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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Hero Or Villain

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Frankenstein: Hero or Villain
(A Discussion of Victor Frankenstein as Either Hero or Villain) Throughout history, many pieces of literature have been composed that tell the tales of various heroes and villains. Oftentimes, it is quite clear which characters are heroes and which characters are classified as villains. However, there are also several texts that have characters that can be argued as appearing in either category of characters. Oftentimes, these borderline characters play minor roles in the story line. However, in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, the main character, Victor Frankenstein, can appear to certain readers as both hero and villain. There are several scenarios throughout the novel that point to Victor Frankenstein as …show more content…

Victor Frankenstein worked for two long years to create life from a lifeless form, which, before obtaining life, he believed to be beautiful. However, once he saw the monster's eyes open, he began to see the hideousness of the monster. After this, he fled his operating room and paced wildly in his bedroom, trying to think of what to do. “For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart”(Chapter 5 pg 42). In this excerpt, Victor Frankenstein explains how he had yearned for this moment for two years, but when his dream came true, he was filled with horror and disgust. When this happened, he eventually came to the conclusion that it would be better to abandon the monster all together. However, in doing so, he filled the monster with hate, which led to many deaths committed by the monster. Due to this, it is easy to trace the monster's actions back to Victor Frankenstein, classifying him as a …show more content…

“Could he be (I shuddered at the conception) the murderer of my brother? No sooner did that idea cross my imagination, than I became convinced of its truth;”(Chapter 7 pg 59). At this moment, Victor Frankenstein realizes that his creation is responsible for the death of his little brother, William. However, even with this information, he fails to speak up and save Justine from execution. He stands idly by when Justine offers a false confession for she fears she will go to Hell if she does not. Due to this, Victor Frankenstein can be seen as a villain in Mary Shelley’s text,

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