The Transformation Of Victor Frankenstein’s Character

Introduction

Frankenstein is a classic about a young student who loves science and scientific inventions. He created a man-monster that eventually caused dreadful events, resulting in his own demise. Victor Frankenstein is an intelligent and hard-working student who believes that inanimate objects can be created from animate things. He uses his knowledge to create a man-monster, and he believes that this discovery will pave the way for many future discoveries in the field of science, but when he succeeds in creating a monster, he is filled with resentment and loathing. This essay will critically evaluate the transformation of Victor Frankenstein’s character that happens in the course of the book and how his hopeful and optimistic ideas changed into despair and despondency.

Discussion

At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to a student of science who believes in himself and in the reliability and wonder of scientific knowledge. He craves knowledge and scientific learning. He is healthy, and he is full of life; he is an optimist who believes in the advancement of science and a great future for humanity. “it was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical, or in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the world¹.” Furthermore, he is social and loves to meet people, and he has healthy relationships with both men and women. Hence, one can argue that he will be a successful scientist by the end of his thirties. The following lines from chapter two reflect the passion of Frankenstein for learning:

At the beginning of the novel, a student filled with energy and curiosity to know is toppled down when he comes face to face with his most miraculous invention, his creation, a man-monster. With the creation of this monster, his demise follows: he is dying, he is hopeless, and he is alone. His views and his passion for knowledge have radically changed, and he has started viewing knowledge as a dangerous thing. Frankenstein’s hamartia is his over-confidence in science and his strong urge to create. The creation is typically associated with God, and as the book has many layers of religious connotations, one can argue that Frankenstein’s relentless desire to create paved the way for his downfall.

By the end of chapter 24, he cries, “From my infancy I was imbued with high hopes and a lofty ambition; but how am I sunk! Oh! My friend, if you had known me as I once was, you would not recognize me in this state of degradation. Despondency rarely visited my heart; a high destiny seemed to bear me on, until I fell, never, never again to rise” (Marry, 262). The lines clearly state the metamorphosis of Frankenstein from a healthy young student to a dying man who strives to resolve his present condition but is hopeless and helpless.

Conclusion

The book is regarded as horror fiction, but a point can be raised against it because the book is tragic in its composition, specifically if we closely follow Frankenstein’s transformation, as we have seen that the reversal of fortune is the underlying motif in the book depicted through Frankenstein’s character. The change in his character is emphasized both literally and figuratively. We see how his ideas had been changed as compare to the beginning of the book as well as his health, he is a dying body who suffers and regrets by the end of the book.

End Notes

1. Shelley, M. W. (2003). Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. New York: New American Library. (1. P.30) (2. P.233)