Things Fall Apart

"The beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." In Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, a man named Victor Frankenstein creates a creature out of dead tissue. Victor does not understand the gift of life to the extent that he is unable to see the full responsibility the creature will be. This creature is not only a contribution to science, but it is a new part of society.

"When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, the, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?" Victor Frankenstein failed his creation. Yes, he was able to contribute to science by re-creating life out of what was once dead, but he disregarded the creature and taught him nothing. He abandoned his "son". Victor lacks to see that the creature was on the level of a baby boy, in that he needed to learn to walk for the first time in his new body, eat and even speak, but yet there was no one to teach him. The creature felt lonely and angry at Frankenstein for abandoning him, and he had every right to feel this way.

"Have my murderous machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry of life? Two I have already destroyed' other victims await their destiny: but you, Clerval, my friend, my benefactor" (Shelly, 129). Because of Victor's lack of responsibility, the creature takes his rage out and murders people who are close to Victor. Although Elizabeth felt responsible for William's murder, Victor was responsible for not only William's, but Henry's and Justine's deaths also. When Justine pleaded guilty for William's murder although she was innocent, she was wrongfully accused. Victor, not once, stood up to say that he was responsible for William's death because of his creation. He kept to himself and watched Justine die.

"You accuse me of murder and yet you would with a satisfied conscience destroy your own creature. Oh praise the eternal justice of man. Yet I ask you not to spare me. Listen to me and then if you can, and if out will destroy the work of your hands." (Shelly, 64). Victor never takes responsibility for the creature; he instead tries to find the easy way out of the situation by ignoring it. He pretends the creature doesn't exist by letting him live alone, and by not accusing him of Justine's death; he then tries to find a way to kill the creature so that it is no longer his problem.

The creature comes to Frankenstein to tell him his story on what really happened during William's death. He made Frankenstein realize that he had responsibility toward the creature because he was his creator. He was no longer simply responsible for the humanity of the monster's actions, but also he had to give the monster happiness. He needed to give the creature "life" Victor is asked by the creature if he can create a female creature to give him happiness: "I am alone and miserable: man will not associate with me;