Is Victor Frankenstein A Hero Or A Villain

When an author is introduces the villain of a novel, they usually present them as an evil character who is dubbed the “bad guy,” and responsible for harm, destruction, or violence. However, in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a different technique is used when writing the villain. Shelley tells the story of a man, Victor Frankenstein, who gradually becomes obsessed with the idea of creating human life. After various studies, he finally “succeeds” and yields a creature that he later neglects because of his hideous appearance. The biggest villain Shelley introduces in Frankenstein is not a person alone, or even the creature Victor created, but rather a flaw that is apparent in his character throughout the novel: pride. Victor performs

Victor leaves his home in Geneva, Switzerland, to go study science at the university of Ingolstadt. Just before his departure, his mother and sister become sick with a serious case of scarlet fever. Elizabeth, his sister, recovered quickly; however, his mother became sicker and consequently, passed away. Suitably, Victor’s original interest at Ingolstadt was to find a cure for many common illnesses around this time. Though, after furthering his knowledge on the subject, he discovered that rather than just inventing cures for sickness and disease, he could accomplish a far greater task. Victor reveals his intentions when he states, “Life and death appealed to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world” (Shelley 44). No one should desire breaking through the bounds of life and death; altering someone’s natural death can undoubtedly lead to a path of destruction. However, Victor’s pride gives him tunnel vision and prevents him from being able to anticipate all possible consequences of his actions. Furthermore, when tampering with the aspects of life and death, his motives are intensified when he says, “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me” (Shelley 44). As Victor realizes that he wants to create human life unnaturally, readers understand

On the night before their wedding, Victor reveals to Elizabeth that he has “one secret, …, a dreadful one; when revealed to [her] it will chill [her] frame with horror” (Shelley 160). If Victor would have just put aside his vanity for one moment and been honest with Elizabeth, or any of his loved ones, the tragedies they’ve endured could have been avoided. Because he was so worried about his life being in danger, he was not able to care for his loved ones around him. The night before their wedding, Victor and Elizabeth were staying the night in a hotel, however, they were not able to truly enjoy themselves because of how anxious Victor was awaiting the monster to come and find him. Suddenly, Victor heard a noise out on the balcony and went to investigate. However, when he came back inside, he found a lifeless Elizabeth lying on the ground. After this discovery, he exclaims, “Great God! if for one instant I had thought what might be the hellish intentions of my fiendish adversary, I would rather have banished myself for ever from my native country” (Shelley 161). At this point in the novel, Victor recognizes his mistake, but it is too late; Elizabeth is gone because of his obliviousness to the creature’s intentions on the night before his wedding. If Victor was not so focused on saving himself from the being he created, he would not