Frankenstein Essay

Victor Frankenstein is usually portrayed as a crazy lunatic with goals of world domination, a typical “mad-scientist”. These portrayals completely contradict the original character created by Mary Shelley. The real Victor Frankenstein is a passionate, determined, and devoted character that desires to find a cure for disease and create the perfect human being. Three characteristics that shape Victor Frankenstein’s personality are that he is passionate, strong-minded, and committed. Victor’s passion stems primarily from his desire to create a human being that is free from disease and invulnerable to death. He wants to have a strong purpose in his life and be remembered for succeeding at something great. He states, “Wealth was an inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery if I could banish disease from the human frame and render a man invulnerable to any but a violent death” (23). This statement shows that Victor is not driven by money or fame, but by scientific purposes. In order to succeed in his quest he completely devoted himself to his studies while attending a university in Ingolstadt. He shuts out his family from his life while pursuing his studies. His determination to create a flawless human being causes him to shut out the rest of the world and put his current life on hold. Victor's introverted personality becomes evident throughout the novel. He does not share his feelings and desires with many people. While he was working to create the flawless human being he even had to put his relationship with Elizabeth on hold. He did not share the details of his accomplishment with anyone other than Robert Walton, a complete stranger. Frankenstein chose to remain silent while Justine stood trial for William’s murder, although he knew the identity of the real killer. He puts his studies and his experiments before his family and friends. From observing all of this, it is prevalent that Frankenstein prefers not to have social interactions. He