A Case for Viktor Frankenstein's Innocence

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley tells the tale of the protagonist Victor Frankenstein and his creation. Both Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s creation’s questionable actions lead them both to be considered morally ambiguous figures. Victor is ambitious with good intentions, but his ambition leads to bad results. The Creature is an innately kind and compassionate person who commits abominable actions due to how others treat him. Their moral ambiguity is significant, as it reveals that an obsession with ambition distorts one’s morals.

Mary Shelley’s ability to create such multidimensional characters in Frankenstein proves that writing is a powerful tool that has the ability to provoke vastly different opinions amongst readers. Even though each individual reading the story is reading the exact same words, their interpretation of those words often leads to opposing views in regards to the fate of the characters. The creature, in particular, has been a popular topic of discussion when conducting a close read of the novel due to his arguable versatility as a victim and villain. The concept of the villain has evolved over the years, however its basis still rests upon the simple fact that as a character in the story, their actions are a result of malicious intentions

The monster starts off attempting to save a little girl from drowning but is falsely accused that he is trying to kill her instead so he is shot in the shoulder. This is the first step to the monsters rage and anger. He then goes off and kills Henry, Frankenstein’s best friend, after Frankenstein refuses to make a female monster. He then kills William, Frankenstein's younger brother, which at this point in the story seems to be the time where all innocence is lost and the monster has all of the power and cannot be stopped by anyone. The monster then kills the most important or influential to Frankenstein, Elizabeth his wife who was an orphan and adopted by the family at a young age. Elizabeth and Frankenstein go to a hotel for their honeymoon, the monster breaks into their room and strangles her. “She left me, and I continued some time walking up and down the passages of the house and inspecting every corner that might afford a retreat to my adversary. when suddenly I heard a shrill and dreadful scream.” He is overcome with grief and vows to return to Geneva to make sure his family is

His friend from home comes to surprise Victor but he ends up consoling him for months — he does not want to confront the horrors he has single handedly created. He is such a disaster that he cannot write his family, only putting them under more stress. Finally, after months go by Victor begins to regain his mind and consciousness. He receives a letter from his father stating that his child brother was murdered. This, of all things, is what finally pushes Victor to return home to his family. Once Victor has returned to his family he realizes what exactly he had done. Victor’s creation had made its way to his family’s home and had taken the life of his brother. Not only is has the life of this young child been stripped away but Justine, a family friend, has been accused of killing the poor boy. Justine had never done anything but love and care for the child as if he were her own. He claims Justine’s innocence but he does not come clean— he cannot. If Victor were to mention that of a monster he would be institutionalized and Justine would still be found guilty. Justine is put to death, the second being stripped of life at the his monster. Victor feels “a weight of despair pressed on [his] heart,” (Shelley 111). These murders are the fault of Frankenstein and the weight he feels is overwhelming guilt. Without the construction of a new life, of a monster, these lives would not be lost… still he manages to fond great comfort in

person to unleash such a terror on the world to benefit only himself and his

This time Victor allows the creature to approach him. After some time the creature demands a female companion and it is only with pity and much argumentation that Victor consents. While the creature watches, Victor begins working on the female monster and then he destroys it. Victor, by doing this, is ignoring the creature's feelings and breaking his promise. Therefore, Victor Frankenstein, after much hard work, rejects his own creation due to its monstrosity.

Frankenstein stands as a victim, along with the very people he treasures most, to his own deeds. Victor noted, "For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart" (42). The fruit of his experimentation, his monster, murders many of those close to the scientist. He loses his long time friend, Henry Clerval, as well as his wife, Elizabeth, to his creation. His younger brother William and his beloved servant Justine were also brought to their sad ends at the hands of the creation. The monster brings fear and suffering to all those he meets, if not by cold blooded murder, then by the sheer horror of his corpselike appearance. Though not

In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein’s creation commits many crimes in rage. The monster threatens Victor and he also kills many people that are close to Victor such as William and Henry Clerval. It is obvious that all his crimes are unacceptable but can anyone really blame him? No, the monster should not be blamed for everything he has done because he has the mindset of a child, he never had anyone to teach him right from wrong. He even shows many childlike qualities throughout the story which proves this.

Tragic hero’s can come in all shapes and sizes. They may appear as a villain in multiple works of literature. In the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the tragic hero is the creature. He is a main character whose faults led to his overall downfall. Often, the creature is misinterpreted by people to be named Frankenstein because he is such a prominent character. While the creature is able to identify the faults in mankind it is only after extreme suffering on his own part.

We are gathered here today for the trial of Mr. Creation and Victor Henry Frankenstein. The creation is charging his creator, Victor, with negligence, reckless endangerment resulting in the involuntary manslaughter of William Frankenstein, Henry Clerval, and Elizabeth Lavenza, malpractice, emotional, and physical distress. My client, Mr. Creation, has suffered many times at the hand of his creator, and we are here today to see that justice is served for the cruel actions of Mr. Victor Frankenstein. In the following trial, we will be proving the defendant guilty of all the above charges.

With advancements made in science and technology, a concern has grown on whether people will take it too far and take upon themselves the role of God. “Playing God” is when a human takes on God’s ability to create life and translates it into their own hands. This idea is expressed in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley through the protagonist’s personal goals and encounters. Dr. Victor Frankenstein has been fascinated by science since his return from college, and he attempts to advance the field by resurrecting the dead. Victor manages to create life but his advancement ends up providing undesirable consequences for not only himself, but the people he loves. Victor ends up creating his own version of life by digging up the dead corpses and piecing them together. This creature is brought to life through what is inferred to be by electrocution. Victor’s attempt at “playing God” is a failure. When it comes to “playing God” and creating life, I disagree with what Victor has done, however, certain aspects can be beneficial. Some critics, including Hilary Englert, argue that Victor Frankenstein's actions were justifiable when it comes to the name of science. However, a closer analysis of the comparison between natural and artificial life, "playing God", and Victor's failure to be a father figure to his creation suggest that Victor’s actions were inappropriate.

Someone who had spent so much time with the family would not have killed him; she loved the family. “I was firmly convinced in my own mind that Justine, and indeed every human being, was guiltless of the murder. I had no fear, therefore, that any circumstantial evidence could be brought forward strong enough to convict her” (Shelley Ch. 7). The family loved her so much that was Mrs. Frankenstein was not in the finest of health, Justine sat by her side and helped her get better the best that she could. When she did that, the Frankenstein family was so grateful, they began to grow even more fond of her than they did. Mrs. Frankenstein adored her so much because of that, but Justine loved William more than anyone in that family. She protected him as an older brother protects a younger sister. After the death of William, she was

In chapters 15 - 20, the creature attempts to gain De lacey’s trust by the inspiration of a book called Paradise Lost. However, Felix, Agatha and Safie comes back unexpectedly and Felix drives the creature away from the cottage. Nearly escaping the incident, he swears to find revenge on his creator. As follows, the creature tells Victor Frankenstein about stumbling upon William and kills him and frames Justine. After mentioning the truth behind William and Justine’s death, he asks Victor to make him a female creature to stand by his side. While Victor debates to create a female creature, he accepts the offer and hopes he will not get in trouble. While keeping his promise to the creature, Alphonse notices Victor is struggling. Alphonse persuades

In Greek mythology, the titan Prometheus used clay to create the first man, in the image of the gods. He gave mankind the tools to live by teaching them to read, hunt, and heal the sick. Prometheus was a bit of a trickster too, as he tricked Zeus, supreme ruler of the gods, to accept low-quality offerings from humans, and as such, Zeus took fire from man. Prometheus, disagreeing with Zeus’ decision, returned fire to mankind. Thus, as punishment, Zeus sentenced Prometheus to be chained to a rock where a bird pecks at his liver every day. Since Prometheus is immortal, he regrows his liver only to have it removed again. Similarly, Victor Frankenstein artificially creates life, and in doing so, defies the natural order of life (and god). As Prometheus is chained to a rock, Victor Frankenstein is slowly tortured by his creature. He is tormented as the Creature kills everyone he loves in order to enact revenge upon Frankenstein. Mary Shelley uses irony in Frankenstein’s punishment as well as the development of the characters in order to add dimension.

Victor Frankenstein had been working on his “project” for almost 2 years, engaged in it, body and soul, in order to infuse life into an inanimate object. Even though he picked out the parts of his creature’s body so carefully from the graveyard, it turned out to be a horrific disgusting gore creature and he immediately ran away and abandoned him, feeling disgusted and frustrated because he did not expect his creation to be so ugly and scary. Victor returned home after receiving a letter from Elizabeth, however, he received a letter from his father, just before leaving Ingolstadt, informing him that his brother, William, has been murdered. On hearing the news, Victor put his hands on his face and bitterly started weeping as