Victor's Ambition In Frankenstein

In Frankenstein, which was written by Mary Shelley, Victor shows his ambition which develops into an obsession. This causes him to become so engaged into making his discovery that he even forgets about his family. Nature no longer calms him, and he does not think of his health. In the story, Victor states, “…it gained strength as I proceeded, and soon became so ardent and eager, that the stars often disappeared in the light of morning whilst I was yet engaged in my laboratory…Two years passed in this manner, during which I paid no visit to Geneva, but was engaged, heart and soul, in the pursuit of some discoveries which I hope to make,” (Shelley 29). Victor tells that his uncertainty, which was “it” in the quote, gains strength, meaning that …show more content…
Victor’s ambition to discover something lead him to work hard to find that discovery. He spent entire nights working to discovery something, which shows how ambitious he was at making this discovery. However, this ambition soon turned into obsession. He would stay up all through the night over, not just a couple weeks, but two years. His ambition for the discovery was so high that it caused him to forget about sleep. Not only did he not hardly sleep, but he also kept himself so busy in his lab that he never visited his home. He became so obsessed with making the discovery that he does not even think about his family. The discovery had practically taken over his mind, for all he thought about was working on discovering a horrifying discovery. An obsession is defined as an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind, and based on how Victor worked and how his thoughts were spent, Victor was totally obsessed. Victor also shows how his ambitions and obsessions had negatively affected him because he was so involved in making the discovery, he had not taken care of himself causing him to get …show more content…
Victor even began to shun people around him as if he was guilty of some crime. He grew so bad that sometimes that he was fearful of what he had become. Victor also states, “…the energy of my purpose alone sustained me.” (Shelley 34). Victor had stayed in his laboratory most of the time working to make a discovery as the seasons, which he loves, passed by. Eventually, his lack of sleep and vitamins caused him to become ill. He had a fever every night, he would jump at every movement, and he was always nervous with anxiety. Victor would also avoid and reject other people around him as if he had committed a crime. Victor would scare himself when seeing what has become of him. The only energy he is really receiving is the energy he gets when he is studying in his laboratory. This shows Victor becoming so obsessed with his work of making a discovery that he does not even notice nature, which used to make him feel at peace, when they go through their endless cycle. Without the nutrients in daily food, a suffice amount of sleep, the vitamins that nature give, and not being isolated, Victor becomes sick because he is obsessed with his discovery making so much that he does not take care of himself like he