How Is Victor Frankenstein Selfish

Throughout history, humans have grappled with an insatiable thirst for power. This temptation can blind us to the consequences of our actions, as we see in the case of Victor Frankenstein and his creation in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In the beginning, Victor is a naive child with hopes of making discoveries for science. But as the novel develops, Victor's ambitions become more foolish and selfish. Victor's failed attempt to play god and obtain endless glory disrupted the delicate balance of life, leading him on a torturous path that affected him and countless others, painting him as the true villain of his story. Victor was irresponsible and imprudent while undergoing his experiment, which resulted in a horrid creation that haunted his and many

He wants to “pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold the world to the deepest mystery of creation (Shelly 49)” all on his own. Victor only truly begins to realize his mistake when he sees “the wretch – the miserable monster whom [he] had created (Shelly 59)”. But by the time Victor finally realizes his wrongdoings, it is too late, as he has already blurred the lines of life and death. Initially, Victor truly had good intentions, but his selfish nature resulted in an endless spiral of suffering that would stretch his entire life. While Victor had no idea of the truly evil plague he had released, he only knew that he was solely at fault for it. After Victor releases the creature, he continues to make a string of terrible decisions, which leads to a relentless downhill spiral spanning the rest of his life. Victor's biggest mistake was undoubtedly keeping the monster a secret from everybody. Even after the creature kills one of Victor's family members, he retains his silence about the creature, eventually at the expense of Justine