Compare and Contrast Essay: Victor Frankenstein vs. the Creature

In the novel Frankenstein: Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelly, the main protagonists, Victor Frankenstein and his creature known as the “wretch,” are nearly identical beings, yet they differ in their philosophies about the world and the people in it. Nature vs Nurture, respectively to Victor and the creature, both lacked a paternal figure showing them how to love. However, Victor has already an idea of what is expected of him, while the creature has to figure it out on its own. Subsequently, there’s the motif of ambition. The creature desires to have a family-like bond with humans, while Victor desires absolute knowledge for his own pleasure. Nonetheless, both are driven to the point where they realize these goals are unattainable and turn away from their desires. Lastly, isolation seems to be a period where both Victor and the creature go through changes, turning them into total opposites from what they were before. These authorial choices shape the novel’s message by showing different perspectives

Nature is the law that an object or individual shall remain as it is, learning by its instincts only. Nurture is the interference of an outside factor that guides the growth and development of an object or individual. Victor got to live on both sides of this spectrum. He was nurtured by his mother until she died. He learned what would be the surface of human emotions and connections. However, after his mother died, Victor went on based on his instincts, depriving himself of these virtues. Instead, Victor replaced his human virtues with something that ignited him inside, knowledge. Perhaps the warm feeling of knowledge is what called his attention, filling himself with all the achievements to cover a void of an unattended wound- the death of his mother. Victor was told many times that knowledge is not as fulfilling as it feels at the beginning but refuses to accept this advice. In contrast, the creature- despised by its creator from the beginning- was raised by itself. The creature resembles a baby, who learns by touching, seeing, and mimicking others. The creature doesn’t know good or evil. Nevertheless, what emotions are. The creature’s first encounter with people shocked him because he didn’t know why they were running away. He starts hiding and observing others. He observes a nice family and learns by second hand how they interact with each other. He indirectly learns the language and their emotions, which separates him from Victor. The creature has not experienced joyful emotions. The only emotion it has felt was isolation and anger. The creature, therefore, turns malevolent because it was the only thing he knew. Victor, who had felt these lovely emotions before, starts to gain a sense and turns away from knowledge to reconsider his actions. Both the creator and the creature fell under Nature, therefore leading them to be malevolent and selfish beings.

Ambition is another main motif in the novel. Victor at a young age was passionate to seek more knowledge. He found all the discoveries and philosophies of former scientists fascinating. He intended to help discover things that went beyond humans. However, a desire with no boundaries always has consequences. Before finding out that breaking the natural laws of life would be the cause of his misery, he went through a period of isolation. He was alone in the mountains, reflecting upon his actions and the effects they had done on others. The period of isolation makes the characters in Frankenstein turn away from their ambition. Victor changes from a self-absorbed person who can only think about himself to a person who cares for others. However, he could only achieve this once he had nothing else to chase. His loneliness stripped him from his ambition to seek out more knowledge. The ambition of the creature was the total opposite of Victor’s. Victor wanted knowledge, while the creature all desired was a family with which he can share feelings and have a connection. However, after being rejected multiple times and spending his whole life isolated, the creature turned from a “good” creature into a malevolent creature whose goal is to make humanity suffer because of the unjust treatment they’ve done to him. Just like Victor, the creature learns through isolation to only depend on itself and that no one else can help him. Both of their ambitions were unreachable respectively to the characters. The creature could reach absolute knowledge with no limits because unlike Victor it had no grounded emotions that bloom during its development. Victor could have a family and have compassion for everything around him. Each of them had what the other wanted.

On the whole, the author shows the two characters’ similarities and differences to develop the message of the story. For both isolations, it does not offer only one example of how isolation changes people from a benevolent person to a malevolent one. However, it shows how a person through a period of isolation can become a “wretch” detesting all humanity. The perspectives the author presents, make the audience see the outcomes from the same process one can undergo taking the message further. In regards to ambition, the author shows how Victor and the creature fail to obtain their desire, while each has what the other wants. The creature can achieve unlimited knowledge because it does not have anything that holds it back. Victor can have a family because he was born according to natural laws.  Lastly, the author shows how the doubles fall under the motif of Nature vs. Nurture. Both were unattended, recurring to their basic instinct.