The Role Of Secrecy In Frankenstein

At what point does the price of secrecy become too high to pay? In most cases, secrets destroy relationships and lives. However, a kept secret can be to the benefit of others in certain situations. In Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, Victor believes he is doing exactly that for his family when he keeps the monster a secret. In addition to that, Victor is also trying to protect himself from the opinions of everyone around him. With this secret comes a great burden on Victor. Throughout the novel, he goes crazy. Basically, Victor has kept this secret since the start of the novel. He lies to his family about what he is doing at Ingolstadt for close to two years; then, continues to lie once the monster is alive. He keeps the monster a secret when Henry comes to take care of him. He does not tell the truth when Justine is about to be executed for a crime she did not commit. Victor never thinks to tell the truth to Elizabeth and his father as they worry about him constantly and ask why he is the way he is. He never tells Henry he is going to England to create a second monster. He even keeps the secret when he goes to jail for

Victor never tells the truth. As a result, when Victor does decide to tell the truth it is too late. In Frankenstein, Victor pays the ultimate price of secrecy. Victor’s secrets become his greatest mistake and cause his eventual downfall. The secrecy starts out slow with him creating a monster at Ingolstadt and not telling his family about it. From there it becomes one giant explosion of secrets. The second the monster awakes, Victor sees the horror in what he created, and he decides to pretend like it did not happen. He runs away from the truth of what he did. Thereupon, Victor’s craziness begins. After Victor runs away from