Victim in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Essay Sample

The novel Frankenstein, written in 1818 by Mary Shelley, is centered around a depressed scientist named Victor Frankenstein and his creation of a creature. Frankenstein, which is often compared to Shelley's personal life, showcases how victimization is consistent through death, abandonment, and depression. The creature is continually yearning for someone to love him, so he reaches out to the DeLacey family to see if he can find love, to no avail. This is similar to how Shelley is ostracized by society due to her imaginative way of thinking. The presence of victimhood is persistent throughout the story, despite the fact that it never explicitly stated who is the true victim. Although Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein uses sorrowful pathos to make the reader feel that the creature is the narrative’s victim, it becomes apparent the true victim is Victor Frankenstein.

Even though the novel infers that the creature is the sufferer, it demonstrates that instead of being the one in distress, the creature causes agony for others.“Like Adam, I was created apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator; he was allowed to converse with, and acquire knowledge from beings of a superior nature: but I was wretched, helpless, and alone” (94). This quote was made to evoke empathy from the reader for the creature, but the creature creates his own misery by pushing his creator away. The creature states how he and Adam have major differences in relation to their creators. Stating that God loves Adam and admires him, while Frankenstein dislikes the creature and despises him.  A "victim" is defined as "a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action." Frankenstein is a victim of the creature, according to this definition. Although Frankenstein pushes the creature out because he does not look the way he desires, the creature takes his pain and brings terrible suffering to Frankenstein. Frankenstein says,  “This reflection brought tears into my eyes, and I wept for a long time; but my thoughts rambled to various subjects, reflecting on my misfortunes, and their cause. I was bewildered in a cloud of wonder and horror. 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” (150). Frankenstein says in this quotation how he grieved for a long time and had profound regrets as a result of the creature. He claims that he doesn't know if his only friends remaining actually are safe or not added on to his worrying.  Frankenstein also employs the term "fiend," and when the word "fiend" is used, it conjures up images of something wicked. The definition of "fiend" is "an evil spirit or demon" and Frankenstein's use of the term to describe the creature implies that he has no remorse for the creature's actions, as he has taken people near to him.

While Mary Shelley appears to have written the story in such a way as to highlight the creature's victimization, the evidence of Frankenstein being the genuine victim is more obvious. Throughout the book, there are numerous instances of irony. Frankenstein has demonstrated that he craves affection from others, but then pushes those who wish to be with him away. He intended to make a creature to learn more about the dead and the living, but after the creature was formed, he no longer desired it. Frankenstein yearns for particular things and receives nothing but misery in exchange due to the creature, thus manufacturing his own suffering. Frankenstein created the creature who desired love but did not receive it, so the creature began to seek vengeance. The creature attempted vengeance by murdering Clerval, William, and Elizabeth, as well as Frankenstein's father, who died as a result of shock from Elizabeth's death. This shows that the creature is not the novel's victim, but rather the antagonist, as he goes out of his way to cause enormous anguish for Frankenstein. This not only demonstrates how the creature is the novel's antagonist, but it also demonstrates how Frankenstein has just been subjected to excruciating anguish caused by his own creation. Frankenstein suffers from emotional and mental problems due to the creature. The pain from the creature fills him with feelings of humiliation, fear, nightmares, and strain. The creature argues that he should be considered as a victim, saying, "Hateful day when I received life!" (95) to demonstrate that he is in sorrow and despises his own existence. When the creature says "hateful day," he is expressing for his rebirth to be a day when the world gains another bad person, in order to express his rage and unhappiness. When he says this, he begins to demand attention from the DeLacey family, which he does not receive, and he is verbally tormented, which motivates him to seek even more vengeance on Frankenstein. Showing the creature's severe "woe is me" attitude. He has caused his creator much pain, and he demands affection from Frankenstein while killing the people Frankenstein loves. Mary Shelley writes the novel to make the reader believe that the creature is the one who is being victimized, although in the genuine sense of victim, Frankenstein has endured far more and suffered far more than the creature making him out to be the true victim.