“‘The ancient teachers of this science,’ said he, ‘promised impossibilities, and performed nothing. The modern masters promise very little; they know that metals cannot be transmuted, and that the elixir of life is a chimera. But these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles. They penetrate into the recesses of nature, and show how she works in her hiding places. They ascend into the heavens: they have discovered how the blood circulates, and the nature of the air we breathe. They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even mock the invisible world with its own shadows.’
Such were the professor’s words–rather let me say such the words of fate, enounced to destroy me. As he went on, I felt as if my soul were grappling with a palpable enemy; one by one the various keys were touched which formed the mechanisms of my being: chord after chord was sounded, and soon my mind was filled with one thought, one conception, one purpose. So much as been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein,–more, far more, will I achieve: treading the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore the unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation” (47-48).
Out of curiosity, Victor attends M. Waldman’s chemistry lecture. There, Victor hears his speech about the achievements these “philosophers” have made in the field of chemistry. M. Waldman discusses the powers that people thought once belonged to only God, but modern masters have been able to recreate phenomenas such as earthquakes and thunder. In short, because of discoveries in science and advancements in technology, even man can harness the powers of God. Upon hearing this lecture, Victor develops a fervent purpose that we later find out is creating life from death.
While reading, I wondered what Victor’s intentions are. It seems that at first his intentions were to finish his studies in a place separate from his native country in order to become acquainted with other customs. However, I detected a shift between his intentions at the beginning of the chapter and the end of the chapter. As I described before, his intentions were to continue the rest of his education in a different country, but as we near the end of the chapter, his purpose shifted after he hears M. Waldman’s speech. What I find interesting is that he started out full of pride and wanting to expand his knowledge. After a conversation with M. Krempe, his pride is slowly chipped away but, he is not fazed. Victor finds out that the knowledge he possessed was all rather antiquated and was of really no use to anyone now. To alleviate the outdated information he studied, M. Krempe recommends Victor a list of books that he feels will help him. Another thing I find significant is his “obsession” with fate and destiny. Earlier in Chapter 2, Victor says “Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction” (42). I point this out because Victor blames his laments on destiny rather than taking responsibility for his own destruction. Later, he mentions that the words of M. Waldman were also responsible for his destruction.
Victor entered the university at Ingolstadt with no clear objective in mind. This passage I highlighted marks the shift of his interests and the beginning of his objective. The second paragraph alludes to his desire to create life from death, which I believe was influenced by the death of his mother prior to his entrance into the university. Although Victor says that he “will endeavour to resign [himself] cheerfully to death, and will indulge a hope of meeting [her] in another world” (43), his objective says otherwise. I observed this as a sign of denial in the five stages of grief. After attending M. Waldman’s lecture, he shifts to bargaining. While he is not lamenting his inability to help his mother, his desire to bring life to the dead can be seen as his need to regain control. Through analysis, Victor can be described as an impressionable person. He is easily swayed by the words of others, but will blame fate for anything that goes wrong instead of taking responsibility for his own actions.