Victor Frankenstein Interesting Dilemma Essay

Bryce Gerst

Ms. Martin

English Language Arts - G/T

21 December 2015

An Interesting Dilemma Threats can be influential and powerful, but it is not always best to trust a threatening person, much less help them. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein has a difficult choice. His creation desires a mate, and threatens both Victor and his family so he can receive one. Even though making the companion seems to be his only option, there are many reasons why doing so would have undesirable results for Victor. Since Victor has created a creature before, there is some indication of what would happen if he constructed another. Overall, Victor Frankenstein should not produce a mate for his creature because it would put his health in danger

Typically, when two tasks are performed by the same person, they will have similar, if not identical, results. Therefore, using Victor’s first experience making a creature, it can be predicated what will happen if he makes another one. As Victor was working in his lab on his first creature, he glanced at himself, and remarked “sometimes I grew alarmed at the wreck perceived had become, the energy if my purpose alone sustained me… I believed that exercise and amusement would then drive away incipient disease” (Shelley 47). If Victor himself notes that this was a “disease” which made him a “wreck” then it must have been apparent that his health was abnormal. Therefore if Victor made another creature, surely this “disease” would come back, and could be worse than before. Another excerpt from victor reassures the same idea, as Victor states “but I was in reality very ill, and surely nothing but the unbounded and me unremitting attentions of my friend could have restored me to life” (Shelley 53). On top of what was previously mentioned, this quote mentions that Henry was essential in bringing Victor back to normal. This means if for any reason Henry was not available, then Victor would not be able to restore his health, and would be forever damaged. All in all, by making a mate for the creature, Victor would get serious health problems that he might be unable to

While the creature’s attitude and words have appeared to be honest, this argument neglects to acknowledge relevant factors. For example, the creature deliberately withheld the full truth to mislead Victor previously. Originally, before he told his story, the creature assured Victor “if you comply with my conditions I will leave them and you at peace” (Shelley 95-6). Clearly, at this point all the creature wants Victor to do is to agree with his conditions. Also, at this point the only condition Victor has been informed of from the creature is to listen to his tale. So, after Victor is done listening to the story the creature demands a mate. the creature threatens Victor by saying “I will cause fear, and chiefly towards you my arch-enemy,” if Victor does not make the mate (Shelley 148). However, this contradicts what the creature previously said. Before the story, he said he would leave Victor alone if he complied with his conditions. Even though his conditions may have been to make the mate, Victor would have had no way of knowing this when he accepted the offer. Therefore, if the creature mislead Victor previously to benefit himself, then there is little reason to believe he will not do so