Victor's Responsibility In Frankenstein

In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, a university student, creates a living creature out of human body parts. However, once Victor sees what he had made in his frenzied state of selfish pride, he runs in terror, leaving the monster alone. The monster, isolated from society, has to grow up without a parental creator’s influence and ultimately turns his back on Victor and the rest of humanity, enacting his revenge and chasing Victor until his death. Many critics agree that the main theme of Frankenstein is that of responsibility. Throughout the novel, critics claim Frankenstein’s actions cause the monster to turn against society. However, while Victor certainly failed the monster in refusing to take …show more content…
Throughout the novel, the Creature curses Victor for abandoning him. When recounting his tale, the monster laments that “no Eve soothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator. But where was mine? He had abandoned me, and in the bitterness of my heart I cursed him” (Shelley 93). The monster is claiming here that Victor abandoned the natural creator-creation relationship, which is often seen between a parent and their child or between God and Adam. Literary critics have often taken the same perspective. For example, Hilary Englert said that Frankenstein was supposed to assume responsibility for his creation as part of the natural order of fathers caring for their sons, and after he rejects the monster Victor is liable for the monster’s destructive actions because of his role as creator and because he refused to guide him (Responsibility). Another critic claimed that rather than having a fatherly compassion or empathetic perspective in regard to the monster, Victor feels an intellectual pseudo-sympathy (but mostly disgust) for the monster, and all actions he takes in regard to taking responsibility for the monster are led by societal expectations, not actual compassion (Hustis). These viewpoints highlight the fact that Victor is the “father” of the monster. However, there is an argument presented by some that the relationship between Victor and the monster is more like they are two sides of the same coin. What Victor is, the monster is not, and vice versa. For example, while Victor is calculating and scientific, the monster is an emotional poetic who reads Paradise Lost (Bloom). In failing to support the Monster, Victor leaves the monster without his other half, seeking to fill the void. This