Victor Frankenstein’s pursuit of knowledge is deleterious to himself and everyone around him whereas the creature has a genuine desire to become more human. Frankenstein fails to preserve his morality by attempting to attain god-like power. His curiosity for the secrets of life is sinful, like Adam and Eve who ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Frankenstein “seems to have lost all soul or sensation but for [his] one pursuit.”1
1 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (New York: A Division of Random House Inc., 2003) 40.
From the beginning of his work, Frankenstein is becoming dehumanized. His mind being completely occupied with the creature and its murderous endeavors, Frankenstein moves farther and farther away from humanity. Victor Frankenstein’s interests in alchemy and ancient science are worthless in his modern world. However, Victor ignores Mr. Krempe’s suggestion of studying natural philosophy and furthers his interests in discovering the secrets of life. Victor Frankenstein has the potential to become a helpful being to the world but his mistaken choice leads him to become a destroyer of several lives. Unlike Victor Frankenstein, the
Cited: * Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: A Division of Random House, Inc., 2003.