Examples Of Greed In Frankenstein

A greedy decision by a single person can affect many people around them negatively. In Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, the character Victor Frankenstein demonstrates this with his egotistical behavior, lust for knowledge and lack of empathy. These poor traits leads to the creation of the monster, Frankenstein, which results in the demise of Victor and his relatives. Frankenstein demonstrates that greedy cruel behavior ties in with human suffering. Victor’s lust for knowledge makes him greedy as he isolates himself from friends and family. In order to do his research more efficiently, Victor isolates himself from relatives for discoveries that will only benefit himself. More, he strives to become a god by creating a sentient being, seeing it as a ‘glorious’ endeavor despite proclaiming, “What glory would attend discovery, if I could banish disease from human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death!” (Shelley

Firstly, Victor lacks empathy for his creation because he does not see it as human, despite sharing the same qualities, and ignores its demands. The creation leaves Victor and observes human life, only for human’s to reject it because of its physical deformities, then returns. In one case, the creation spies on people and learns what ‘family’ is, and momentarily talks with a blind man who sympathizes for him. The blind man insists that “the hearts of men … are full of brotherly love and charity” (Shelley 96) despite the creations hostile encounters with humans. Convinced, the creation asks Victor to create a companion, only for him to break his promise because of fear despite also understanding the creation’s struggle. The constant abuse Victor puts unto the creation ultimately convinces itself that it must become the monster everybody believes it to be. Victor’s cruel acts gives the creation a motive to hunt down its