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The Destruction Of The Monster In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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Stephen Kendrick once proclaimed, “Almost every sinful action ever committed can be traced back to a selfish motive”. Victor Frankenstein commits several egocentric wrongdoings, which lead him to contemplate his past irresponsible actions. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein Victor’s selfishness of building the monster takes a toll on him as he questions his motives and loses those dear to him. Victor creates the monster only for his own satisfaction not thinking how it would affect others around him. Because he knows the monster is dangerous, he is more concerned with his safety than anyone else’s. This causes him to run away from the monster in order to avoid caring for it. Victor’s passion for creating life proves his selfishness leads …show more content…

The first person to die by the monster’s hand is his brother William. Victor does not reveal himself as the true murderer to Elizabeth since “the anguish that [is] visible in [his] countenance betray[s] the secret to [her]” (78). He stays silent due to the fact that he does not want to be blamed for the murder of his brother therefore distancing himself from the monster. Victor also puts himself in front of others when he does not say a word after Justine is wrongly convicted and executed for the murder of William. He does not vouch for her innocence as “such a declaration would have been considered as the ravings of a madman” (90). Although Victor believes Justine’s innocence, it is not enough for him to overcome his own selfish desires and confess to the murder. Additionally, Victor puts his safety before everyone else’s at his wedding to Elizabeth. He believes “in that hour [he] should die and at once satisfy and extinguish [the monster’s] malice” (183). While Victor is solely concerned about his own life, he is unaware Elizabeth is in danger as she perishes from the monster’s

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