Although humans have the tendency to set idealistic goals to better futuregenerations, often the results can prove disastrous, even deadly. The tale ofFrankenstein, by Mary Shelley, focuses on the outcome of one man’s idealisticmotives and desires of dabbling with nature, which result in the creation ofhorrific creature. Victor Frankenstein was not doomed to failure from hisinitial desire to overstep the natural bounds of human knowledge. Rather, it washis poor parenting of his progeny that lead to his creation’s thirst for thevindication of his unjust life.
In his idealism, Victor is blinded, and so thecreation accuses him for delivering him into a world where he could not ever beentirely received by the people who inhabit it. Not only failing to foresee hisfaulty idealism, nearing the end of the tale, he embarks upon a final journey,consciously choosing to pursue his creation in vengeance, while admitting hehimself that it may result in his own doom. The creation of an unloved being andthe quest for the elixir of life holds Victor Frankenstein more accountable forhis own death than the creation himself. Delivered into the world, full grownand without a guardian to teach him the ways of the human world, the creationdiscovers that he is alone, but not without resource. He attempts to communicateto his creator, however, he is incapable of speech.
As Frankenstein recounts thesituation, he says, I beheld the wretch—the miserable monster whom I hadcreated. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may becalled, were fixed on me. His jaw opened, and he muttered some inarticulatesounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did nothear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped andrushed downstairs (Shelley, p. 43). As Frankenstein explains, he declares thathe deliberately neglects to communicate with his creation, based on itsshockingly hideous appearance.
Had Frankenstein taken the time to communicateand care for his creation, with all the knowledge that he possesses of theresponsibility of a good parent, the creation would have never developed thesense of vindication and reprisal that lead him to murdering Victor’s lovedone’s. The creation would henceforth account Frankenstein for all his sufferingssucceeding his birth. Frankenstein’s first of numerous mistaken decisionsill-fating his destiny relies greatly upon a lack of responsibility for thecreation he so passionately brings to life in the early chapters of his tale. From his very first words, Victor claims to have been born to two indefatigablyaffectionate parents in an environment of abundant knowledge.
As he speaks ofhis parents, Frankenstein attempts to portray his fortunate upbringing, Much asthey were attached to each other, they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores ofaffection from a very mine of love to bestow them upon me. My mother’s tendercaresses and my father’s smile of benevolent pleasure while regarding me are myfirst recollections. I was their plaything and their idol, and somethingbetter—their child, the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them byheaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hands todirect to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties towardsme (Shelley, p. 19). By these recollections, Frankenstein illustrates hisparents as being the most ideal caregivers imaginable to any child, beinggranted the all the vital tools of a responsible guardian as a result, which heneglects to utilize upon animating his creation. Frankenstein abandons hishideous child, feelings of vindication arise, and the creation kills members ofhis family for all the mental anguish that has been set upon him.
In hisidealism, Frankenstein is blinded and fails or is unable to foresee thedangerous outcome of his creation, giving life to a hideous being that couldnever be accepted in such a superficial world. As Frankenstein recounts theprocedures of making his being, he admits himself that his idealism blinded hisability to foresee the drastic effects that might result in giving life to anunloved creature. No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore meonward like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success. Life and deathappeared to me ideal bounds, which I should break through, and pour a torrent oflight into our dark world. A new species would bless me as its creator andsource; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me.
No fathercould claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs. Pursuing these reflections, I thought that if I could bestow animation uponlifeless matter, I might in process of time (although I now found it impossible)renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption (Shelley,p. 38-39). Frankenstein’s intent was to create a being unlike any other,superior to all human life and so he picked the most perfect body parts andbeauteous features, all to be pieced together in great anticipation. However,the results are horrific and irreversible.
Accusing Frankenstein of bringing himinto a world where he could never be accepted, the creation realizes hiscreator’s faulty idealism. However, Frankenstein is unable to detect hisidealistic blindness. In a conversation with Frankenstein, the creationexplains, attempting to make him conceive the amount of mental anguish that hasbeen brought upon him by giving him life, . . .
instead of threatening, I amcontent to reason with you. I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I notshunned and hated by all mankind? You, my creator, would tear me to pieces andtriumph; remember that, and tell me why I should pity man more than he pitiesme? You would not call it murder if you could precipitate me into one of thoseice-rifts and destroy my frame, the work of you own hands (Shelley, p. 130).
Inthe creation’s loathsome words, he merely justifies that had Frankenstein nothave been passionately immersed in the creation of a superior being, giganticand repulsive as a result, all his sufferings would cease to exist. Longing forthe attention that Frankenstein neglects to provide him with at his birth, thecreation attempts to gain it by stalking and killing his loved ones. Thecreation does finally attain this attention as Frankenstein feels that he nolonger has any reason to live but to seek revenge upon the being that hasultimately destroyed him. Upon hearing Frankenstein’s declarations of reprisal,the creation is delighted in finally receiving the attention that he neglectedto provide to him at his birth.
The creation challenges him in pursuing him and. replies, “I am satisfied miserable wretch! You have determined to live, andI am satisfied,” (Shelley, 186). Frankenstein initiates the conflict thatwould lead directly to his doom. Consciously choosing to pursue his creation,Frankenstein implores himself to seek reprisal upon him. Frankenstein vows thathe will undertake the great task that is the pursuit of his creation. Althoughhe may be enraged with vengeance and unrestrained anger, Frankenstein does admitthat this pursuit may indeed result in his own death.
As he declares thisvengeance, he says, By the sacred earth on which I kneel, by the shades thatwander near me, by thee, O Night, and the spirits that preside over thee, topursue the demon who caused this misery, until he or I shall perish in mortalconflict. For this purpose I will preserve my life; to execute this dear revengewill I again behold the sun and tread the green herbage of earth, whichotherwise should vanish from my eyes forever (Shelley, p. 186). Ultimately, inthe end, this leads to Frankenstein’s demise even though he realizes that itmight, for the death of either his creation or himself will obliterate andrelieve all the sufferings that he has been forced to endure. Frankenstien isthe tale of a man doomed to failure and death for his desire to play withnature. By creating a destructive being, in human form, that he cannot control,Victor Frankenstein brings about his own ruin.
Frankenstein neglects to takeresponsibility for his creation, abandoning him, resulting in the murder of hismost loved ones as the creation’s revenge. In his idealism, Frankenstein isblinded and is unable to foresee the drastic effects of giving life to a beingthat could never be entirely accepted by human society, that further thecreation’s vindictiveness. Lastly, consciously choosing to pursue his creationin vengeance, Frankenstein’s sufferings are finally obliterated, for he was wellaware that it may lead to his ultimate doom. The creation of an unloved beingand the search for a death cure hold Victor Frankenstien more responsible forhis own demise than the creation himself.
