Based on our examination of change's role in Frankenstein, it leaves me with the following question:
When Victor begins his pursuit, does he, himself, want to change?
OR
Does he want to change the world around him but remain unchanged?
If the answer is the latter--does that immediately implicate failure for Victor?
And really, for this response, you can examine his motivation from the inception of this idea to generate life. In trying to gain the ultimate knowledge about human life, does that imply that Victor is looking to change the world around him for the better? or merely change his role in this world?
Garrett Richards
ReplyDeleteEnglish 10 Honors
P.5
Based on his reflection it is clear that Victor began his experiment to change his role in the world. There is no evidence that Victor spent much time pondering the negative effects his creation could have upon his fellow man. During his reflection Victor states, “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me” (Chapter 4, Page 40). It is now clear to the reader that Victor is trying to advance his position in society by creating the monster; he envisions himself becoming a god-like figure with the power of animation. He goes on to say, “No father could claim the gratitude of this child so completely as I should deserve theirs” (Chapter 4, Page 40). Here he suggests that his power to create a “being” will be beyond the power of a normal human parent, again referring to himself as a higher being. These comments solidify the position that Victor created the monster to change the world’s view of him, rather than to change the world for the better. While many will point out that Victor did mention how he would attempt to bring the dead back to life (a seemingly good thing for the world), he may have considered this idea for personal reasons, to bring his beloved mother Caroline back to life. In the end Victor was blinded by the possibility of becoming more powerful, which led him to overlook the negative consequences of his actions.