Introduction
The idea that a person is responsible for what he created or tamed is widespread in the literature. It can be found as one of the main works of Exupery, Jack London, and many other classics (de Saint-Exupéry 101). Mary Shelley’s novel narrates the story of Victor von Frankenstein, who managed to revive life in a creature assembled from the parts of dead people.
His creation is the cause of trouble both in the protagonist’s life and with his close relatives and friends. Although the author tragically dies at the novel’s end, Victor von Frankenstein experiences many internal emotional transformations in the pages, from an ambitious scientist to a lost man. This paper offers a detailed assessment of this transition process from pride within the framework of scientific interest to the catharsis of the inevitability of accepting fate through fear and pity.
Hero’s Analysis
The novel is filled with philosophical ideas and allusions, broadcast through Victor and his personal development. The main thing in the work is not so much the intense breaks and ups and downs of tragic events and psychological experiences but the ideological conflict that determines the actions and actions of the character. Initially, they are closely related to solving the problems of cognition, its limits, and the ethics of the scientist’s responsibility (Shelley 24).
Then, the actions are dictated by the moral and psychological crisis experienced by the creator and the creature, which determines it. Having experienced the vindictive and cruel aggressiveness of the demon, who initially aspired to beauty and goodness but met with a hostile attitude towards himself, Victor, who dreamed of the greatness of a feat in the name of science and humanity, also became embittered, having gone through the trials that fell to his lot.
The creator is looking into a mirror, but indirectly, because we are talking about an internal and parallel process of demonization of both characters. Each tragically experiences the world’s disharmony in the soul, which is emphasized by the transformation of the Promethean principle within the tragic individualism, according to the Luciferian and Faustian models (Villarreal). The fate of both characters is predetermined by Victor’s pride and blind ambitions, whose plans and goals are to make a living from the inanimate.
As soon as he achieved his goal, due to arrogance and unwillingness to put up with the existing world order, he became successful as a scientist but hardly happy as an ordinary person. Cowardly running away from responsibility, driven by fear, Victor no longer sets specific goals until he discovers his dead brother (Shelley 56). This vicissitude is just beginning to launch a long process of transformation of the protagonist’s personality, who is by no means ready to correct his mistakes so quickly.
However, Victor gets that chance from the mouth of the monster himself. However, scientific success here is already fading into the background: the scientist puts responsibility for the world around him higher than his safety, for which his creation becomes even more vindictive (Shelley 79). Victor is likely striving for peace, but he cannot find it in family life – after all, he has deprived his monster of the opportunity in this way. The chain of tragic events returns like a boomerang to the protagonist’s fate, even when he is already beginning to take responsibility for his actions.
Sooner or later, the story brings the creator and his creation together again, having previously captured Victor at the moment before his death. Captain Walton acts as a reasoner, a reflection of the reader, who is interested in the main character’s attitude at the plot’s climax. The hero falls physically and morally, which no longer causes fear or anger but rather a feeling of pity, which is possible and causes similar emotions in the monster after the murder of its creator. Walton’s foresight seems excessive, but it was precisely this responsibility that the protagonist lacked at the time of scientific discoveries. The consequences of pride, as the novel shows, can be terrifying, and it is far from always possible to correct them in such a way as to keep oneself, loved ones, and the world around in peace.
Conclusion
The creator bears responsibility for his creations for the rest of his life. Victor von Frankenstein was the victim of pride, fear, and cynicism, which led to disastrous consequences and the death of several people. Nevertheless, between the lines, there is an apparent thought that this responsibility arises as a result of the similarity of the protagonist and his creation: with different periods, both characters experience the demonization of the soul, which leads Victor to pride and arrogance, and the monster to murder and revenge.
Human and even inhuman forces are not enough to carry such a burden for a long time; ultimately, the personality is transformed under constant fear and causes pity. The moment of responsibility comes sooner or later for each character, regardless of the change in plans or goals, which only changes the dynamics for Victor but not for the monster. However, such changes demonstrate that any human achievement must constantly be tested for ethical and honest consequences for the creator and the world around him.
Works Cited
de Saint-Exupéry, Antoine. The Little Prince: And Letter to a Hostage. Penguin UK, 2021.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1818). epubli, 2022.
Villarreal, Allegra. “Christopher Marlowe: Doctor Faustus.” An Open Companion to Early British Literature (2019). Web.