Frankenstein incorporates themes of both the Gothic and Romantic, influenced by the long history of Gothic novels before it.
Victor Frankenstein, although the nominal protagonist, causes much of the evil that drives the plot of the story. He is a young, deeply passionate man who desires knowledge beyond the ordinary, remarking that even as a child, he wanted to learn “the secrets of heaven and earth… [his] enquiries were directed to the metaphysical” (37). Although his intentions may not be evil themselves, in keeping with Gothic tradition, untempered passion often leads to misfortune. In Victor’s case, his passion leads to ruination - when he attempts to recreate the spark of life in a constructed human, the resulting being is, although alive and sentient, physically repulsive and causes immediate horror to Victor when he sees it. …show more content…
Instead of telling his family or authorities about what he has done, he views it as his own beastly burden and refuses to let anyone else know of his perceived failure. This pride allows Frankenstein’s creation (referred to as “the creature” hereafter) to murder Victor’s loved ones one by one, since none of them know of the danger that it poses.
Robert Walton, the sailor whose letters to his sister are the framing device of this epistolary novel, serves as a parallel to Victor. The two are of similar temperaments - feeling detached from society, they both wish to strike out on their own and make names for themselves. Walton wants to pursue fame and achieve glory by throwing himself into his chosen passion. Like Victor wants to uncover the mysteries of life and death, Walton wants to sail to the northern pole and discover a “country of eternal
Victor Frankenstein, although the nominal protagonist, causes much of the evil that drives the plot of the story. He is a young, deeply passionate man who desires knowledge beyond the ordinary, remarking that even as a child, he wanted to learn “the secrets of heaven and earth… [his] enquiries were directed to the metaphysical” (37). Although his intentions may not be evil themselves, in keeping with Gothic tradition, untempered passion often leads to misfortune. In Victor’s case, his passion leads to ruination - when he attempts to recreate the spark of life in a constructed human, the resulting being is, although alive and sentient, physically repulsive and causes immediate horror to Victor when he sees it. …show more content…
Instead of telling his family or authorities about what he has done, he views it as his own beastly burden and refuses to let anyone else know of his perceived failure. This pride allows Frankenstein’s creation (referred to as “the creature” hereafter) to murder Victor’s loved ones one by one, since none of them know of the danger that it poses.
Robert Walton, the sailor whose letters to his sister are the framing device of this epistolary novel, serves as a parallel to Victor. The two are of similar temperaments - feeling detached from society, they both wish to strike out on their own and make names for themselves. Walton wants to pursue fame and achieve glory by throwing himself into his chosen passion. Like Victor wants to uncover the mysteries of life and death, Walton wants to sail to the northern pole and discover a “country of eternal