acts? The persona of the monster is just his conscience making it easier

for Victor to dismiss the atrocious acts that he had committed. Shelley’s reference to “My first

thought was to discover what I knew of the murderer and cause instant pursuit to be made. But I

paused when I reflected on the story I had to tell.”(Frankenstein, Mary Shelley), showed that

Victor had the knowledge that he was the reason William was dead. Frankenstein didn’t need to

know about the murderer, because he was the murderer. No Hero in Mary Shelley’s

Frankenstein cites “He is so self-centered that his lack of interaction and love for others after his

experiment has been completed, would barely qualify him as a person, if the difference between

being human and being a person lies in the ability to have relationships with others.” This

statement suggests to me that he...

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...in led himself down the path of

destruction. He lost his friend, wife, and brother. He was loved by no one. All those whom he

had cared about were dead. His experiment had turned him into a shell of hatred and despair.

His focus on his creation, led him to a black hole, from which there was no escape.

Frankenstein’s ambition did lead to disaster, but he was also the monster with no regard for

human life.

Now that Frankenstein was in the afterlife, the monster could now end his own

life. His quest was over. He had won the revenge that he sought. He only waited for his creator

to die. He choose to end his miserable existence, rather than face life alone and lonely. He was

right to blame Frankenstein for his failures; his appearance, the way society accepted him, his

need for companionship. The monster was the reflection of the man that the world couldn’t see.