Control And Dominance In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley very strongly emphasizes the themes of control and dominance through the actions of Victor and the Creature. Although present among other characters to a lesser degree, Victor and the Creature obviously represent a clear conflict in the story between two individuals who constantly test the boundaries of one another. Victor, even though he made an amazing scientific discovery, remained incapable of accepting the Creature as the product of his time and effort, thus applying strain to the Creature’s already-unstable mind. The Creature however, eventually developed a deep-rooted animosity toward Victor and sought to destroy his entire livelihood by brutally murdering his loved ones, thus removing all meaning and purpose from his life. Over the course of the …show more content…
First with William Frankenstein and subsequently Justine Moritz, then with Henry Clerval, and finally with Elizabeth and indirectly Victor and his father, the Creature essentially dominates the majority of the novel with his constant destructiveness. The only shift of power back to Victor that the reader observes (since the Monster’s creation and prompt abandonment) comes when the Monster pleads with Victor to create him a female companion. The idea of a second atrocity walking the Earth terrifies Victor, and after a great amount of thought and procrastination on the project he decides to go against his promise and stop his work entirely. By doing so, Victor sends the Creature into a fit of rage which results in the strangling of Henry Clerval the vow of his presence with Victor on the night of his wedding with the quote, “It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding-night." Only later does Victor fully understand the Creature’s intentions, after he hears the terrible screams of Elizabeth on the evening following their