Frankenstein and Maturity

Beans and Frankenstein

Responsibility is the key to experimentation, those lacking the maturity fail. In Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein experiments in creating life. However creating a monster, the reader finds out that Victor is not mature enough to handle the responsibility of his actions. Even though Victor Frankenstein is the creator/father of the monster, he has characteristics of a child and the monster has the maturity of an adult.
When Henry Clerval arrives at Frankenstein's door after his experimenting, he experiences Victor's child-like actions. As Victor explains, "I was unable to remain for a single instant in the same place; I jumped over the chairs, clapped my hands, and laughed aloud."(36) This shows the sheer giddiness of Victor after being isolated from friends and family for months working on his experiments. Victor was immature when handling the isolation so he bottled up emotions which were let loose when the sight of his friend arrived. Frankenstein even mentions that his actions are child-like when he enters his home. "I threw the door open forcibly, as children are accustomed to do when they expect a spectre to stand in waiting for them on the other side."(37) Like a child does, victor could not control his feelings and thus acted out in an irregular manner for an adult.
After Frankenstein creates the monster, his actions, also became that of a scared child. "One hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped, and rushed down stairs."(chapter I) This statement by Victor shows that he was unable to handle the maturity of the situation. The monster was reaching out for what seemed to be his father. Not knowing fully the actions, Victor ran as a scared child would from a frightening movie. Victor kept the secret of his creation from anyone that should know of this discovery and disaster, which affects his health directly. At the beginning of Volume II chapter 1 Victor tells of his guilty conscious and feeling remorse. He told of how it affected his physical and mental health. This illustrates how Victor is afraid of telling the truth because of the consequences that might ensue. Victor is acting childish by keeping this secret where in fact he should take responsibility. A child does the same thing when they commit a terrible deed.
In conversing and interacting with his father in the third volume, Victor assumes a child-like state. Victor is in jail because he is accused of murder. "My father!"(125) he cried, "Is my father, indeed come? How kind. How very kind. But where is he, why does he not hasten to me?" Victor has been jailed and now is awaiting the arrival of his father. When his father arrived Victor was overjoyed and relieved. This scene looks like that of a child in jail waiting for his father for bail. Victor is anxiously waiting help from his father who seems to be the only one he can help now. Victor was nervous and thinks that now his father is there everything will be alright. Later in the book Victor is talking to his father about being responsible for the deaths of William, Clerval, and Justine. After his father asks him why he believes this, Victor cannot answer, he feels like he cannot tell his own father. Much like a child that keeps things from their parents, Victor does not tell his father about the creation that has caused so much trouble. In contrast to Victor, his monster shows maturity in the interaction with other people. When victor and the monster meet for the first time since the monster was given life, and while Victor proceeds to yell and scream while the monster keeps calm and wants to talk to his creator. The creation shows no hostile feelings for the hate shown toward him. This is evident in the fact that the monster has great maturity in dealing with rejection at this point, which is an incredible trait to have. The creation shows immense development when observing the family in the cottage. While observing the family, the monster studied various books (Paradise Lost, a volume of Plutarch's Lives, and The Sorrows of Werter). The monster reflected on these books in an intellectual way, in that the thoughts of transcendentalism, comparison to self/self worth, and humanity. These ideas were now familiar to a monster that has only been in existence for a year give or take a few months. This shows incredible understanding of complicated and mature ideas for a new-born, so to speak. When the monster enters the cottage for the first time he shows traits that fully grown adults have. When entering the creation said "Pardon the Intrusion" showing politeness. Also when Felix darted at him and began to put up a fight the creation did not retaliate or try and hurt him, he showed self-restraint and left as a gentleman would do. The responsibilities of experimenting in giving life were too much for Frankenstein. The creation handled many delicate situations with maturity and intelligence. In the novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and his creation have a switched role, in that the creation is mature and the creator has child-like qualities.