Victor Flawed Judgment In Frankenstein

How can an individual truly define a monster? In Frankenstein, a gothic novel by Mary Shelley, there are various arguments of whether the creature or his creator is the true monster of the story. Although the creature’s actions toward his creator, Victor Frankenstein, are malicious later in the novel, Victor’s actions and flawed judgment reflect his true nature as the monster of the story. Throughout the novel, Victor’s immoral ventures which affect the people around him reveal him to be the true monster. In particular, Victor tries to emulate a god in the sense of creating a new living being from inanimate parts. However, unlike the creator of Adam and Eve who took care of them, Victor abandons his responsibility after his completion of

In particular, Justine, an innocent girl that was taken in by the Frankenstein family, was charged with the crime of murdering William. Victor knew that Justine was not the killer because he saw the creature in the woods when traveling to the funeral and trial. However, when Justine is being convicted, Victor decides to keep the creature’s existence a secret instead of proving Justine’s innocence and acquitting her of the crime. Victor narrates his decision, “I was firmly convinced in my own mind that Justine, and indeed every human being, was guiltless of this murder. I had no fear, therefore, that any circumstantial evidence could be brought forward strong enough to convict her. My tale was not one to announce publicly; its astounding horror would be looked upon as madness by the vulgar. Did anyone exist, except I, the creator, who would believe, unless his senses convinced him, in the existence of the living monument of presumption and rash ignorance which I had let loose upon the world” (Shelley 97). Victor’s selfish concerns in Justine’s dire situation makes him the true monster. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, Victor is convinced that inaction is the only solution. As a result of his judgment, Justine is pronounced guilty and sentenced to execution. It is clear that Victor is to blame for the death of Justine as his bystanding was the sole cause of her unjust execution. Similarly, after

Some critics may argue that the creature is evil due to the deaths and indirect deaths the creature caused. They describe the creature as a monster who does not have any principles and whose reasons for resorting to violence are incoherent. While the creature explains his experiences after being abandoned by Victor, he describes his interaction with William, “I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph: clapping my hands, I exclaimed, ‘I, too, can create desolation; my enemy is not impregnable; this death will carry despair to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him’” (Shelley 173). Despite the fact that the murder was a reprehensible action, it can be said that the creature does not shoulder all the blame and it was only a last resort. After being abandoned by Victor, the Creature was discriminated against and ostracized in human society due to his appearance. In the beginning, the creature was a kind, naive individual that only wanted to find companionship, but as he learned more about the harsh realities of the world, the creature realized the only way he could get someone to listen was through force or violence. Again, Victor could have prevented this outcome by doing his duty as a creator. If he showed the littlest concern instead of deserting the