By: Sarah Fehrman
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As a student in Ingolstadt, Victor becomes enamored with the mystery of life. It becomes his goal to study physiognomy. �One of the phenomena which had peculiarly attracted my attention was the structure of the human frame, and, indeed, any animal endued with life. Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed? It was a bold question and one which has even been considered as a mystery;
Victor began an arduous study to discover the secrets of the flame of life. His final creation was a monstrous creature whose size and proportion gave him a grotesque appearance. After many months of secluding himself from all human society, Victor had finally discovered the answer to all the riddles. He had discovered how to become a god, creating life, and was ready to endow his monster with being. In the fatal instant when the first gleam of light reflected on the giant�s newly opened eyes, Victor loathed the object of his making, and fled the room.
Alas! This was just the start of the tragedy. The creature made his way into the world, only to discover that everywhere he went, the mere sight of him was sufficient to cause all other humans to instantly scorn him. The creature took up residence in a hovel in the woods, and began to observe his neighbors. There was an old, blind man, a pleasant young girl, and a dismal young man. From watching his companions, the monster discovered how to speak, and write. Having gathered fundamental awareness from them, he set out in the direction of Geneva, to seek his creator.
When Frankenstein�s creation finally arrived in the vicinity, he discovered a young boy, with whom he tried to speak. The boy frantically pushed the monster away, screaming that he was M. Frankenstein�s son. Upon hearing this, the creature turned into a fiend, and strangled the boy. He saw a locket hanging from the child�s neck, and gazed at the stunning countenance in unmitigated delight, before remembering that such an exquisite face would change to a grimace of revulsion should it ever look upon him. With this thought in mind, the murderer continued on his way. When he saw a lovely young girl sleeping, he went to look at her, and then slipped the locket into her pocket. When this was discovered, the girl was tried, and hung for the murder of the boy. What the monster couldn�t have known was that this innocent girl was a servant and close friend of the Frankenstein family.
Victor returns to Geneva to be with his father, and the child his parents have raised, Elizabeth. While taking a journey up the mountain near his home, the monster finds Victor, and demands a chance to tell his story. Frankenstein is moved by the tale until the creature asks that a female companion be made for him. Finally, Victor agrees, and travels to England to commence his work. Along the way, he acquires a traveling companion, one of his dear friends Henry Clarval. Victor retreats to a secluded corner of Scotland to complete his odious task. When he is half finished, he realized the inherently evil nature of the task he is performing, and destroys the creature. The monster, which is always near, sees him do this, and vows �I will be with you on your wedding-night.� Taking a small boat, Victor throws the remains of the female into the ocean, and then falls asleep.
When he wakes, he is near the coast of Ireland, and steers for shore. When he lands, he is arrested, and accused of the murder of Henry Clarval. It is a great shock for Victor, and he becomes desperately ill. When he finally recovers, he returns to Geneva, and he and Elizabeth are married. True to his word, on the wedding-night, the monster returns, and murders Victor�s wife. Thus enraged, Frankenstein vows to hunt the monster, and kill him, or be killed. This vow leads him to the far stretches of the North, and also to his meeting with Robert Walton. Walton is trying to sail all the way to the North Pole, but his ship is stuck in ice. He takes Victor on board, and after several days, hears his tale. It is told as a cautionary tale, for Frankenstein has finally recognized that the quest for knowledge does have a limit. Victor dies on the ship several days later, and the creature finds him, and mourns the death of his creator.
The story of Victor Frankenstein is a compelling one because of the truth that is so inherent to everyday life. It is a tale that warns us that our intentions, no matter how noble, must be kept in balance. For the character flaw that led to the ultimate demise of the novel�s hero was something that is considered a virtue. His greatest fault was simply this: He took the noble pursuit of knowledge, and his desire to make life better to a level where he overstepped the essential bounds, and became himself, a monster.