Is Dr. Frankenstein's Heroism?

Dr. Frankenstein’s Heroism?

(A discussion of whether Dr. Frankenstein is a hero or not)

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus is mainly centered around that of two characters. Dr. Victor Frankenstein and that of his science experiment, the monster. Throughout the telling of the story, Dr. Frankenstein’s invention (the monster) is ridiculed and rejected from society. The monster time and time again is rejected by society and the people. Each time gaining more and anger and hatred toward the human race, until finally he snaps and that's where the novel begins its climax. But the real story is centered around that of Dr. Frankenstein. Is the Dr. seen as a hero in the novel? Facts such as, the murder of almost his entire family,

himself ,and the endangerment of that of society,support that Frankenstein is not a hero in the novel of Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.
Though only few people encountered the monster of Frankenstein’s, ninety-nine percent of them rejected and rebuked the ugly so called “man”.

Dr. Frankenstein himself, the creator this monster, disapproved and rejected it as soon as he gave it life. In the beginning of chapter 5, Frankenstein is just finishing his “creation”. After giving it life, the monster, rises with life, sending the Dr. fleeing for his life. After being terrified again while waking the next morning, Frankenstein flees the house and leaves his creation to fend for itself, hoping to forget about what he created. A reasonable amount of time passes, and throughout this time, the monster is terrorising the countryside. Endangering the public and even murdering a few civilians, but that will be expanded in the next passage. But the worst part is that Frankenstein, knowing what his creation can and is doing to people, will not take responsibility and care for the matter. But he pays for his ignorance and his carelessness when the monster turns on frankenstein’s

family.
Frankenstein’s creation becomes his own problem when the monster turns on him and begins to thin down the Dr.’s own family.

The Dr.’s so called, “heroism” is yet to be shown and won’t ever be shown. Flashing back to when the Dr. carries out the finishing touches and gives the creature life, the monster ends up infuriated at the Dr. and ends up finding Victor’s younger brother William and in his enragement strangles the little boy. But it doesn’t end with just William, the monster then frames the murder on a young girl that was adopted into the Frankenstein family when Victor was young. She is later accused and is hung. Once again the death toll continues, but the last two are the hardest for that of Victor Frankenstein. Henry Clerval is Victor’s life long friend and fellow scientist. Henry is killed by the monster but is found face first on a beach. "He had apparently been strangled, for there was no sign of any violence except the black mark of fingers on his neck."(pg. 146). Victor once again falls Ill because of the death of another family member. Soon after the death of his best friend, victor chooses to finally mary Elizabeth his lifelong “mate” but not wife up to this point. The Dr. knows that the monster is gonna be there on his wedding night and is on edge. But not quite enough. Elizabeth is strangled to death while in bed. Once again Dr. Frankenstein is not showing his “heroism”. Almost his entire family is gone! But in the end, his creation takes more than he

would have wanted.
Up to this point in Victor Frankenstein’s “monster experience” everyone he loves around him is dying but he didn’t expect to be the last one to die. But not by the “physical”hands of the monster. But the the “theoretical” hands of the monster. All the pain that the monster has created for that of the Dr. has been very affecting in his life, especially his lifelong mate and best friend. All this pain and sorrow had built up inside him up to this point after his newly wed wife had passed. But it would finally come out through the passing of the Dr.. Victor journeys to the Arctic in search for his creation, when he falls through and contracts severe pneumonia. He is discovered in the ice by a passing ship which he later passes away on. Victor Frankenstein dies in search of his hated creation. He created his own death, in a way, when he gave the monster life. Not very heroic.
To describe Dr. Frankenstein as heroic would be less than accurate by the way things worked out in his life after that of his monster’s life began. The Dr. Frankenstein created pain and sorrow for that of himself and his entire family. Not just the ones that were murdered, but by the ones that had to live after the passing of a large percentage of the family. A heroic man would also have the carelessness to just let his monster, which he knows will affect society in a large way, run free and have the attitude that “He’s not my problem anymore”? This concept continues while his family is being murdered. Until it really starts to hit home with his best friend and new wife being murdered because of him. Dr. Frankenstein protrudes no sense of heroism throughout the entire novel of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus”