Often times in literature, a character within the plot is confined to withholding a secret in order for their success. However, they usually end up having to reveal it but, at the perfect time and under the best circumstances. This secrecy can often result in much bigger problems than it originally presented, and will almost always affect the plot. If a secret is not revealed by the owner it will almost always get revealed another way, and this will present further issues. Although the reveal of a secret can provide benefits, it can also cause bigger challenges. It’s the secret keeper’s duty to distinguish whether the secret is better left kept or revealed. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein develops a secret that he is forced to withhold from society, throughout the plot, for his own success.
When Victor Frankenstein unlocks the key to creation and life through his vast isolated studies, he unleashes a monster that he would’ve never imagined possible. After instilling life through galvanism into his stitched together masterpiece, Victor immediately regrets his decision. He continues through the plot concealing the fact that he has created life. While he may have thought that hiding this would
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However, after being spotted by a passing ship, he is saved. The captain of the ship, Walter, and Victor Frankenstein are very similar. They both have a dying urge to seek new knowledge (hence why Walton is on his ship). As a result of Victor being deathly ill, he begins to tell Walton his whole life story. This would be one of the first people that Victor has ever told his secret to. Frankenstein tells his story to Walton as a warning of dangerous knowledge and so that Walton may not repeat what he had done. Victor spent so much time trying to keep his creation a secret that he ended up not realizing what the creature was capable