Frankenstein Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Essay

When looking at the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, it is easy to identify the many characters within. Upon looking deeper into these characters it is clearly shown that each has their own unique “faults.” While analyzing the titular character, Victor Frankenstein, one should be able to see that he suffered from two very serious mental illnesses that brought about his end, post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD and depression. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that typically occurs after going through an extreme emotional trauma that involves death or harm. Post-traumatic stress disorder was first brought into the national picture with war veterans, but it is not limited to only them. PTSD can also occur in victims of rape, kidnapping,

Victor displays just about every aforementioned symptom from both PTSD and depression very early on in the novel. His life story is known worldwide, a man becomes so blinded by knowledge that he creates a monster that will eventually kill his entire family and bring about his downfall. However, upon further analyzation it becomes apparent that Victor suffered from many illnesses that also played a part in his down bringing. Two most prominent of course would be post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. He is a prime example of what happens when the two disorders are mixed. The first symptoms of Victor’s PTSD are revealed when he is a young man; however, it can be easy to miss if one is not looking for it. When Victor’s mother dies, he throws himself into his quest to solve the problem of death. This may first be seen as nothing more than a man trying to cope, but in reality these are early signs of PTSD. While they are mild at first, symptoms become severe after Victor gives life to his creation. When Victor first sets eyes on his cursed creation, he finally sees what he has done. Disgusted, he runs off and tries to ignore everything. Not only does he display PTSD, but also some of the first signs of depression. He begins to feel immense guilt and sorrow for what he has done. At first he tries to remember his youth to push away his depression and self-hatred as he says, “I feel exquisite pleasure in dwelling on the recollections of childhood, before misfortune had tainted my mind, and changed its bright visions of extensive usefulness into gloomy and narrow reflections upon self.”(Shelley, Frankenstein) Unfortunately for Victor, this does not work as a panacea for his illnesses. His battle with the mind renews after the death of his younger brother.