Who Is To Blame In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Responsibility is the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone. Responsibility is something that every human needs. A lack of responsibility can be harmful to the person and the people around them and a plethora of responsibility can change a person 's life. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Shelley’s portrayal of Victor as selfish suggests that not taking responsibility can lead to pain, death, and the suffering of others as the reader sees in the novel which relates to today 's society of powerful countries not taking responsibility for the weapons that they create, and the damage that is revealed as a result.

There will always be a controversy amongst the human race whether or not humans are innately good. If so, then the influence of society plays a major role on maintaining one’s good will. The theme humans are innately good is evident in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein through the actions and character development of the creature. Initially, the creature is innately good even though his creator abandons him, he continuously proves to be good through is acts of kindness and generosity, although, he is corrupted by rejection from society and his creator, turning him into a real monster.

The monster is certainly not blameless. He kills William, Clerval and Elizabeth. These people are dear to Frankenstein for a short period of time. These deaths drive Frankenstein to near madness. He calls on the “spirits of the dead” and “wandering ministers” so that the “cursed and hellish monster drink deep of agony” and feel “the despair that now torments me”(179). The monster is also capable of wanton destruction when he burns down the DeLaceys’ house and dances “with fury around the devoted cottage”(123) like a savage. Finally, the monster seems to enjoy the pain he causes Frankenstein: “your sufferings will satisfy my everlasting hatred” (181) he writes to Victor. Were these pieces of evidence taken out of context, the reader would surely side with Frankenstein. But Shelley prevents such one-sidedness by letting the monster tell his version of the story. The monster’s first-person narrative draws the reader in and one learns that the creature is not abomination his

Guilt can either be an emotion that makes a person feel remorse for his or her’s actions toward another, or can be the conduct involving the executions of such crimes and wrongs. In the novel, “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, both definitions of guilt were the common theme. However, the main problem was whether the creature or the creator, Victor Frankenstein, were guiltier for their actions. The one presumed to be more guilty was Victor Frankenstein who created the monster in the first place causing his family pain and failed to take responsibility for the monster’s actions. Although he didn’t directly kill his family, the monster is guilty too. Victor Frankenstein caused his own misery and destruction, which is why he is to blame for what

What happens when one does not atone for what they have done? To atone something means to make amends or reparations - life, for some people, can become increasingly harder to live when individuals do not listen to their conscience and atone for their mistakes. For example, if a mistake is made and the consequences are severe, was there a point where it could have been avoided? What if the truth had been told, would the consequences be less severe? Situations involving atonement surround everyday life in various forms of news stories, entertainment, and history.

It is quite telling that the most severe punishment in our society other than the death penalty or torture is solitary confinement. Although, isolation is in itself a form of torture, it can drive someone to the brink of insanity. Although published nearly 200 years ago, Mary Shelley clearly understood the potential detrimental effects of isolation, as demonstrated in her famous novel, Frankenstein, where both main characters, Victor Frankenstein and his creation, suffer from and cause isolation for the other. Mary Shelley directs the reader to believe that isolation is the true evil, not the monster, Victor or any emotion inside of them. At the beginning of the novel, Victor is isolated from other people, causing to forget his scientific

The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley says a person is responsible for their actions if they do not weigh the possible consequences of their actions before making their final decision. Throughout the novel, Mary Shelley shows the consequences of actions that are done without proper thought beforehand. Victor Frankenstein wants to create life, he wants to be god, and his lust for this goal overtakes his common sense. Victor rushes into making his creature and then makes rash decisions which also contributes to his demise and the death of several of his close friends and family. The monster should be held responsible for his actions to a certain extent, however, his actions are influenced by Victor’s initial impetuous decisions. Mary Shelley shows this burden of responsibility throughout the book by continually showing the reader how much Victor’s unthoughtful actions affect his future, and how he copes with the results.

In life there are many evils that will try to defeat a person but the key to living a happy, fulfilling life is learning to have empathy for others who are facing their own evils. Empathy is hard to have if a person has not endured any real struggles in their life. Being able to know firsthand how it feels to go through difficulties helps create a level of empathy that leads to compassion for one another. Victor Frankenstein is a prime example of someone who has faced evils in their own life but in the end did not find compassion for others, instead he found his own hell. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor’s lack of empathy opens the door into his world of selfishness, cruelty, and unhappiness.

The monster is directly responsible for killing all those people, he committed those crimes. Frankenstein however, created the monster and is indirectly responsible for the murders his creation committed. While reading the story, you realise, that the creature is actually good at heart. It's the way that he is treated which makes him a monster. He was never loved by his creator, and was feared and despised by everyone who met him. If only one person had loved him, he wouldn't have killed all those people. If you look at it this way, you'll come to the conclusion that Frankenstein and the other people that met him were to blame for the monster's

It is another liability that he brought onto himself. First, Victor, being a scientist, should have been aware of the precautions of creating a new life. He did not think of the aftermath that the monster might create. For example, it is stated, “The death of William, the execution of Justine, the murder of Clerval, and lastly of my wife… my father… he died in my arms” (87). Additionally, everyone that Victor ever cared about or loved died because of the creature murdering them. It is Victor’s liability because each one of the deaths could have been prevented if Victor did not abandon the creature. Everything the creature did after Victor left is because the creature did not have the proper guidance. Therefore, Victor is liable for his tragedies because he did not think of the consequences of his actions and showed his disdain towards

Often in a novel, an author will make the relationship between a parental figure and a child be one of conflict to emphasize their relationship to each other. However, in the 1818 Gothic Romantic novel Frankenstein, author Mary Shelley uses the father and son relationship between scientist Victor Frankenstein and the creature as a tool to demonstrate that one must take responsibility for their actions and that monsters are not born monsters visualized through Victor’s abandonment of the creature, the monsters reaction to being shunned and Victor’s failure to comply with the creatures request to create a partner.

In the beginning, Victor reveals his timidity towards occurring disasters. When the creature comes to life, Victor realizes that it is grotesque and describes, “I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing my bedchamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep” (42). Upon realizing the unfortunate turnout of the creation, Victor avoids confronting his fault by hurrying off and hiding in his bedroom. Accordingly, Victor is unable to control his creation. When the creature leaves after threatening Victor about a tragedy on his wedding night, Victor asks himself, “Why had I not followed him and closed with him in mortal strife?” Victor realizes that he has lost control of the monster’s actions and regrets not taking the proper precautions in seizing the monster when he has the opportunity. Ultimately, Victor is victimized. After the murder of Elizabeth, Victor reflects on the deaths of his loved ones and says, “The death of William, the execution of Justine, the murder of Clerval, and lastly of my wife; even at that moment I knew not that my only remaining friends were safe from the malignity of the fiend” (174). Victor suffers watching his loved ones die one by one, yet lacking the ability to save them. Overall, Victor’s victimization is due to his timorousness dealing with his initial

Who was more guilty? Who deserved the blame for the atrocities that happened during the time the monster had on this earth? Was it the creator, Victor Frankenstine? Who made life and abandoned his responsibilities of nurturing that life. Or was it the monster? Who committed the most heinous crimes out of spite and hatred for mankind.

First, Frankenstein is responsible for his actions as he is the one who had created him in the first place. Frankenstein likes to finish on what he has started. You can tell he was determined to create a creature as he working on it for six years. Even though he had finished it, it was not what he wanted. As seen on page 26 Frankenstein wanted to create an angel, but since he judged the monster on his appearance the

The creature is technically responsible for the murders; example would be killing Victor’s brother William in chapter 8 of book 2. It states, “Frankenstein! You belong then to my enemy—to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim (Chapter 16).” Some of the blame could also shift to the cottagers that kicked it out of the cottage just because of it’s looks which angered it enough to question his existence and make him want to kill Victor. The creature did develop more throughout the story, which made him mature enough to sort of regret making Victor’s life horrible as it states when Walton was continuing, “he cried, with sad and solemn enthusiasm, "I shall die, and