In chapter five,Victor finally succeeds in his attempt to bring to life the huge creature. However,when he sees its ugliness he rejects the living creature-his own achievement-and is possessed by a feeling of 'horror and disgust ' at the sight of the creature. He regrets his decision and avoids the creature as if he were trying to escape from reality. The nightmare that the scientist has is highly symbolic of his guilt at having set off a chain of casualties. He holds himself responsible for having the potential to lead Elizabeth,his dear cousin, to her death. He is now terribly overcome by guilt ,even though he has realised his mistake. He is aware of the fact that he has overstepped his limits. He is oppressed by the image of his glorious dream turned into a nightmare.
Morning dawns but still no hope, only rain from a 'comfortless' sky. The weather seems to embody Victor's sadness and grief.Mary Shelley employs the 'pathetic fallacy' theory where the surroundings seems to show sympathy with the characters.When Victor receives the news of his little brother,William's,murder he is horrified and this is seen as another setback in his life. When he leaves for Geneva, nostalgia captivated his imagination. Victor feels threatened by the nature as the events take on a more dramatic tone with the occurence of storms and lightning. Nature at this moment seems to be highly symbolic of the constant turmoil in Victor's mind.The mood of foreboding is made worse by the appearance of 'the monster ' once again,which revives all of Victor's past memories. He talks of the creature as an extension of his own evil nature. He feels that 'his own spirit let loose from the grave and foced to destroy all that was dear to me .'
A servant of the Frankenstein family, Justine Moritz, has been accused of William's murder which comes as an even greater shock to Victor and adds to the consciousness of guilt.Yet he knows that he is nearly helpless in the case as no one would believe his story of the creature.However, Victor does not stand up for Justine's case by proving her innocent and this in turn leads to her tragic plight .Victor does not want to see Justine die but lacks the moral courage to offer the proof that will refute the charges.
Victor is caught up in his thoughts, his guilt and his horror. Therefore, he cannot rectify the situation. Mary Shelley focuses on Victor's fear of being labeled a 'madman' if he were to proclaim his feelings publicly. He tries his best not to succumb to his feelings of horror and guilt that keep growing stronger ,especially at the time of Justine's trial.The author also criticizes socitey in general. People who have known Justine to be a good and kind person would have spoken in her favour, but the 'fear and hatred of the crime of which they supposed her guilty rendered them timorous , and unwilling to come forward'.When Justine dies ,Victor feels guilty because he is still alive and she died ora crime that he actually committed.
Victor felt responsible for the deaths of William and Justine because if he had not created the monster or shown some form of affection towards the creature, 'the monster ' may not have been so vengeful and the scientist's loved ones may have been saved. Victor's desperate thirst for knowledge lead to his deep guilt of the creation of the grotesque fiend.
