Examples Of Insanity In Frankenstein

Insanity is perceived in different aspects depending on what or how someone ended up insane. For example, a person can be driven insane by someone else or by the way they were raised. However, insanity is not a trait that you inherit or are born with, it is a concept or state of being that grows and develops as a person faces experiences throughout their lifetime and how they react to said experiences. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, it is shown Victor is driven insane by his circumstances rather than a force he had within himself all along. Nobody is born insane and Victor certainly was not, rather it was triggered by watching the death of his mother- and it was only the start of his misfortunes. On page 24, Victor states, “It is so

Throughout his whole lifetime, the only woman Victor ever loved was Elizabeth and shortly before his mother died she had established her only wish was for one day that they would both be united in marriage. Elizabeth had been a key component in his life and his own monster had torn life from her due to Victor not living up to his promise of creating a female companion for him. In this act of greed, Victor was left heartbroken and in shock to find his lifeless Elizabeth, “…but the deadly languor and coldness of the limbs told me, that what I now held in my arms had ceased to be the Elizabeth whom I had loved and cherished” (p145). By tearing Elizabeth away from Victor, it seemed to be the last straw of how the monster would damage him. From that point on he proceeded in revenge to seek to monster through harsh winters in the arctic and hot summers in the desert to at least have the satisfaction of killing him or being united in death with his loved ones. However, it should not be misinterpreted that Elizabeth was the only victim whom Victor cared for dearly, as all the deaths of his loved ones tore him apart more and more, pushing him into deeper insanity. For example, the death of Henry Clerval was more traumatizing to him than it was vengeful. Clerval had a big impact on Victor’s life as he had been around plenty to accompany Victor in his various travels of education and he had also been his shoulder to cry on- he was like a brother to him. Shortly after the “birth” of Frankenstein, Clerval appeared and took care of Victor during his depression for months on end, without even knowing what happened to him, giving up his own studies to attend his cousin Victor. When Clerval had died, Victor had been accused of his murder before even seeing his body and when he did his reaction was “I