In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley repeatedly suggests—and eventually delivers upon—the imminence of doom based upon the protagonist’s unbridled ambition in order to warn of the gruesome consequences of hubris and ego.
Victor Frankenstein, the title character and protagonist, seeked to discover the secret of creation, not to cure disease or to better the world, but instead, simply to gain fame and clout in the scientific community. Not only did Frankenstein aim to essentially “play God” for unconscionably selfish motivations, he also set this goal just because he could. Because he believed in himself as being the most brilliant, most inventive, and most qualified; the last thought being his most inaccurate. The fact “that among so many …show more content…
Frankenstein, instead, buries himself deeper within his failure and continues to pleasure and preserve his titanic ego. After bringing a visually horrifying monster to life, Frankenstein simply runs away. Essentially acting as if his disastrous embarrassment never happened at all. In order to protect his reputation, Frankenstein never tells anybody of what was supposed to be a revolutionary new discovery. Of course, this was in fact a scientific breakthrough which would most definitely get him the recognition and praise he desired, but because of how hideous his creation turned out to be, Frankenstein’s vanity pushed him to instead feel fear and embarrassment rather than accomplishment. These feelings served as a vehicle for his continued plight and, of course, indulgence of arrogance. Instead of taking responsibility of his creation as would a proper parent and perhaps more applicably, a god would, Frankenstein completely abandons him. In addition to this, he also chooses to continue to keep his monster a secret and never informs any of his peers, professors, closest friends, family, and even fiancée, ultimately endangering them all. When his closest and dearest friend, who, through “unbounded and unremitting actions … restored [him] to life” (66), asked if Frankenstein could answer …show more content…
The godless and orphaned monster, faced with rejection, vows to take revenge on his creator and all of humanity. Stumbling through the wilderness, the monster learns the English language with incredible speed and eventually encounters Victor Frankenstein’s brother, William. Upon learning William’s association with his creator, whom he has “sworn eternal revenge” to, the monster decides that he “shall be [his] first victim” and grasps “his throat … and in a moment he lay dead at [his] feet” (131). Because of Victor Frankenstein’s immense hubris and towering ego, his only brother lay dead at his own creation’s feet. If Victor had informed his brother of his escaped monster, he would most likely have been able to flee the region and seek safety. Had it not been for Victor’s uncontrolled propensity towards selfishness, William could still be breathing. And of course, as the monster had said, William would only be his “first victim” out of many. He would go on to kill his best friend and his fiancée, who both die without ever knowing of Victor’s work.
Victor Frankenstein’s plight and eventual demise in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, clearly illustrates how unrestrained ambition will always eventually lead to unrestrained horror and misery. In order to warn against the indulgence of hubris and ego, Shelley has showcased how Frankenstein’s
Victor Frankenstein, the title character and protagonist, seeked to discover the secret of creation, not to cure disease or to better the world, but instead, simply to gain fame and clout in the scientific community. Not only did Frankenstein aim to essentially “play God” for unconscionably selfish motivations, he also set this goal just because he could. Because he believed in himself as being the most brilliant, most inventive, and most qualified; the last thought being his most inaccurate. The fact “that among so many …show more content…
Frankenstein, instead, buries himself deeper within his failure and continues to pleasure and preserve his titanic ego. After bringing a visually horrifying monster to life, Frankenstein simply runs away. Essentially acting as if his disastrous embarrassment never happened at all. In order to protect his reputation, Frankenstein never tells anybody of what was supposed to be a revolutionary new discovery. Of course, this was in fact a scientific breakthrough which would most definitely get him the recognition and praise he desired, but because of how hideous his creation turned out to be, Frankenstein’s vanity pushed him to instead feel fear and embarrassment rather than accomplishment. These feelings served as a vehicle for his continued plight and, of course, indulgence of arrogance. Instead of taking responsibility of his creation as would a proper parent and perhaps more applicably, a god would, Frankenstein completely abandons him. In addition to this, he also chooses to continue to keep his monster a secret and never informs any of his peers, professors, closest friends, family, and even fiancée, ultimately endangering them all. When his closest and dearest friend, who, through “unbounded and unremitting actions … restored [him] to life” (66), asked if Frankenstein could answer …show more content…
The godless and orphaned monster, faced with rejection, vows to take revenge on his creator and all of humanity. Stumbling through the wilderness, the monster learns the English language with incredible speed and eventually encounters Victor Frankenstein’s brother, William. Upon learning William’s association with his creator, whom he has “sworn eternal revenge” to, the monster decides that he “shall be [his] first victim” and grasps “his throat … and in a moment he lay dead at [his] feet” (131). Because of Victor Frankenstein’s immense hubris and towering ego, his only brother lay dead at his own creation’s feet. If Victor had informed his brother of his escaped monster, he would most likely have been able to flee the region and seek safety. Had it not been for Victor’s uncontrolled propensity towards selfishness, William could still be breathing. And of course, as the monster had said, William would only be his “first victim” out of many. He would go on to kill his best friend and his fiancée, who both die without ever knowing of Victor’s work.
Victor Frankenstein’s plight and eventual demise in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, clearly illustrates how unrestrained ambition will always eventually lead to unrestrained horror and misery. In order to warn against the indulgence of hubris and ego, Shelley has showcased how Frankenstein’s