From the beginning of the novel, I found that Victor had a really happy, carefree and buoyant childhood. To proof this, there’s a quote in chapter 1 when Victor telling his childhood. “They seemed to draw in exhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love to bestow them upon me” This quote use a metaphor to emphasise how happy his childhood was. He using the word “mine” to describe how much Victor’s parents loves him. It also portrays the image that the love never going to run out. At this point, the reader will think Victor was a kid that living in a perfect environment that have no worries and so much care from his parents. On his relationship with his mother, I found that Victor loves his mother; he thinks she is so kind and humane. This can be shown in chapter 1 “Their benevolent disposition often made them enter the cottages of the poor. This, to my mother, was more than a duty; it was a necessity, a passion” This can point out how kind his mother was in Victor’s mind. He use ‘benevolent”, “passion” to emphasise the kindness of his mother which this really show Victor had a really good relationship with his mother. Secondly, the relationship between Elizabeth and Victor was totally different from the relationship with his mother. When Victor first seen Elizabeth is like love in first sight. This can show in the second paragraph of chapter 1 “her blue eyes cloudless, and her lips and the moulding of her face so expressive of sensibility and sweetness that none could behold her without looking on her as of a distinct species, a being heaven sent, and bearing a celestial stamp in all her features.” Shelley use gothic type of language to create a supernatural feeling for the reader. Shelley use “distinct species”, “heaven-sent” to say that Elizabeth is too good to be human, she is like an angel for Victor. She really stands out and supernatural in his eyes. Also, Frankenstein wants to own Elizabeth. This can show in the end of paragraph 2 in chapter 1. “ Look upon Elizabeth as mine- mine to protect, love and cherish.” This shows Victor want to treat Elizabeth as an object more than a sister. He wants to own Elizabeth. From this the reader might felt he is a bit mad and demented on Elizabeth.
When Victor was 17, his mum deaf really did affect Victor’s view of the concept value of life. This can be show in chapter3 “She died calmly, and her countenance expressed affection even in death. I need not describe the feelings of those whose dearest ties are rent by that most irreparable evil, the void that presents itself to the soul, and the despair that is exhibited on the countenance.” He use “irreparable”, “despair” to expound that life can’t not be repair and go back. And he also saying life is too easy to be taken. He wants to go against nature and make life reparable. He saying this because he suffers enough on his mother’s deaf and he don’t want other people to suffer. From this point, it really did link to Mary Shelley’s life because she also had family members died and she must very distress like Victor. Secondly, when he met professor Waldmen. He became very arrogant, conceit and pompous. This can be show in chapter 3. “My mind was filled with one thought, one conception, one purpose. So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein- more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.” This shows Victor want to be remembered in the history, famous, and prominent. He wants to “explore the unknown powers”. So he was saying he want to be the one that found the unknowns. From this, I found that Victor changing to a master scientist from a scholar scientist because he is the one want to seek to interfere with and control nature, to modify and change nature’s creations.
Furthermore, I think Shelley’s description of Victor’s work really change our attitude to Victor. Shelley really wants the reader to think Victor is mad and he can’t control himself. This can be seen in chapter 4 “I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this on pursuit.” He was saying this because he lost all his soul, which tells us he has no self-control and he can’t stop what he was doing. And from this, it really shows the madness to the reader. Additions to this, Shelley use a oxymoron to show Victor’s contradiction. This can be seen in chapter 4 “I kept my workshop of filthy creation; my eyeballs were starting from their sockets in attending to the details of my employment.” He use a oxymoron “filthy creation” to tell us that he know he is not doing the right things. Because creation is mend to be happy and good but he describe as filthy. Therefore he knows it is not going to be right but he still going to do it.
Through chapter 5, from the way that Victor describes the monster, it really changes what we think of Victor. He is not assuming the responsibility of his creation- the monster. This can be seen in chapter 5 “I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not conceived.” From this, he was saying his own creation is ugly, hideous. It is just a mother saying her baby is ugly. He don’t even know what the monster will be like, he judging by the look of the monster which this really make the reader think Victor is nasty, odious because is not the monster fault that he is ugly. In chapter 10, Shelley used many gothic languages to say how victor abominates the monster. This can be seen in chapter 10 “his countenance bespoke bitter anguish, combined with disdain and malignity, while its unearthly ugliness rendered it almost too horrible for human eyes.” This creates an intensity of feeling to the reader, which gives a image to the reader of what the monster look like. As well as this, Shelley also tries to make the reader sympathise with the monster and show that Victor hasn’t repented of his sins.
Overall, from the beginning of the novel till the end, Victor change a lot and learn a lot through out his life. At the beginning, he is really ambitious and he was thirst of knowledge. Then when his mum dies he became more and more arrogant and mad. Because he want to be famous and named in the history. Therefore, he wants to found the secret of life and prevent deaf happen. After he created the monster, he realizes that is not what he wants so he didn’t take any responsibility to look after his monster. But then William, Elizabeth dies because of him. He learns that he should think of the consequence before he creates the monster. He is really regretting, repent and remorseful. He knew that he was very selfish at that time. This novel really gives the reader an important moral. No matter the reader in now days or the reader in Shelley’s times. In now days, many scientists try to duplicate humans and animals. But they also need to think of all the consequence before they actually doing it. Therefore, I think this moral is really momentous in these days as well.
By EMILY CHAN 10B2
