Victor Is The Real Monster In Frankenstein

When the word monster comes to mind, especially when compared to Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, one would think of a creature that is ugly, different, violent, and an outcast much like the monster in Frankenstein. In this novel, Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who extremely interested in alchemy, creates a creature that is considered to be the monster of the story. Looking deeper in the novel, Victor is the true monster because of the scary traits of his personality. Things are not always what they seem, it is easy to be mesmerized in this story by the big ugly monster and miss that the real monster lies in the creator. The “monster” in Frankenstein is misunderstood. Monstrous acts happen because one does not completely take into consideration the backlash of their actions. In the case of this story, all of the more innocent were murdered because of the actions of the
Victor only has but one friend and a hard time acquainting himself with new people. He marries his cousin, “Elizabeth was only to be mine" (Shelley 44). The unusual part is that the relationship is about the possession of her rather than a usual relationship that is based on love. He saw her as something he owned, someone he could use for social status. “I promised myself that from my detested toils it was the prospect of that day when I might claim Elizabeth,” (Shelley P70). He does not see their relationship as a relationship that goes both ways, rather it’s one that only goes his way. Victor is also unusual because he is trying to be like a god. Victor is extremely motivated in creating people, and figuring out immortality. He thinks that “Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world” (Shelley P55). Along with being unusual, he has other traits that make the creator of this unprecedented being a