Frankenstein Essay, Research Paper

The second part in Mary Shelley s novel, Frankenstein, a crucial event takes place between Victor Frankenstein and the monster he created. A tremendous burden is placed upon Frankenstein in which his creation demands a companion, if he does not the Monster promises to destroy Frankenstein s family. Unwillingly, Frankenstein is forced to agree with the monster. In the final moments of fulfilling his promise, Frankenstein places the fate of his own life in the hands of his creation realizing the dyer consequences the world may face if a companion is created. Victor Frankenstein made the correct decision by breaking his promise and not fabricating a companion for his creation.

Throughout the novel Frankenstein s creation is constantly being rejected by society. With the birth of life the monster does not have any knowledge and learns quickly how man reacts to his presence. He gained knowledge as an outcast spying on the everyday life of a caring and loving family. Learning the passion that humans possess, he yearns to be accepted by society and to be loved by another. Through constant agony the monster finally accepts the fact that he is a hideous creature and that society will never come to accept him. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind (Shelley, 138). Frankenstein realizes the hatred and evil that the monster can inflict, for Frankenstein himself has already experienced the murder his creation brought upon his family. The constant rejection on both monsters could provoke them to hate and destroy society. This persuades Frankenstein to reject the promise he made to his creation.

By breaking the promise he made to the monster, he knew his family would be in great danger. However, Frankenstein chose his family s danger over the possible consequences a companion for the monster may have on the world. Although the monster promised, once his desired companion was given life, to remain in exile from man, his unknown lifeless love did not. Frankenstein realized that his future creation could condemn unknown consequences to the world. For if he creates life again this creature could be worse than that of the current monster. Frankenstein would then ultimately be faced by two monsters tormenting society. This would then place Frankenstein in an even worse situation than the one he is currently facing.

As I sat, a train of reflection occurred to me, which led me to consider the effects of what I was doing. Three years before I was engaged in the same manner, and had created a fiend whose unparalleled barbarity had desolated my heart, and filled it for ever with the bitterest remorse. I was now about to form another being, of whose dispositions I was alike ignorant; she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate, and delight, for its own sake, in murder and wretchedness (Shelley 163).

In this passage above Frankenstein is reflecting on his past creation, he created a creature without first thinking of what may come of it. He began to realize that his future creation could cause even worse problems. This foresight of the future induces Frankenstein to make a moral decision to destroy the companion he is making. The unknown actions that the companion may compel reinforce Frankenstein s decision not to give her the spark of life.

The monster that Frankenstein created is looking for love and to be loved. The monster wants to possess those same feelings of passion that he once observed. Once he has his companion and obtained these passions of love, he promised not to bother mankind and to live in exile. Frankenstein is the only one who can give the monster what he has been craving. However, the monster s companion could react differently towards him having an opposite effect in what he intended. The new creation of the companion may reject the monster or the monster may reject her. Both creations may look at each other as such hideous creatures that neither one could stand to live with the other.

They might even hate each other; the creature who already lived loathed his own deformity. And might he not conceive a greater abhorrence for it when it came before his eyes in the female form? She also might turn with disgust from him to the superior beauty of man; she might quit him, and he again alone, exasperated by the fresh provocation of being deserted by one of his own species (Shelley 163).

Frankenstein thus unlike before in his first creation is thinking of the negative effects that may come about if the companion is given life. Having two monsters hating each other and the world around them could bring about great danger to Frankenstein and society.

Constantly thinking of the future, Frankenstein begins to imagine the creatures living together in exile. This too could produce catastrophic events for the future of society. Frankenstein knows that the monster seeks love and passion, for that is the reason why the monster forced Frankenstein to create a companion for him.

Even if they were to leave Europe, and inhabit the deserts of the new world, yet one of the first results of those sympathies for which the daemon thirsted would be children, and a race of devils would be propagated upon the earth, who might make the very existence of the species of man a condition precarious full of terror (Shelley 163).

In the citation above Frankenstein realizes that even if the monster kept his promise and lived exile, the human race could be threatened with extinction by future generations of monsters. Living in exile the horrible creatures could have many children and spawn an entire population of monsters. The growing population would thus spread exceeding its boarders of exile. As a result, the monsters could take over the world and destroy the entire human race. Frankenstein would then be responsible for the destruction of the entire human race.

Frankenstein realized that his selfish acts of saving himself and his family could produce disastrous effects on the rest of the world. The fate of his family would benefit now if he followed through with his promise but the unknown consequences seemed far worse. Society would blame him, for he alone sparked the creation of these monsters.

I shuddered to think that future ages might curse me as their pest, whose selfishness had not hesitated to buy its own peace at the price perhaps of the existence of the whole human race (Shelley 163).

Frankenstein is left with no other choice but to choose the fate of his family rather than that of the world. Although this decision ruins his life, it was the correct one. He created the monster and he must now suffer the consequences.

Frankenstein s tragic flaw was giving life to a creature without considering the possible consequences once the creature became alive. In his constant studying and restless work, Frankenstein never stopped to realize what he was creating. Once he gave life to an inanimate creature, imminent danger was placed on Victor s life and the safety of his family. He broke his promise to the monster to create a companion due to his realization of the dire consequences that could follow upon the creation of another hideous creature. Although he sacrificed his, his decision was correct because of the possible danger a race of monsters pose to society.