Frankenstein (through the end)
October 5, 2014
Volume 3 of Frankenstein starts off with Victor returning to Geneva and ends with his death onboard Robert Walton’s boat. Although Frankenstein initially agrees to create a female companion for his Creature, he reneges on the deal to give himself peace of mind, but that doesn’t sit well with his creation. Because of his decision, Victor suffers many trials and loses many of his friends and family members; the loss of each person gradually erodes Victor’s conscience to the point where his sole desire in life is to slay the Creature. Even though he had a chance to reconnect with humanity/society after making a deal with his Creature, Victor gradually returns to being selfish and becomes driven by an extreme passion to exact revenge against his “wretched” creation”.
Through the end of his story, we can see that Victor is obviously distraught by the Creature’s threats against his life and the lives of his companions. Victor’s misinterpretation of the Creature’s promise to “be with [Frankenstein] on [his] wedding-night” (121) reminded me of his selfishness. While the Creature threatened to cause him harm, he assumed that the intended target was himself rather than his future wife. When I read the section of the Creature’s threat I thought that Victor should first move to protect Elizabeth after their wedding because he promised to cause Victor grief by harming his friends and family. Rather than fulfilling his duty as a husband and protecting his wife, Victor foolishly leaves her alone as he tries to prepare himself for a final showdown with the Creature. Although Elizabeth was brutally murdered, I partially blame Victor for not protecting what might have been his last source of happiness.
The ending to Frankenstein was less dramatic than I would have liked, however, it stayed true to the sad/solemn mood of the story. When Walton shifted from one frame to another (his manuscript of Victor’s story to his perspective on the boat), I expected more action in the final scene. Despite agreeing to Victor’s final request of killing the Creature if he appeared, Walton speaks with the Creature and allows him to escape the boat and humanity. For the first time in the novel, a character other than Frankenstein directly speaks with the Creature and hear his plight against his creator. In my opinion, the Creature’s monologue summed up his incomplete relationship with Frankenstein: he remains upset about his life and future prospects, yet he regrets his stubborn creator’s death. For a brief moment, the Creature receives the fair treatment he desired from humanity before he disappears into the distance.