Frankenstein Victim or Villain

In the “Frankenstein,” a novel by Mary Shelley, there is a contradiction on the actual antagonist therein. Whereas the monster is painted as a symbol of evil through its readiness and desire to harm people, it falls short on uncovering its true motives. It destroys the lives of others without any regrets. On the contrary, it is notable that the creature was not directly responsible for what it developed to be since it was only a victim of circumstances. Although Victor is pictured as the person inclined towards restoring balance and enhancing harmonious relationships, he is indeed the real villain.

Victor fails to take responsibility for the monster, even after creating it. He abandons it and leaves it to survival on its own. It is wrong for Victor to create something and fail to teach it on how to live harmoniously. Thus, the creature ended up being lonely without any form of outside interactions. The monster says, “Hateful day when I received life! Accursed the creator. Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust” (Shelley 115)? It is evident that the creature is in agony. He does not like his appearance because he thinks it is the main reason why even Victor had run away.

Victor lives his sadistic life through the monster. It is notable that Victor is lonely and unhappy. Thus, he does not have a clue on how people live a happy life full of contentment. By abandoning the creature, he separates it from real life; thereby, subjecting it into hatred and revenge. The monster says, “I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of utter and stupid despair. My protectors had departed and broken the only link that held me to the world. For the first time, feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom . . .” (Shelley 114). It is evident that the creature was only acting out of revenge because of what Victor had done to it.

Victor wanted to play god to the monster. He harbored the intention of becoming powerful, which he was determined to live through having total control over the creature. Victor was overzealous about his idea of creating a life, which ended up consuming a lot of time and energy, thereby affecting his judgment. Victor experiences a monologue where he says, “During the whole of this wretched mockery of justice, I suffered living torture. It was to be whether the result of my curiosity and lawless devices would cause the death of two of my fellow beings” (Shelley 66). The statement proves that Victor was aware that the death of his friends Justine and William was as a result of his undoing. He regretted his actions because they contradicted the god and laws of nature.

In conclusion, contrary to the views of many readers, the real villain is Victor and not the monster. Victor fails to take responsibility for his creature, which pursues any action it deems fit for its survival, including causing havoc to innocent lives. Equally, Victor extends his miserable life to the monster, which develops hatred towards the people. Besides, by wanting to play a godly figure to the beast, Victor ends up affecting his friends. He later realizes that many of his experiments were against god and harmonious existence of other things.

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