Frankenstein: Responsibility
Who Is Responsible?
If a child acted violently toward another child, should the parents of that child be held responsible for the inappropriate behavior, or should the child take full responsibility for his/her actions? This question of responsibility comes up often in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein. Her horrific and dark tale of the mad, science-obsessed Victor Frankenstein, wanting to create life from what had already been dead, evokes questions of who is at fault for the creature’s murders. Although some may say that the creature is at complete fault because he is own “person”, but ultimately Victor is at fault because he is the one who created a being that destroyed the lives of innocent people due to how he treated the creature. Frankenstein never considered how such a creature with a horrifying appearance would be able to exist with humans. He had taken so much time fantasizing and creating this perfect image of the creature in his mind, that when he actually created the creature and brought it to life he was horrified by how disgusting and horrid it had come out. He tried so hard to make the creature perfect, that it turned out to be the completely opposite. He didn't take responsibility for his creature, but instead Frankenstein abandoned, neglected, and abused his creature. He never realized that the lack of parental love and guidance would lead the creature to a murderous path. Moreover, Frankenstein kept in secret his creature's existence and chose not to reveal it to his family and friends. By doing so, he jeopardized the lives of his loved ones and put them in danger.
The creature’s anger and revenge stemmed from Victor’s neglect and abandonment. If Victor had reacted differently and provided the love and care a creator usually has, then the creature wouldn’t have committed any murders in the first place. In the literary criticism, “Parent-Child Tensions in Frankenstein: The Search of Communion,” Calridge states that, “It is not, then, the
If a child acted violently toward another child, should the parents of that child be held responsible for the inappropriate behavior, or should the child take full responsibility for his/her actions? This question of responsibility comes up often in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein. Her horrific and dark tale of the mad, science-obsessed Victor Frankenstein, wanting to create life from what had already been dead, evokes questions of who is at fault for the creature’s murders. Although some may say that the creature is at complete fault because he is own “person”, but ultimately Victor is at fault because he is the one who created a being that destroyed the lives of innocent people due to how he treated the creature. Frankenstein never considered how such a creature with a horrifying appearance would be able to exist with humans. He had taken so much time fantasizing and creating this perfect image of the creature in his mind, that when he actually created the creature and brought it to life he was horrified by how disgusting and horrid it had come out. He tried so hard to make the creature perfect, that it turned out to be the completely opposite. He didn't take responsibility for his creature, but instead Frankenstein abandoned, neglected, and abused his creature. He never realized that the lack of parental love and guidance would lead the creature to a murderous path. Moreover, Frankenstein kept in secret his creature's existence and chose not to reveal it to his family and friends. By doing so, he jeopardized the lives of his loved ones and put them in danger.
The creature’s anger and revenge stemmed from Victor’s neglect and abandonment. If Victor had reacted differently and provided the love and care a creator usually has, then the creature wouldn’t have committed any murders in the first place. In the literary criticism, “Parent-Child Tensions in Frankenstein: The Search of Communion,” Calridge states that, “It is not, then, the