CR- Post 2 Frankenstein Mary Shelley
“… I was their plaything and their idol, and something better—their child, the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties towards me.” (Chapter 1 page 27 planetebook.com)
The quote above can be found in Chapter One of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. This quote was said by scientist Victor Frankenstein, as he had been sharing his personal thoughts of his upbringing by his parents. What we can understand from this passage is that Frankenstein believed that his parents, as anyone else may believe, played and important role in teaching him to be the man that became to be. Frankenstein makes it clear that he strongly believed in the guidance of his parents and that their strategies are what would determine his happy life or his unhappy life.
I found this quote to be very important to the tale of the story because, as Frankenstein had continued his studies and experimented on creating human, he became the official creator of this “monster”. By being the “monsters” creator, he may then be seen as its parent as well as its scientific creator. This means that it was Frankensteins duty, to take full responsibility for the monster and to do as he so vividly expressed his parents to do and guide him as it was their duty to complete ones growth. However, Frankenstein decided to change his beliefs or parental responsibility, and become very hypocritical in the matter. By choosing to abandon the monster, Frankenstein forced his creation to somehow teach itself and to “direct” it’s own “happiness” or “misery”, which can be interpreted throughout that novel that for ever “good” that the monster endured, horrible things followed. With the lack of the monsters guidance from his “maker”, Frankenstein had failed at his job in parental guidance and went against his belief of “good parenting” and had not “fulfilled” his duties.
Source- electronic version (planetebook.com)