The character named Victor in the book Frankenstein written by Mary Shelly, is a
likeable figure. His demeanour on the whole was very pleasant as he grew from a
boy into an adult. Victor№s passion for the sciences is very strong, and
had stayed studious in his youth. Victor№s mother died when he was age 17,
and that is when he decides that he will discover a way to rid the world of
sickness and death, so people could stay with each other forever. Victor is a
likeable character because his intentions are good, all he wanted to do was
conquer death and illnesses. This idea by itself comes from a man that is caring
and doesn№t want anybody to go through what he went through and also to
keep himself from going through the same ordeal again (referring to his mother),
but we must also never forget that this "kind" man is a man that is
driven by ambition in its purest form. Victor went on to medical school, and
after many intense years of research and study Victor gathers enough parts from
cadavers to begin creating life which he believes will be much better than our
existence. Morality. It has been questioned by people, honoured by people and
revered since the beginning of time. Yet even today not one person can say what
is morally right. It is a matter of opinion. It was the ambition of Dr. Victor
Frankenstein's opinion that it was all right to create a "monster".
After his creation, the result of his toils comes to reality, he neglects it, in
turn pushing it far away from him. After the bitter lashes of revenge from the
beast, (namely the death of Victor's brother William), it asks our
"hero" a favour. He wants a companion. Victor had let his ambition,
which is so powerful, it could be described as inhuman, create a monster, not
only capable of wonderful talents, but also of horrible tragedies. Possessing
such a great mind the doctor is able to realise that a greater evil will be
released upon the earth then upon himself if he were to oblige to the request of
the monster and create a mate for him. Although we saw him driven by ambition
and curiosity in the beginning of the novel, after feeling and seeing the
consequences of it, his morality and sensibility take control, and he refuses to
create a second being. "Your threats cannot move me to do an act of
wickedness,"(pg. 162) says the doctor as he argues his point with his
creation. The doctor sees that a greater and more horrible result can come from
him making the second monster than not. However, in the eyes of some, the
creation of the first monster, where Victor is trying to "play God",
and toy with nature makes society's labels for these two extremely different
characters on the exact opposite side of the scale from where they are supposed
to be. Dr. Frankenstein is sometimes considered more of a monster while the
monster is the more decent of the characters. As I have stated above, Dr.
Frankenstein, the so labelled decent, no-fault man, could actually be considered
an irresponsible and stubborn man, who is extreme in his actions throughout the
novel's plot. His irresponsibility shows through many times in his feelings (or
lack of) towards his creation. It is almost as if the ambition that was
ever-present throughout the germination of this thing, had suddenly vanished
upon it's arrival. While he was in the process of shaping his creation,
Frankenstein is so caught up in his work and his yearning to be remembered for
all time that he does not ponder about what will happen after life is breathed
into this being. He is blinded by the ambition that he had instilled in himself
after the death of his mother. He is so consumed by his work he does not sleep
for days on end, go outside, eat meals, or write to his family with such
frequency as he had before he commenced. After his creation comes to life, he
refuses to accept his obligation as the creator (or maybe even father) to his
creation. He does not care for it, shelter it, provide it with food or love, nor
teaches the creation. Eventually all the monster wants from the doctor is a
companion like himself("Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so
hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man
beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of
yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions,
fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and
abhorred."). After the doctor refuses this motion, the monster kills his
son and frames Justine, and yet Frankenstein still will not change his attitude
toward the monster. He still does not want any association between himself and
the monster even after what has happened. Frankenstein is so convinced that he
monster will kill him next, he does not stop and think about what else the
monster could have meant by, "I will be with you on your wedding
night." The thought does not enter his head that the monster is
foreshadowing the death of his bride. All of this after he had been warned. This
shows me that Victor was somewhat immature at the time of this sequence of
events, as he has in metaphorical terms, impregnated the earth, and left her
without any child support! His initial ambition is one of intensity, and makes
him keen to anatomically perfect this being. This concentration in making the
monster live is direct contrast to his later wish to kill the beast. The source
of ambition swings, and is shifted in to a will to hunt and destroy this
monster, going through forests, mountains, and glaciers, and depriving himself
of people, food, and sleep. There is no grey area in Dr. Frankenstein's head.
There is only black and white. He either loves the monster totally or wants to
slay it. He has to fully devote himself or not to his task. There is no just
liking the monster, or doing a task half-heartedly. This could all stem back to
his days of studying in Ingolstadt, where his toils were so highly praised,
("My Ardour was indeed the astonishment of the students, and my proficiency
that of the masters" page 49), and this could be a factor that caused him
to really devote himself to his tasks. I think that this is a perfect way to
describe the ambitious capability of Victor. When he devotes himself to
something, he literally goes to the ends of the earth to try and achieve it. The
monster on the other hand has got the worse end of the deal. The creation, or as
society has labelled the monster, is actually one of the only characters in the
novel that actually has rationale behind his thinking. Society has mislabelled
this creature who shows us some sort of ambition in his willingness to try and
be accepted by the family in the woods. They are seen by society as the
lower-class. They work every day on their garden to make food for meals because
they do not have enough money to be able to buy food. They are viewed as poor
and unfortunate, but are actually rich... in spirit. They are good people. They
do not complain with the status quo but enjoy what they have, which is an
admirable trait for people in any standing. The old blind man sings songs to the
others, plays a musical instrument, and adds a sense of experience and content
to the family. The children do their daily work without griping as well. Just
because they are looked down upon by society that still does not stop them from
enjoying what has been provided for them. The difference I see between these
people and the rest in the book, is that they have no noticeable ambition, which
in this case seems like somewhat of a good thing, as ambition so far, has been
the source of immorality and evil. The monster in the book is unlike the other
predecided characters, in that he has flaws, and does not possess beauty, charm,
or intellectualism (that we see). He does seem to try and become accepted by
all, and only when this ambition is shunned does he truly expose the world of
Victor to his wrath. Today society respects the handicapped and accepts them in
today№s world. Frankenstein can be seen as a prophetic statement against
the pride that accompanies ambition and technological or scientific knowledge.
In the novel the power of science is linked to metaphysical goals and
aspirations by Professor Waldman and Victor. They believed that the scientific
method had superceded theology or philosophy in yielding the truly miraculous.
Science had in effect replaced spirituality as the means of the miraculous.This
is because they saw that the ancient teachers of this science, promised
impossibilities, and performed nothing. It is this belief that I consider to be
the fuel for the ambition of Victor. These philosophers, whose hands seem only
made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible,
have indeed performed miracles. They penetrate into the recesses of nature, and
show how she works in her hiding places and ascend into the heavens, and it is
this that helps Victor's ambition on it's way. Victor Frankenstein becomes
intoxicated with the possibilities of modern science. He is so inflated and
consumed with the knowledge of how to animate a human creature that he doesn't
consider the morality or even the aesthetics. He is so absorbed in the minutia
of his experiments that he creates each section of the Creature with care
without considering the total effect.("Although I possessed the capacity of
bestowing animation, yet to prepare a frame for the reception of it, with all
its intricacies of fibres, muscles and veins, still remained a work of
inconceivable difficulty. As the minuteness of the parts formed a great
hindrance to my speed ... ") . Not unlike the Monster, our modern atomic
bomb was stitched together bit by bit with a great deal of care taken to ensure
scientific accuracy but with little concern for its use. The Modern Prometheus
has unleashed a fire that is capable of vicious destruction on an entirely
different and impersonal level. Conclusively, I feel that the ambitious
scientist becomes the hunted and the haunted as a result of overstepping his
boundaries.