Frankenstein

Despite Frankenstein’s original claims that he created the monster for the betterment of

mankind, in later passages he makes statements that border on megalomaniacal and draw

similarities between him and god. One such example is seen when Victor says, "A new species

would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their

being to me." This quote echoes the theological idea that man was created to serve, revere, and

praise the deity responsible for their existence.

Similarly, Victor states “if I could bestow animation upon lifeless matter, I might in

process of time (although I now found it impossible) renew life where death had apparently

devoted the body to corruption.” This loaded quote also draws parallels with the religious

concepts of a divinely granted life after death and a form of salvation gifted to the deceased

through this rebirth. These narcissistic allusions to his ability to conquer death and become the

deity to a new species of man highlight the ability of blind ambition and hubris to corrupt leading

victor to grandiose delusions of divinity bordering on egotheism, all under the guise of

benevolence.

These ulterior motivations are made even more clear in his rejection of his monster

immediately following its creation. He is disgusted by it because it represents the dark side of his

arrogance. It embodies all the ugliness inside himself that he hides behind the veneer of

virtuousness, thus the monster is a living monument to all of his sins. Additionally, the creature

represents the death of his purpose and ambition, he created life and no longer has his great

purpose. Further, the creatures disfigured appearance serves as a constant reminder that even if

Victor can create life, he cannot become godlike because his flaws and imperfections result in his

creations being flawed. This is the ultimate pyrrhic victory for Frankenstein, despite succeeding
in his goal of creating life, he does not desire the admiration, devotion, or praise of his flawed

creation.

When Frankenstein pulls back the sheet, he makes eye contact with the monster, who

grins at him and reaches out towards him, to which Victor recoils expecting to be grabbed. This

emphasis on what both see also plays upon the biblical depiction of god but in a darker way, with

the inversion of the meaning of certain words, specifically it brings to mind Deuteronomy with

quotes such as "thy God is among you, mighty and terrible" and "he is thy God, that hath done

for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.”

Despite the innumerable things that Victor owed his childlike creation the only one the

monster seems to be concerned with is purpose. The monster becomes aware of the nature of his

existence when he is shunned by society, but more distressing to him is the realization that his

existence is meaningless and when paired with societal rejection he must face the emptiness of

his existence alone, devoid of love and companionship. This results in the monster’s demand for

a female companion.

Frankenstein at first sympathizes with the existential crisis the monster faces, but

eventually begins having reservations which lead to him putting off the creation, and ultimately

lead to him destroying her before she is complete. Though Frankenstein claims this is because he

feels the creation is morally wrong, or that he worries that the female may not submit to the same

agreement as the first monster, or that she will reject the male making his existence even more

painful, or that their spawn might pose a threat to humanity; the truth is she would represent the

another failure of his design and the possibility of her creating spawn would similarly propagate

the proof of his evil deeds and failures. Thus, Victor further drifts from his original godlike goal

and destroys his Eve rather than create the companion for his proverbial Adam.
 Frankenstein continues his decent from the benevolent creator aspect of god he originally

desired to be seen as, and instead takes up the mantle of the angry and vengeful god, following

the vengeful sins of his creation. Thus, while Frankenstein is comparable to a flawed godlike

figure, he is also comparable to the monster as both try to be like their maker at first but

ultimately seek to spite their creators. Not only had they denied each other a future with their

respective female companions, but they also denied each other a purpose in life, and in the face

of this meaningless empty existence void of companionship both cling to vengeance for purpose.

The similarities continue with Frankenstein being the cause his own sins in the form of

his creation; not by some external malevolent entity of devil, but through his own ambition and

quest for purpose. Mirroring this is how the creature behaves monstrously and murders the

innocent out of his own emotional dismay and desire for purpose, without the need for a

malignant character driving him towards such misdeeds, both are victim and villain of their own

actions. In the end, Frankenstein causes his own death through his pursuit of vengeance and the

creature resigns to destroy himself because of the sins committed while he was doing the same.

I would argue that Frankenstein’s creation is not originally a monster and should be seen

as a human, one who became monstrous in the face of adversity. At first, the creature is only

perceived as monstrous because he is viewed as unnatural, not being born naturally, or because

he was created by man from the flesh of deceased people. However, this poses several issues.

First, if unnatural creation is the only requirement to denied someone the status of human, then

society would have to hold births from artificial insemination to the same inhuman status.

As for the idea that his creation through the bodies of the previously deceased being the

non-human element, one becomes confronted by the same arguments presented in the ship of

Theseus or grandfather's axe paradox. If he is made from humans, and has human sentience, is he
not human? If someone receives organ transplants from deceased people does that make them

less themselves? A monster is not something born or crafted by an intelligent designer but

instead is something manufactured by a cruel society. The creature does not behave monstrously

until he is corrupted by the monstrous nature of both society and his creator.

Frankenstein as a character fits the hero's journey fairly well and with a little adjustment

one could see Victor as having completed every stage of the journey. We begin with Victor

living in an ordinary world. Victor is called to adventure by his ambition and his love of science.

The third step is where the first modification is required, the refusal of the call must be moved

after the crossing of the threshold because once Victor crosses the threshold and succeeds in

reanimating his creature, he flees from what he has done, this represents a refusal in hindsight.

Professor Waldman's support makes him act as the mentor for Frankenstein. Victor's success in

creating new life crosses many thresholds and moves Victor from the ordinary world into the

special world.

After the hindsight refusal of the call, Victor is tested by the actions of his creation which

serves the role of the enemy, and his being forced to deal with the consequences and guilt of his

creation serving as the actual tests. Victor also affirms his allies at this point through his

interactions with Clerval and Elizabeth. The approach is in the journey to the Alps which

ultimately leads to the meeting between Frankenstein and his creation, which serves as the

ordeal. The creatures promise to go into exile is the reward.

The tenth stage is a second area of complication, for Victor "the road back" is the

destruction of the female companion. This is his rejection of his previous sinful behavior, but it

does not lead him back to where he started, nor does it redeem him, it only serves to condemn his

creation to a lonely and tragic existence and himself to the wrath of the monster, this makes this
step somewhat ambiguous. The eleventh step is also somewhat murky, the resurrection of Victor

is him becoming entirely like his monster, a product of literal resurrection. This is seen in his

loss of all of his connections to humanity as well as his lack of purpose beyond vengeance. In the

final step, we see that Victor's "elixir" is the warning about ambition that he passes on to Walton.

This "return with the elixir" moment at the end of the story, has Walton and his crew

learning from mistakes of Frankenstein and deciding that the pursuit of scientific discovery for

no purpose but blind ambition or hubris is not worth self-destruction or the loss of one’s

connection to humanity, which causes them to abandon their mission and turn back. While this

completes the hero’s journey, I do not think it is the overall message of the novel.

Instead, I find the core message to be that society creates its own monsters, through our

rejection of that which is not understood or what is different. This is hinted at both in the

monster’s interactions with the blind Mr. DeLacey as well as in the very end, when Walton does

not kill the monster as instructed and allows him to mourn his deceased creator. For the first time

since his interaction with DeLacey, the monster is allowed a basic human courtesy. This small

act of social acceptance re-humanizes the monster and leads him seek redemption through his

own death.