Victor's Moral Character Transformation
Victor appears to be a multifaceted figure in the novel, whose moral character alters as a result of the events and actions in Frankenstein. Victor's character clearly changes from an innocent, young youngster full of hope to a spiteful, resentful, and self-sacrificing individual as a result of his decisions. According to the first chapter, Victor is born into a loving family that emphasizes the significance of familial ties. He also has a great relationship with Elizabeth and Clerval. In chapter two, when he is 13 years old, he discovers the works of chemists Albertus Magnus, Cornelius Agrippa, and Paracelsus (Shelley 32). This discovery turns out to be his moral turning point arising from his quest for knowledge and the passion for studying science. From this chapter, the reader can see Victor's personality slowly changing from good humble person to a more violent character by choosing to study science. In the third chapter, he goes to the University of Ingolstadt and arguably, his departure from home comes to age with the foreshadowing of the dark moral personality and the evilness that comes in the chapters that follow. He desires for knowledge in order for him to create a life of the creature.
The Consequences of Victor's Creation
Chapter five draws a fundamental change in the character through bringing his creation of a monster to life. The moral change that Victor undergoes in this chapter is significant as it marks the beginning of the major novel events propelling the plot's evilness. This chapter changes his interaction with people including his family, Elizabeth, and Clerval and thus affecting his personality. He devotes his entire time to his work and shuts himself in a laboratory and thus foregoing communication with his family and friends. Certainly, he is driven by the obsession of the evil creature that he has brought in his life and the knowledge that he has created a devastating problem weighs him down. The regrets he develops due to his changes affects him both physically and mentally and thus indicating moral character change. The moral changes to a large extend push him into having the thoughts of committing suicide (Shelley 61). He does not have time to spend with his family and friends, and thus the personal touch with people fades away. Victor's moral change in personality in chapter five is meaningfully and contributes to the novel's events raising a feeling of empathy in the reader. Even though he succeeds in creating a monster life, Victor realizes that he has created a sinister being and due to this, he ends up bringing evil to the world. As the story progress, Victor is seen to have undergone dramatic transmission.
The Further Deterioration of Victor's Character
In chapter six, through Elizabeth's letter, the reader can tell how entirely Victor's moral character changes and how his life become cut off from the outside world with concerns arising concerning his illness. A traumatic event is seen in chapter seven when Victor receives the letter that describes the death of his father and brother. His reaction reveals a great change in personality. He becomes filled with grief and develops anxiousness of returning home. According to the reader, his moral changes to a self-absorbing character and Victor's personality appears to be impenetrable to the reader. The moral character change foreshadows the horrific moments, and thus the reader comes to shares Victor's distress. The bleak of depression and a massive sense of guilt along with "deeds of mischief beyond the description of horrible" are highlighted in chapters nine and ten (Shelley 87). This makes Victor's health to suffer and suicidal thoughts to cloud his mind making the reader developed an assurance of his moral and personality change.
Victor's Greatest Failure and its Consequences
Victor's greatest failure is evident from chapter 17 when he complies with the creator's request of making a female companion for him. Evidently, this failure has led to the devastating events that happen in the remaining chapters and climaxing in chapter 23 by the death of Elizabeth, his lover. Throughout the novel, the creature's longing desires to bring havoc, violence, destruction, and revenge brought great fear to Victor. Therefore, Victor takes the responsibility of having created a disturbing creature in life, and he thinks for possible remedies to the situation but does not present to him. Victor imagines that failure to comply with the monster's request will make the creature cause destruction to the people he loves and the entire society. Victor also thinks that the creation of another monster will lead to "joint wickedness" (Shelley 205). Therefore, the reader is able to tell that Victor takes responsibility for his terrific actions of creating the monster and knows the detrimental consequences.
The Unraveling of Victor's Character
In attempts to save his family and the rest of humanity, Victor goes to the laboratory and starts the monster's creation. Thus, his naivety at the beginning of the story excuses his behavior to comply with the monster's request. In Chapter 20, Victor becomes horrified by his task, and he is tormented by critical questions like if the creature will be similar to her mate and cause destruction along with the consequences if he refused to comply. While in his laboratory, the creature visits him and Victor breaks his promise. Filled with anger, the creature chooses to revenge upon his creator. The creature tells Victor that "I will be with you on your wedding-night" (Shelley 238). In Chapter 23, Victor also takes responsibility for his actions and chooses to protect Elizabeth from the wrath of the monster. However, while Victor is busy prowling the halls of the cottage where he and Elizabeth are to have their honeymoon, the monster enters the bedroom and strangles Elizabeth to death. After Elizabeth's death, Victor becomes indistinguishable from the monster, and they both become loveless, bereaved and haunted by the desires to revenge. Notably, Victor's moral character changes to a revenge person who is filled with hatred due to the death of Elizabeth, his lover.
Conclusion
Indeed, Victor presents to be a character whose takes pride in science exploration that leads to his moral change in the entire novel. His involvement in science knowledge acquisition makes him end up committing tragic mistakes that change his moral behavior. Victor's obsession with science fails to consider the consequences of his actions. In realizing the mistakes he has made, he takes responsibility and tries to make everything right. However, it is too late to make things right as Elizabeth ends up dying on their wedding night. Shelley gives a powerful portrait of the moral changes of Victor in the entire novel. The rationality of scientific inquiry makes Victor end up having destructive capabilities and thus questioning his moral and ethical responsibilities. Throughout chapters 11-17, the reader develops great sympathy owing to the events happening to the monster due to Victor's actions. He is tormented by humanity and thus vows to bring destruction to humankind. The book Frankenstein is a masterpiece that is enigmatically written, providing chronological events to the happening of the events that portray Victor's character.
Work Cited
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. St. Martins, 2000.
