We see exactly this in Victor in the first five chapters. As a child, he had a violent temper, ardent passions and a thirst for knowledge. However, this would seem implausible as he was brought up in a wealthy, caring family, which you would believe would reflect in his personality. He has always had a desire for Science and this interest quickly turns into an obsession. He is completely dedicated to learning "the secrets of heaven and earth". His obsession is marked by radical changes in his character and health. He changes from a gentle, kind and healthy man to a selfish, sickly being who loses contact with his beloved family for several years. In all these years that he never returned to Geneva shows, Victor’s gift for generosity and compassion has been destroyed by his obsession in his work.
As Victor’s character develops, he possesses a ‘thirst for knowledge,’ which results in him becoming fascinated with the work of Cornelius Agrippa, a man who turns tin into gold and men into lions. When his Father tells him that it is a ridiculous concept he begins to build up a lot of tension and pressure in himself. The curiosity and irrational characteristic to Victors learning is what Shelley uses to something close to madness.
Later, Victor says that he had been "misled by passion" and that he was under "the evil influence" of "the Angel of Destruction, which asserted omnipotent sway over me from the moment I turned my reluctant steps from my father's door".
Victor lost his Mother at a young age and was distraught by this and never wanted it to happen again to anyone. This obsession with death causes Victor to create the monster that eventually will destroy him. Similarly, Walton's childhood desires, push him into an obsessive preoccupation with sailing and, more specifically, an expedition to find the North Pole. These are potentially destructive passions brought on by childhood experiences.
In chapter 12 to 16, we see the creatures deep longing to understand and join human society. He takes curiosity in all that the humans do and learns the manners, governments and religions from Safie’s book and weeps of the destruction that man causes. What he had originally been so obsessed with had now turned to disgust. Reading the three books he finds in the satchel; Paradise Lost, Plutachs' Lives and Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther he learns of death and suicide and creation. Reading about the struggle between God and his creations, he feels increasingly alone in the world without a companion or friend. His increasing knowledge makes him more aware of his hideousness and deformity and becomes obsessed with his disfigurement. After Felix beats him with a stick after the monster had longed to be with them, his only desire now is revenge against mankind and its callousness and cruelty and his creator.
When the creation comes across Victor’s brother William, he destroys the boy and both the creation and creator had now swapped roles. The creature now realised that his creator, like God, was not invincible or invulnerable and he had power and control over him.
Now that the creation has control by physical power and that, he has managed his creator to take pity on him he asks him to build a female companion for him. The reason for Victor complying with the monsters request is that the idea and desire from him is almost humane. In this way, he will deprive himself of his longing for violence and revenge and lead an innocent life. Also, the creation talks to Victor as if he has no choice in the matter and his agreement is already a forgone conclusion.
Weeks later when Victor refuses to take part the creature becomes obsessed in the fact that he will not create it for him. ‘Remember, that I have power, you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!’ When the monster later says, ‘I will be there on your wedding night,’ and kills Elizabeth Victor is too now filled with revenge and again goes in a trance like state in order to catch and destroy his devilish creation. The knowledge now he seeks is the knowledge that the creature will be dead. However, when he comes across Robert Walton and dies on the ship he tells Walton that if he could make one promise to him he wants his creation destroyed.
When the monster arrives on the ship and goes into see his dead ‘father’ Robert Walton is not scared or shocked by its appearance. Frankenstein releases himself from his prison of guilt, opting instead for one of anger. In a certain sense, the creature has finally succeeded in finding a companion that he has always longed for. Where ever one goes the other will follow like parent and child. It no longer matters who occupies creator and creation each shares the obsession of the other. Victor was once obsessed with idea of building a creation and the monster was obsessed with finding out about human society and creation.
The monster later states that not all the killings made him feel better. He says that he was "the slave, not the master, of an impulse which I detested, yet could not disobey", a state somewhat similar to the Victor's obsession with science. The monster, just as Victor, reaches a point where he has no feelings left except for hatred. When he sees that his final victim namely Victor Frankenstein, is already dead, he shows remorse. He has now accepted that there will never be any being who "pardoning my outward form, would love me for excellent qualities which I was capable of unfolding." With an immense self-hatred, he promises Walton that he will "consume to ashes this miserable frame" so that future curious, obsessive generations would not create "such another as I have been."
We can see throughout the novel that obsession is a vital aspect of life, which leads to greater things. However, when used in either desperation, unnatural longing or anger this can be reversed and it ends in disaster or worse, death. Obsession in the novel leads to the death of five people yet not all were searching for something but rather caught in the anger and frustration of the hatred between Victor and his creation. Knowledge can be neither right nor wrong. Victor reads about Cornelius Agrippa’s works, which in reality seem ridiculous but Victor is keen to know and understand more. In addition, when the creation reads of the hatred between God and his creations or that the World is only filled with hate he takes an oath that all humans should be destroyed. Obsession has two paths, success or disaster.
