After close examination of the actions of Victor Frankenstein throughout Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein, it becomes abundantly clear that Victor suffers from a troubling mental disorder. Excessively preoccupied with personal superiority and power, but unable to see the destruction his actions have on others, Victor is a phenomenal example of a pathological narcissist. Victor’s narcissism manifests itself in the unrestrained gratification he extracts from his own mental attributes. Similar to the mythological youth Narcissus, who wastes away and dies after falling in love with his own reflection, Victor becomes so immersed in himself that it eventually kills him and everyone he loves.Victor Frankenstein is a pathological narcissist whose
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Victor lacks the ability to grasp true reality and believes that his all-important quest for knowledge nullifies any consequences his actions may have on others or himself. Victor’s disregard for the importance of other people reveals itself early on in the novel, as Victor hints at his unrealistic sense of superiority over his family and friends. When describing his relationship with his parents to Dr. Walton, Victor recalls, “I was their plaything and their idol, and something better- the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven... as they fulfilled their duties towards me,” (Shelley 43). Even as a child, Victor viewed himself as a gift from God to his parents and, by extension, humanity. Peculiarly, Victor’s self-importance is also evident as he mentions that his parents idolized him, rather than the other way …show more content…
This is why, when the creature comes to life and Victor realizes it is not a glorious new species as he hoped, but rather a hideous monstrosity, he abandons all responsibility and attempts to pretend it doesn’t exist. As Victor contemplates his failure, he remarks, “I felt the bitterness of disappointment; dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were now become a hell to me” (61) . Victor refuses to admit that he is to blame for the havoc the creature wreaks on his friends and family, because to do so he would have to admit his own failure, something that would go against his narcissistic
Victor lacks the ability to grasp true reality and believes that his all-important quest for knowledge nullifies any consequences his actions may have on others or himself. Victor’s disregard for the importance of other people reveals itself early on in the novel, as Victor hints at his unrealistic sense of superiority over his family and friends. When describing his relationship with his parents to Dr. Walton, Victor recalls, “I was their plaything and their idol, and something better- the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven... as they fulfilled their duties towards me,” (Shelley 43). Even as a child, Victor viewed himself as a gift from God to his parents and, by extension, humanity. Peculiarly, Victor’s self-importance is also evident as he mentions that his parents idolized him, rather than the other way …show more content…
This is why, when the creature comes to life and Victor realizes it is not a glorious new species as he hoped, but rather a hideous monstrosity, he abandons all responsibility and attempts to pretend it doesn’t exist. As Victor contemplates his failure, he remarks, “I felt the bitterness of disappointment; dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were now become a hell to me” (61) . Victor refuses to admit that he is to blame for the havoc the creature wreaks on his friends and family, because to do so he would have to admit his own failure, something that would go against his narcissistic