Frankenstein Chapter 20 Analysis Essay Example

After Victor has devoted many hours to the creation of the creature’s female mate in a self-built laboratory, he begins to think about what might happen once he completes his work of creation. He imagines that his second creature might be even more brutal and murderous than his first creation, leading him to destroy his half-finished creation in front of the creature. Having been told that Victor will not continue making effort in creating a mate for him, the creature rages at his creator for breaking his promise, curses and swears vengeance before fleeing, pledging to be with Frankenstein on his wedding night.

During this confrontation between the creature and its creator, Victor misses the point of the creature's genuine problem of not being accepted by society and feeling alone and unloved. Since Victor, as the creator of the creature, is the only one capable of creating a being similar to the creature, he is the only person who can help the creature with its suffering from solitude. However, instead of acknowledging the creature’s plight, Victor sees the creature as a threat to his own life and tries to escape from his responsibilities as his creator.

The creature’s speech in chapter 20 demonstrates how it now dares to stand up against Victor, as the creature now realises what power it holds over his creator Victor Frankenstein. This shows how the relationship of these two characters has shifted throughout the novel - whilst the creature used to be helpless and dependent on Victor shortly after it was abandoned by him, it is now using its physical strength and power to control Victor. In this context, the creature also demonstrates its power through the statement: “Beware, for I am fearless and therefore powerful.” (Chapter 20). It even goes as far as calling Victor his “slave” (Chapter 20) and speaks to him in an imperative and threatening manner: “Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!” (Chapter 20), which further also showcases the despair and rage of the creature. Since Victor, as the person having created it and thus being responsible for its creation, is the only one who can help it with its loneliness - through creating another being like his first creation, the creature considers him the only solution to its despair. But as Victor is not willing to take the creature’s distress seriously, one can understand why the creature could grow this outraged and threaten Victor on his life.

Furthermore, the fact that Victor does not want to take the creature's appeals and threats seriously and does not agree to the creature’s request of creating a mate for him, once again illustrates Victor’s selfishness, irresponsibility and lack of compassion for his creature he is supposed to care for. Frankenstein has placed the creature in a world where it cannot be part of a society as it is rejected for its appearance. The absence of love and affection in the creature's life leads to its clear suffering and a desire for revenge when the creature learns that Victor does not agree to help him find a companion: “You can blast my other passions, but revenge remains – revenge, henceforth dearer than light or food!” (Chapter 20). The idea of obtaining a female partner was the creature's only hope for a more fulfilling life that all humans, including Victor, seem to live: “Are you to be happy while I grovel in the intensity of my wretchedness?” (Chapter 20). This displays the inequality the creature must be experiencing as it tries its best to fit in human societies through learning their languages and ways of thinking, yet his appearance sets it apart from human beings and makes it almost impossible for him to find a family or people that can love the creature.

Lastly, Victor's fear for his own life as the creature vows revenge shows that he does not understand the creature's true misery, which is solitude. He limits himself to his own interests and priorities and therefore sees the creature during this conversation as a threat to his own life and not as a being in need of help, tormented by isolation for which he is to be held responsible. In addition, Victor thinks immediately about how the monster could threaten his own life and does not recognise that it just as well might want to endanger his loved ones and his family. Frankenstein understands the creature’s declaration “but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding-night.” (Chapter 20) in the sense that the creature will attempt Victor’s own murder on the day of his wedding with Elizabeth. In such manner, he does not understand that it will not be only himself who will have to pay for the consequences of his actions and that it might be Elizabeth the creature intends to kill. This is because Victor has just now denied the creature his possible female mate, which is why it will try to make him feel just as alone and heartbroken.

Personally, I believe that the rage and anger the creature expresses in this chapter are understandable, considering the fact that Victor, who is supposed to be a parental figure to him, is, because of his narcissism, not encouraged to help the creature with feeling less alone and more loved. However, I can also see why Frankenstein refuses to create a second creature by taking account of possible consequences of the creation of an unpredictable, most likely brutal and dangerous living being. In midst of the process of creating a new creature, Victor realises that he had been in a similar position before:"I was engaged in the same manner and had created a fiend whose unparalleled barbarity had desolated my heart and filled it with the bitterest remorse." (Chapter 20). This forces him to reassess his decision of agreeing to the creature’s request. Therefore, one could argue that, for the first time in the novel, Victor considers something other than his own ambitions and also takes the sake of future generations into account when making his decision: “Had I right, for my own benefit, to inflict this curse upon everlasting generations?” (Chapter 20). Still, it is important to add that he certainly could have started reflecting on his actions at some point earlier in the novel and could have, this way, avoided the whole situation he finds himself here.