An eye for an eye or the law of retaliation is the principle most people live their lives by. As Gandhi once stated, “an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind” (Gandhi). For the characters in Frankenstein, this concept is apparent as the main character, Victor, creates a monster and instantly abandons him which sets off the chain of events revolving around revenge. Throughout the novel, the creature and Victor engage in a recurring cycle of vengeance, but these acts of revenge are bittersweet as in the end it destroys both of them. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley reveals how revenge consumes and destroys those who surrender to it. From the beginning, Victor Frankenstein’s abandonment of the creature …show more content…
With hopes of no longer feeling isolated and forsaken, the creature begs Victor to create him a female version of himself, however, Victor declines his request. Upon learning that the creature is responsible for William’s, his brother, death, Victor refuses to bring upon another monster into this world. The creature then threatens to be with Victor on his wedding night if he doesn’t make a female companion for him, illustrating how obsessive the monster has become in his journey for revenge. “it is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding night” (..). Reasoning with Victor, he states that he is only malicious as a result of his misery and promises to quit the company of mankind forever if he complies to his wishes. Not only that, but the creature expresses that the only way to stop his killing agenda is to create him a companion. Stating his vengeance if Victor fails, the creature vows to keep the cycle of revenge …show more content…
When Victor began developing the companion for the creature, the presence of the creature one day in his laboratory enlightens him of the creature’s hostility that it would likely not honor its word to refrain from injuring Victor’s family and friends even after completing the agreed deal. Considering the creature had already killed his brother, how is Victor supposed to trust the creature that he would do no more harm? Therefore, he demolishes the female creature, while the “wretch [watches him] destroy the creature on whose future existence he depended for happiness” and places the body parts into a basket and dumps it in the ocean (Shelley 165). In his realization that he has no reasonable basis for trusting the creature, Victor purposely took apart the creature’s companion in his