Frankenstein creature, at least frankenstein thinks so,

Frankenstein Formal Essay – Is Frankenstein responsible for his fate? Frankenstein is a Romantic novel written by Mary Shelley. The book is about , mostly, conflict between Victor Frankenstein and the creature, which is created by Frankenstein. In Frankenstein, Frankenstein’s fate can be questioned in an interesting way :  can Frankenstein be responsible, or blamed, for his miserable fate? According to dictionary, definition of fate is “ the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably prescribed.” In this sense, Frankenstein could not be blamed for his fate because it’s planned to happen to him regardless of what choice he makes. But regarding what Frankenstein has done, it is right to say that he’s responsible for his fate. His misery is caused by the creature, at least Frankenstein thinks so, but it is true that he is the motivation of it and he cannot say it’s all the creature’s fault.

In short, Frankenstein has created his own fate by himself : he creates the creature, he abandons the creature, and he decides to dedicate his life to take a revenge on the creature. Frankenstein’s enthusiasm towards the work of creation destroys him. Frankenstein’s desire for giving “ life to an animal as complex and wonderful as man” (Shelley 55).

He gathers his materials, parts of bones to build the human frame, although it’s not the shape of human: “ I resolved to make the being of a gigantic stature… proportionately large” (Shelley 55). But Frankenstein tries to make the creature as close to human’s image as possible. Frankenstein spends several years to create the creature and he only stays in his laboratory.

Frankenstein states he hasn’t seen the blossom or the expanding leaves during his labours (Shelley 57). His desire to create the creature is started to destroy him as he states, “ Every night I was oppressed by a slow fever, and I became nervous to a most painful degree” (Shelley 57). But before the creation, He has created a life without considering any outcomes of it and the only purpose of creation for him is to feel God-like. In Elizabeth’s letter to Frankenstein, she writes; “ Yet one word from you, dear Victor, is necessary to calm our apprehensions” (Shelley 42). While he’s working on his creation, Frankenstein becomes selfish and doesn’t contact with his family and friends, who are impatiently waiting for a letter from him. By creating the creature, Frankenstein makes himself sick, mad, and isolated. This is not what someone tells him to do but Frankenstein himself has decided to do it. As a result of his creation, he gets weak and is unable to take care of what he has done : he abandons the creature.

After the creation, Frankenstein decides not to be responsible for creating the creature and abandons it, which leads the anger of the creature towards Frankenstein later on. Victor never considers how the creature with such a terrifying appearance and a scale would be able to get along with people. While he has a desire to make a creature who is ” gigantic stature; that is to say eight feet in height, and proportionally large” (Shelley 32), he hasn’t thought of how other people would react with the creature.

Also he hasn’t thought of the fate of creature. Frankenstein only cares about him being successful and , later, safe. The creature, who is left alone, is an unwanted from the society. He has no other belongings in this world.

The creature is the victim of Frankenstein’s selfishness. And Frankenstein, the creature’s only possible savor, leaves the creature alone. Frankenstein is the one who is supposed to be responsible for his creation, but he runs away not thinking of what will happen afterwards. Frankenstein experiences extreme nervousness. He is unable to remain for a single instant in the same place. He jumps over the chairs, clapped my hands, and laughs a loud (Shelley 62). His fear towards the creature makes him sick. When Henry Clerval comes to take care of Frankenstein he states, “ Henry always had been my favorite companion” (Shelley 45), because Frankenstein has a happy childhood and young adulthood memory with his great friends and family.

He knows how they have affected him and his life; “ No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence” (Shelley 39). He knows how important it is to have friends and family who support him and he is thankful that Henry Clerval is there to take care of him. But his thought doesn’t reach that the creature would need someone like them; family, friends, or at least someone to care about the creature.

Not thinking of what he has done to the creature, Frankenstein decides to dedicate his entire life to take a revenge on him. Only caring about his own revenge and anger, he thinks his fate is to destroy the creature. Frankenstein says, “ Revenge alone endowed me with strength and composure” (Shelley 205). What Frankenstein says show how revenges means to him. He thinks it’s his fate to kill the creature. While he used to be obsessed with creating the creature, now he is obsessed with destroying the creature. Even when he is too illed to keep track of the creature, he doesn’t stop.

“ I feel that I shall soon die, and he, my enemy and prosecutor, may still be in being” (Shelley 219) shows how much he desires to kill the creature. “… in the last moments of my existence I feel that burning hatred, and ardent desire of revenge, I once expressed; but I feel myself justified in desiring the death of my adversary” (Shelley 219). Even at the very last moment, he doesn’t doubt that he is doing the right thing.

Of course, because Frankenstein thinks the creature is the cause of his misery and he’s the victim of it. In his opinion, he’s the poorest guy in the world who has lost all of his family and friends. Even though the creature has told Frankenstein how he has lived, suffered, and dealt with all the loneliness and misery, Frankenstein does not care. He only thinks about his revenge, thinking that it’s for everyone. He has to know that he has created and abandoned the creature.

He doesn’t give the creature a chance to live happily. It doesn’t mean that the creature murdering all Frankenstein’s family is justified, but at least, Frankenstein has to know that it’s caused by him. He has not told people about the creature, how danger it could be, and all he does is to leave innocent people unprotected.

By not being responsible for what he should have done, he can be blamed for his misery. Mary Shelley, the author of the book, shows several themes through her characters and their actions. The theme of fate is well represented by the main character, Victor Frankenstein. In the book, most of events don’t happen because of “ fate”. Characters make their own decision and choose what to do. And the results come out after making decisions. There are many alternatives they can choose from and every choice they make develops into events in their lives.

Even though Frankenstein keeps saying that he can’t help it, it is his free will. Frankenstein uses the word “ fate” as an excuse for his action. Everything that he has done is what he has decided to do. He decides to create the creature, he decides to abandon the creature, and he decides to devote himself to revenge. He could have decided not to create the creature, he could have decided to take care of the creature, and he could have admitted what he has done to the creature and try to understand the creature. Every misery that makes Frankenstein’s fate is caused by his free will. In this extent, Frankenstein can be blamed for his misery and fate.