Examples Of Power In Frankenstein

When asking a young child what they want to be when they grow up, some common answers are an astronaut, the president, or a movie star. Even in youth, the desire for power can be seen in humans. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley there is a clear power struggle between Victor Frankenstein and his creature. Throughout the novel Frankenstein’s creature works to gain the upper hand over his creator. This battling between the two is pointless by the book’s ending where Victor dies and his creation, inferably, commits suicide. Possessing too much power can lead to misery and loneliness because one will always be focused on other people who try to take this power.
Frankenstein’s creature only kills Victor’s family to gain the power over Victor. By gaining power over him, the creature can use it to force Victor to accept and love him. The creature’s first show of power is when he strangles William Frankenstein in Geneva after William called for his father, who was a
From his birth, the creation wishes to find companionship. While searching for food in the forest, he comes upon a village, the people inside either fear, attack, or throw stones at him. This reaction happening very early in the creature’s life shaped his perceptions of humans throughout the novel. He fears interacting with humans, yet yearns for their company. The humans have a power over him and his actions around them. Another instance of the power when the creature attempts to connect with DeLacey, knowing that since he is blind he will not react in fear or prejudice, while the conversation starts off friendly, when the rest of the family come home and see the creature Agatha faints, Safie runs out of the cottage, and Felix attacks him. This breaks the creature’s heart because the idealized expectations he had of the family crumbled the moment they saw him when he had dreamed that they would be the ones to finally accept him. This rejection spurs his revenge on