“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (The New Jerusalem Bible, Exodus. 21-24). A common phrase that urges people to take revenge against those who have wronged them. The idea of it is everywhere: in movies, in books, even in real life. Entire plotlines are dedicated to characters taking revenge against someone or something, and almost all of these stories end with the satisfying conclusion of revenge having been extracted. Gandhi had once said that “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind” (Ghandi), and that is exactly what happens to Frankenstein’s monster. It becomes so focused on getting revenge on its creator that it becomes blind to everything around it. Mary Shelley, in her profound novel Frankenstein (1818), warns
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After telling its terribly dismal tale to its creator, the monster pleaded for Frankenstein to make it a companion. If Frankenstein complied, then both it and its companion would leave and never be seen again. Its pusillanimous creator did not, however, comply and revenge started up again. At this point, the monster’s entire story had revolved almost entirely around longing for friendship and wishing to take revenge. Revenge had completely taken over its life. So much so that when Frankenstein eventually died, the monster had nothing left to live for. Later on, it told Robert Walton, the man whom Frankenstein delineated his side of the story to, that “He is dead who called me into being; and when I shall be no more, the very remembrance of us both will speedily vanish… I should have wept to die; now it is my only consolation. Polluted by crimes and torn by the bitterest remorse, where can I find rest but in death” (Shelley 241). What it is saying is that earlier on, back before its heart had been depraved, it would not have ever thought of wanting to die. Now, it is so miserable and so alone that dying is the only thing left. The only thing that kept it alive was getting revenge on its creator. Now that its creator is dead, there is nothing left to live for. It was time to remove itself from the cycle and the only way to do that at this point was to die. The cycle had now caused the demise of both the perpetrator and the victim, although at this point it was hard to tell who was who. It could very well be that both the monster and its creator were victims. Victims of each other other and of the cycle of
After telling its terribly dismal tale to its creator, the monster pleaded for Frankenstein to make it a companion. If Frankenstein complied, then both it and its companion would leave and never be seen again. Its pusillanimous creator did not, however, comply and revenge started up again. At this point, the monster’s entire story had revolved almost entirely around longing for friendship and wishing to take revenge. Revenge had completely taken over its life. So much so that when Frankenstein eventually died, the monster had nothing left to live for. Later on, it told Robert Walton, the man whom Frankenstein delineated his side of the story to, that “He is dead who called me into being; and when I shall be no more, the very remembrance of us both will speedily vanish… I should have wept to die; now it is my only consolation. Polluted by crimes and torn by the bitterest remorse, where can I find rest but in death” (Shelley 241). What it is saying is that earlier on, back before its heart had been depraved, it would not have ever thought of wanting to die. Now, it is so miserable and so alone that dying is the only thing left. The only thing that kept it alive was getting revenge on its creator. Now that its creator is dead, there is nothing left to live for. It was time to remove itself from the cycle and the only way to do that at this point was to die. The cycle had now caused the demise of both the perpetrator and the victim, although at this point it was hard to tell who was who. It could very well be that both the monster and its creator were victims. Victims of each other other and of the cycle of