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Philip Jonsson

Ms. Winter

English 12, Period 6

28 January 2022

Naive Desires

From the book of Genesis, God created Adam and Eve, the first two humans to roam the

earth whose purpose was to take care of God’s creation, to populate the earth, and, most

importantly, to have a relationship with him. In Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein

(1832), a bumptious and ambitious scientist — Victor Frankenstein — challenges nature with

his creation of his own creature, who proves to possess a level of intelligence on the same plane

as humans. Similar to God in the book of Genesis, Victor longs for a relationship with the

creature, situating himself in a position of power where the creature would owe its being to him.

While the creature may owe his being to his creator, Victor must succeed in bringing joy to the

created. In the absence of this joy, there would be no desire for such a creature to feel indebted to

a man like Victor who chose to create him. The relationship between Victor and his creature falls

apart if said criterion is not met and equilibrium is lost. If a creator — like Victor — desires

gratification and subjugation from his creation, they must succeed in bringing joy to said

creation, acknowledging that if they fail to do so, their intentions will be in shambles and the

relationship between creator and created will fall apart.

In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the main protagonist Victor has every

intention of pushing the boundaries of science and creation. His desires to create a creature were

motivated by his egoistic reasoning to form a being that would feel immense gratitude and

indebtedness to its creator, Victor. He makes these intentions clear when pondering the
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consequences of his soon-to-be creation: “Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I

should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world… No father could

claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs” (Shelly 39). In creating

a new species, Victor concluded that he would naturally be given gratitude and complete

servitude from his creation. The creature comes to recognize that Victor desires praise and

gratitude from him as his creation and uses it to his advantage when he asks Victor to create a

female companion for him: “Oh! My creator, make me happy; let me feel gratitude towards you

for one benefit!” (131). It is evident that gratitude is a key motivator in Victors choice to create

the creature as he eventually grants the creature his wishes after their persuasive words. His

creation represents his deep hunger for gratitude and servitude that would satisfy Victor’s pride,

but he will come to learn that his intentions will not be met as easily as he presumed.

Victor holds the duty of bringing joy to his creation if he desires gratitude and servitude

as compensation . If the creator is all-powerful, they should grant their creation favorable and

joyful conditions, receiving gratitude as a natural response. Victor doesn’t grant the creature an

environment where he can thrive, abandoning him from the moment that life was given to the

being. To make matters worse, the creature holds a stature and appearance that society deems

monstrous and horrific, leaving said creature as a target of hate and prejudice. The creature

develops feelings of contempt as a result of Victors lack of consideration, and on confronting

him after his abandonment, the being voices his frustrations, exclaiming, “‘Accursed creator!

Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity,

made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours,

more horrid even from the very resemblance” (115). Victor fails to bring joy to the creature that

he had all power over creating. The creature recognizes the lack of consideration that his creator
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has put towards his well-being, making them resent Victor for the conditions that they must live

with. It is particularly ironic that Victor was so inconsiderate in the creation of his creature when

recounting his ideas on his childhood. When discussing his upbringing, he refers to himself as

his parents “[plaything] and their idol — and something better, their child… whom to bring up to

good, and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct to happiness or to misery, according as

they fulfilled their duties towards me” (19). Victor fails to remember the duties as a creator that

he recognized in the example of his very own upbringing. His naivety continues for a great

amount of time in the novel and in doing so, he continuously allows for his creation to suffer as

an outcast to society. After a couple of years since Victor abandoned the creature, he encounters

it on a long voyage through the mountains. The creature demands that he hear his story and after

recounting the hardships of the life that he has lived so far, Victor gains a moment of clarity:

“For the first time, also, I felt what the duties of a creator towards its creature were, and that I

ought to render him happy before I complained of his wickedness” (85). After repeatedly failing

to realize his purpose as the creator, Victor finally recognizes that his true purpose is to bring joy

to the being he has created. He cannot criticize his own creation if he hasn’t even succeeded in

fulfilling his own duties of being the creator. If Victor desires gratitude from his creation, he

must act on this realization, bringing joy to the being and receiving praise in return.

Despite Victors moments of clarity, he continuously fails to fulfill his duties as the

creator, ultimately leading the disintegration of their relationship. The creature endures the pains

of prejudice and hate as a result of being given an appearance that society views as terrifying and

monstrous. Eventually, the hate that the creature receives from the world around him festers into

his very own hate for his creator, Victor. In confronting Victor, the creature demands that he hear

the story of his like so far. When Victor refuses to listen to his tale, the creature gives him an
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ultimatum: “On you it rests, whether I quit forever the neighborhood of man and lead a harmless

life, or become the scourge of your fellow creatures and the author of your own speedy ruin”

(85). The creature has come to the point of threatening his creator, Victor, when he refuses to

listen to his words. Victor has removed himself from the duty of making his creation feel loved

and joyful. In doing so, the creature has naturally formed feelings of hate, to the point that he is

giving his own creator a threatening ultimatum. The ideal dynamic of joy and gratitude between

the two is completely fragmenting. Eventually, Victor allows for the creature to speak in fear that

terrible things could be done to his family if he chose not to. The creature speaks of his

loneliness that he experiences because of the prejudice that he endures. He is so desperate for a

companion that he demands that Victor create one for him, stating, “You must create a female for

me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being” (130).

The power has shifted in their relationship and the creation is now demanding things of his

creator. A blissful dynamic between the Victor and his creation is no longer attainable.

Eventually, Victor vows to create a companion for the creature as it desires, in fear of the

creature killing his loved ones if he failed to do as told. The creation states that he will keep a

close eye on Victor as he completes his promise in creating a companion for him. Victor is slow

to start the creation of another being, remembering all the grief that he has experienced from his

original creation. However, he is able to start the process and within a few months he is half-way

done with the new creature. Victor’s original creation pays him a visit to check in on the creation

of his fellow companion. In noting the creature’s presence, Victor destroys his process thus far,

enraging the creature. Victor’s creation confronts him about his actions in a fit of rage: “Slave, I

before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself unworthy of my condescension…You

are my creator, but I am your master; obey!” (152). Victor fails to make his creation happy yet
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again. The persistent tormenting of the creature leads them to finally burst out, expressing their

frustration and malice. Even when Victor agrees to create the being that would render his

creation happy, he withdraws from his word, neglecting his promise towards his creation. The

overwhelming disregard by Victor to address the desire of his creature, sabotages any initial

intent of having a healthy relationship between the two of them. Victor's desire to create

something that would naturally give him gratitude and servitude is not met, ultimately being a

result of his own ignorance and selfishness.

When a creator —like Victor in the novel — desires gratitude and servitude from its

creation out of blind ambition, it can only be obtained if the creator succeeds in bringing joy to

the created, and if they fail to provide an environment where their creature can prosper, their

desires will not be met and the dynamic will fragment. Victor initially creates the creature

because he desires a being that will feel gratitude towards him, owing their entire existence to

him. His wants are not met when he repeatedly fails to bring happiness to his creation. His

neglect for his creation is what causes their relationship to fall apart, leading the creature to feel

feelings of revenge and malice towards his creator, Victor. The example of the relationship

between Victor and his creatures are important when considering many different relationships,

not just those between a creator and its creation(s). People naturally want other people to be

grateful and appreciative of their existence. Similar to Victor in the novel, people will often

forget that they must put effort into relationships if they desire said gratification. This leads to the

downfall of many relationships when people expect things from others, failing to recognize that

they never put in the work that was necessary. Therefore, one must never forget to remember the

desires of others when evaluating their own expectations.

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Works Cited

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York. BantamDell. 1991.